KYOCERA AVX and EchoStar Mobile have combined their expertise to write a paper explaining how IoT connectivity can be enabled by small ceramic chip antennas.

Traditional perceptions of satellite communications often conjure images of large antennas facilitating one-way communication. However, with the evolution of IoT, satellite technologies, bidirectional communication and compact embedded antennas have become feasible, improving connectivity in remote and difficult environments.

The paper explores the capabilities of EchoStar Mobile’s LoRaWan over satellite service, highlighting the potential for bidirectional communication and the integration of KYOCERA AVX small chip embedded antennas within IoT devices.

The case study demonstrates the functionality and effectiveness of this antenna in real-world applications, showcasing its role in IoT satellite communications and enabling seamless connectivity across diverse landscapes.

“We introduced two antennas for EchoStar Mobile,” said Carmen Redondo, one of the paper’s authors and a director at KYOCERA AVX. “One is for receiving and one is transmitting.”

She was speaking at last week’s Embedded World show in Nuremberg.

“Using chip antennas can be good for IoT,” she said. “This is for tracking containers and the like. It uses LoRa direct to satellite.”

The paper explains how KYOCERA AVX has developed an S-band high-gain antenna with right-hand crcular polarisation (RHCP) for the Hughes 4500 terminal. The terminal delivers mobile satellite services with affordable data connectivity for applications in connected vehicles, industrial, fisheries, resource extraction, environmental monitoring and smart-grid monitoring among others. Its low standby power consumption enables seamless end-to-end IP connectivity for sites that are off the grid.

EchoStar Mobile (echostarmobile.com) offers IoT connectivity across Europe with extensive LoRa coverage through its satellite network. Operating in the S-band, the satellite has uplink and downlink capacities of 100Mbit/s, ensuring robust communication channels.

Leveraging this high-power satellite, licensed S-band and the sensitivity of the LoRa and LR-FHSS modulations, even small antennas on IoT modules achieve exceptional performance, receiving signals in conditions where traditional ISM services struggle.

This synergy reduces terminal size and leveraging on LoRaWan protocol lowers power consumption, letting battery-powered devices operate for years without needing replacement.

Speaking later at the show on a panel organised by the IoT M2M Council (IMC), Redondo encouraged people to consider antennas at the same time as designing the module.

“Don’t do this when all the electronics have been done because then you will have problems with the form factor of your antenna,” she said.

She added that 71 per cent of the world had no connectivity and that satellite IoT could cover that.

“The goal is 100% connectivity,” she said.

The paper can be downloaded at: www.kyocera-avx.com/technical-info-papers/iot-satellite-connectivity-enabled-by-small-ceramic-chip-antennas.

• KYOCERA AVX hosted a ground-breaking ceremony this month for its new manufacturing and design centre for high-quality, low-noise quartz crystal frequency control products. The facility will be part of the Knowledge Park at Penn State Erie research and development hub, which is on the Penn State Behrend campus in Erie, Pennsylvania. The 45000-square-metre facility is due to open in April next year.