Satellite-Integrated IoT for Underserved Regions: Design, Security, and Implementation Challenges
Keywords:
Satellite-Integrated IoT Networks, Satellite-Integrated IoT Network Design, IoT and Satellite Network Integration, Connectivity of Remote and Underserved Regions, IoT Security, System Design Challenges
Abstract
Satellite communications combined with IoT promise to bridge the digital divide in remote and underserved regions, supporting applications from environmental monitoring to disaster response. This review synthesizes recent advances in satellite-integrated IoT (SIoT), comparing architectures (direct vs indirect access), enabling LPWAN technologies (e.g., NB-IoT, LoRaWAN), and orbital options (LEO vs GEO). It also examines design trade-offs (latency, Doppler, energy, massive access), identifies principal security threats (jamming, spoofing, key management, device tampering), and surveys practical implementation constraints (cost, regulation, maintenance). Finally, the paper identifies open research issues and outlines future directions for achieving scalable, secure, and high-performance satellite-IoT ecosystems in remote and rural environments.
References
3GPP TS 33.501. (2023). Security architecture and procedures for 5G system. 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
3GPP. (2021–2023). Technical specifications on non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and IoT over satellite. 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
3GPP. (2022). Release 17 and 18 specifications for NB-IoT over NTN. 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
5G Americas. (2023). Non-terrestrial networks in 5G and beyond: Integration of satellite and terrestrial systems. 5G Americas White Paper.
Abdel-Rahman, A., Al-Mualla, N., Al-Sayed, T., & Al-Maawali, A. (2022). Applications and security concerns of satellite-based IoT networks: A conceptual view. International Journal of Research and Engineering, 9(2), 2673–2679.
Atzori, L., Iera, A., & Morabito, G. (2010). The Internet of Things: A survey. Computer Networks, 54(15), 2787–2805.
Centenaro, M., Costa, C. E., Granelli, F., Sacchi, C., & Vangelista, L. (2021). A survey on technologies, standards, and open challenges in satellite IoT. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 23(3), 1693–1720.
Chen, X., Xu, Z., & Shang, L. (2023). Satellite Internet of Things: Challenges, solutions, and development trends. Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering, 24(7), 935–944.
Chiti, F., Fantacci, R., & Pierucci, L. (2019). Energy efficient communications for reliable IoT multicast 5G/satellite services. Future Internet, 11(8), 164.
Clazzer, F., Munari, A., Bisio, I., Lavagno, L., & Marchese, M. (2022). From 5G to 6G: Satellite integration into IoT. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 9(17), 15907–15921.
Colavolpe, G., Foggi, T., Ricciulli, M., Zanettini, Y., & Mediano-Alameda, J. P. (2019). Reception of LoRa signals from LEO satellites. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 55(6), 3587–3602.
Denby, B., & Lucia, B. (2020, March). Orbital edge computing: Nanosatellite constellations as a new class of computer system. In Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (pp. 939–954).
Duran, J., Perez-Vazquez, S. M., Fernandez-Fidalgo, M., & Gonzalez-Alvarez, J. (2024). Multi-layered satellite communications systems for ultra-high availability and resilience. Electronics, 13(7), 1269.
El Jaafari, M. (2023). NTN access and mobility management in 5G Release 18. IEEE Communications Standards Magazine, 7(3), 22–30.
ENISA. (2021). Threat landscape for 5G networks. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
ENISA. (2023). Cybersecurity for space and satellite communication systems. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
ENISA. (2025). Space threat landscape report 2025. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
ETSI. (2024). ETSI 6G-NTN report. European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
Ferreira, P., Antunes, H., Pinto, P., & Monteiro, E. (2021). Physical layer security in satellite-based communication networks. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 23(1), 583–623.
Fraire, J. A., Céspedes, S., & Accettura, N. (2019, September). Direct-to-satellite IoT: A survey of the state of the art and future research perspectives. In International Conference on Ad-Hoc Networks and Wireless (pp. 241–258). Springer.
Fraire, J. A., Henn, S., Dovis, F., Garello, R., & Taricco, G. (2020, December). Sparse satellite constellation design for LoRa-based direct-to-satellite IoT. In IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) (pp. 1–6).
Fraire, J. A., Iova, O., & Valois, F. (2022). Space-terrestrial integrated Internet of Things: Challenges and opportunities. IEEE Communications Magazine, 60(12), 64–70.
Ground Control. (2023). Satellite IoT backhaul solutions: Technical overview. Ground Control White Paper.
GSMA. (2022). IoT security guidelines. GSM Association.
GSMA. (2024). Extending IoT with satellites: Market and technology insights. GSM Association.
Gubbi, J., Buyya, R., Marusic, S., & Palaniswami, M. (2013). Internet of Things (IoT): A vision, architectural elements, and future directions. Future Generation Computer Systems, 29(7), 1645–1660.
Hassanzadeh, S. (2021). Security challenges in satellite-integrated IoT systems. IEEE Access, 9, 12533–12547.
