Diverse Use Cases Driven by AI and New Sensors
Every year, TTC features a “Wall of Fame” where vendors showcase their products. What began as a small display has now grown into an installation stretching more than 10 meters, featuring everything from Temperature sensors to Satellite Relays.
In previous years, the Wall of Fame was dedicated exclusively to LoRaWAN devices, highlighting how solutions in that ecosystem had matured across diverse use cases. However, this year marked a significant shift: it was no longer the “Wall of Fame for LoRaWAN Devices”, but named “Wall of Fame” only to represent all IoT Devices. This broader scope reflected the event’s evolution, capturing the wide variety of IoT technologies and applications now shaping the market.
The expanding technological toolkit, particularly the integration of AI and sophisticated new sensors, is unleashing diverse and complex new use cases. The key is in collecting richer data and analysing it intelligently.
The technology demonstrated at the conference highlights this diversity:
- Advanced Sensing: New devices, such as the Move Environmental Sensor, showcase how sophisticated, multi-point data collection is becoming standard for environmental monitoring and asset tracking.
- Next-Gen Hardware: Products like the MM8108-EKH19 Wi-Fi HaLow USB Network Adaptor demonstrate how manufacturers are investing in new technology, and finding ways to integrate into existing hardware, combining protocols and ensuring seamless convergence.
By integrating these new sensors and leveraging AI for smarter data processing, we can move beyond simple tracking to deliver deep, actionable insights across various industries - from smart agriculture to logistics and industrial monitoring.
The Impact on NTN on the Future of IoT
Instead of asking, "Which protocol is best?", the leading question is now: "What are the customer’s requirements, and which technology or combination can meet those needs most effectively?"
This shift is fundamentally driven by the rise of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), specifically satellite connectivity. A recent change in Europe shows how important this evolution is. European regulators have now approved a harmonised framework for using satellite IoT in the 862–870 MHz band, a frequency range also used by LoRaWAN. Before this decision, many IoT satellite services were operating under temporary or local permits, making expansion slow and fragmented. The new rules bring legal certainty: low-power devices in that band can communicate directly with satellites (so-called “LPD-S devices) across multiple nations.
While terrestrial networks like LoRaWAN remain essential for many urban and suburban applications, NTN is solving one of IoT’s most persistent challenges: connectivity in remote, rural, or offshore areas.
- Expanded Coverage: NTN breaks geographical boundaries, allowing IoT solutions to operate globally.
- Enhanced Resilience: Satellites act as a secondary, resilient communication backbone, ensuring data transmission is maintained even if local terrestrial infrastructure fails.
This is a monumental change. Solutions like the EM-SR LoRaWAN Satellite Relay showcased at the event demonstrate this convergence in action, seamlessly bridging LoRaWAN devices to global satellite networks. The combined strength of terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity is creating a truly seamless, boundaryless IoT world.