Heusse, M., et al. (2023). Random access schemes for massive IoT over satellite. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 22(11), 7554–7569.
ITU. (2022). Measuring digital development: Facts and figures. International Telecommunication Union.
Kim, J., & Song, J. (2018). A secure device-to-device link establishment scheme for LoRaWAN. IEEE Sensors Journal, 18(5), 2153–2160.
Kumar, S., & Choudhary, N. (2024). Advancements in satellite communication systems: Enabling seamless connectivity in a hyperconnected world. Journal of Emerging Communication Technologies, 12(4), 77–89.
Kyocera AVX. (2024). Design considerations for low-power satellite IoT devices. Kyocera AVX Technical Report.
Lin, X., et al. (2021). 5G new radio evolution towards 6G: NTN and IoT perspectives. IEEE Communications Magazine, 59(7), 36–42.
LoRa Alliance. (2017). LoRaWAN security whitepaper. LoRa Alliance.
LoRa Alliance. (2023). LoRaWAN for satellite integration: Deployment guidelines. LoRa Alliance.
Loukil, S., et al. (2022). Security analysis of LoRaWAN-based satellite IoT. IEEE Access, 10, 112233–112245.
Mannoni, V., et al. (2021). Enabling technologies for satellite IoT: Protocol adaptations and design insights. International Journal of Satellite Communications and Networking, 39(5), 455–472.
Qureshi, A. S. (2022). Applications and security concerns of satellite-based IoT networks: A conceptual view. International Journal of Computer Applications, 184(25), 34–40.
Recayte, J., et al. (2024). Scalable random access for direct-to-satellite IoT. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 11(5), 8812–8825.
Shafi, U., Zafar, A., & Mehmood, S. (2023). Analysis of IoT security challenges and solutions using artificial intelligence. Sensors, 23(16), 6902.
Sinha, R. S., Wei, Y., & Hwang, S. H. (2017). A survey on LPWA technology: LoRa and NB-IoT. ICT Express, 3(1), 14–21.
Sørensen, R., et al. (2021). Delay-tolerant networking in LEO satellite IoT constellations. IEEE Access, 9, 145233–145247.
Sweeting, M. N. (2018). Modern small satellites—Changing the economics of space. Proceedings of the IEEE, 106(3), 343–361.
Ullah, S., Mikhaylov, K., & Alves, H. (2021). Random access for LoRaWAN in LEO satellite systems. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 20(12), 8231–8244.
Vanelli-Coralli, A., et al. (2024). Satellite IoT integration challenges: From 5G NTN to 6G. IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, 19(1), 44–56.
Wei, Q., et al. (2019). Design of secure lightweight cryptography for IoT over satellite. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 6(5), 8222–8233.
World Bank. (2016). World Development Report 2016: Digital dividends. The World Bank.
3GPP. (2021–2023). Technical specifications on non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and IoT over satellite. 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
3GPP. (2022). Release 17 and 18 specifications for NB-IoT over NTN. 3rd Generation Partnership Project.
5G Americas. (2023). Non-terrestrial networks in 5G and beyond: Integration of satellite and terrestrial systems. 5G Americas White Paper.
Abdel-Rahman, A., Al-Mualla, N., Al-Sayed, T., & Al-Maawali, A. (2022). Applications and security concerns of satellite-based IoT networks: A conceptual view. International Journal of Research and Engineering, 9(2), 2673–2679.
Atzori, L., Iera, A., & Morabito, G. (2010). The Internet of Things: A survey. Computer Networks, 54(15), 2787–2805.
Centenaro, M., Costa, C. E., Granelli, F., Sacchi, C., & Vangelista, L. (2021). A survey on technologies, standards, and open challenges in satellite IoT. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 23(3), 1693–1720.
Chen, X., Xu, Z., & Shang, L. (2023). Satellite Internet of Things: Challenges, solutions, and development trends. Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering, 24(7), 935–944.
Chiti, F., Fantacci, R., & Pierucci, L. (2019). Energy efficient communications for reliable IoT multicast 5G/satellite services. Future Internet, 11(8), 164.
Clazzer, F., Munari, A., Bisio, I., Lavagno, L., & Marchese, M. (2022). From 5G to 6G: Satellite integration into IoT. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 9(17), 15907–15921.
Colavolpe, G., Foggi, T., Ricciulli, M., Zanettini, Y., & Mediano-Alameda, J. P. (2019). Reception of LoRa signals from LEO satellites. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 55(6), 3587–3602.
Denby, B., & Lucia, B. (2020, March). Orbital edge computing: Nanosatellite constellations as a new class of computer system. In Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Architectural Support for Programming Languages and Operating Systems (pp. 939–954).
Duran, J., Perez-Vazquez, S. M., Fernandez-Fidalgo, M., & Gonzalez-Alvarez, J. (2024). Multi-layered satellite communications systems for ultra-high availability and resilience. Electronics, 13(7), 1269.
El Jaafari, M. (2023). NTN access and mobility management in 5G Release 18. IEEE Communications Standards Magazine, 7(3), 22–30.
ENISA. (2021). Threat landscape for 5G networks. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
ENISA. (2023). Cybersecurity for space and satellite communication systems. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
ENISA. (2025). Space threat landscape report 2025. European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
ETSI. (2024). ETSI 6G-NTN report. European Telecommunications Standards Institute.
Ferreira, P., Antunes, H., Pinto, P., & Monteiro, E. (2021). Physical layer security in satellite-based communication networks. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 23(1), 583–623.
Fraire, J. A., Céspedes, S., & Accettura, N. (2019, September). Direct-to-satellite IoT: A survey of the state of the art and future research perspectives. In International Conference on Ad-Hoc Networks and Wireless (pp. 241–258). Springer.
Fraire, J. A., Henn, S., Dovis, F., Garello, R., & Taricco, G. (2020, December). Sparse satellite constellation design for LoRa-based direct-to-satellite IoT. In IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) (pp. 1–6).
Fraire, J. A., Iova, O., & Valois, F. (2022). Space-terrestrial integrated Internet of Things: Challenges and opportunities. IEEE Communications Magazine, 60(12), 64–70.
Ground Control. (2023). Satellite IoT backhaul solutions: Technical overview. Ground Control White Paper.
GSMA. (2022). IoT security guidelines. GSM Association.
GSMA. (2024). Extending IoT with satellites: Market and technology insights. GSM Association.
Gubbi, J., Buyya, R., Marusic, S., & Palaniswami, M. (2013). Internet of Things (IoT): A vision, architectural elements, and future directions. Future Generation Computer Systems, 29(7), 1645–1660.
Hassanzadeh, S. (2021). Security challenges in satellite-integrated IoT systems. IEEE Access, 9, 12533–12547.
Heusse, M., et al. (2023). Random access schemes for massive IoT over satellite. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 22(11), 7554–7569.
ITU. (2022). Measuring digital development: Facts and figures. International Telecommunication Union.
Kim, J., & Song, J. (2018). A secure device-to-device link establishment scheme for LoRaWAN. IEEE Sensors Journal, 18(5), 2153–2160.
Kumar, S., & Choudhary, N. (2024). Advancements in satellite communication systems: Enabling seamless connectivity in a hyperconnected world. Journal of Emerging Communication Technologies, 12(4), 77–89.
Kyocera AVX. (2024). Design considerations for low-power satellite IoT devices. Kyocera AVX Technical Report.
Lin, X., et al. (2021). 5G new radio evolution towards 6G: NTN and IoT perspectives. IEEE Communications Magazine, 59(7), 36–42.
LoRa Alliance. (2017). LoRaWAN security whitepaper. LoRa Alliance.
LoRa Alliance. (2023). LoRaWAN for satellite integration: Deployment guidelines. LoRa Alliance.
Loukil, S., et al. (2022). Security analysis of LoRaWAN-based satellite IoT. IEEE Access, 10, 112233–112245.
Mannoni, V., et al. (2021). Enabling technologies for satellite IoT: Protocol adaptations and design insights. International Journal of Satellite Communications and Networking, 39(5), 455–472.
Qureshi, A. S. (2022). Applications and security concerns of satellite-based IoT networks: A conceptual view. International Journal of Computer Applications, 184(25), 34–40.
Recayte, J., et al. (2024). Scalable random access for direct-to-satellite IoT. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 11(5), 8812–8825.
Shafi, U., Zafar, A., & Mehmood, S. (2023). Analysis of IoT security challenges and solutions using artificial intelligence. Sensors, 23(16), 6902.
Sinha, R. S., Wei, Y., & Hwang, S. H. (2017). A survey on LPWA technology: LoRa and NB-IoT. ICT Express, 3(1), 14–21.
Sørensen, R., et al. (2021). Delay-tolerant networking in LEO satellite IoT constellations. IEEE Access, 9, 145233–145247.
Sweeting, M. N. (2018). Modern small satellites—Changing the economics of space. Proceedings of the IEEE, 106(3), 343–361.
Ullah, S., Mikhaylov, K., & Alves, H. (2021). Random access for LoRaWAN in LEO satellite systems. IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, 20(12), 8231–8244.
Vanelli-Coralli, A., et al. (2024). Satellite IoT integration challenges: From 5G NTN to 6G. IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, 19(1), 44–56.
Wei, Q., et al. (2019). Design of secure lightweight cryptography for IoT over satellite. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 6(5), 8222–8233.
World Bank. (2016). World Development Report 2016: Digital dividends. The World Bank.
Published
2025-11-03
How to Cite
Matar, M., & Matar, K. (2025). Satellite-Integrated IoT for Underserved Regions: Design, Security, and Implementation Challenges. European Journal of Science, Innovation and Technology, 5(5), 71-87. Retrieved from https://ejsit-journal.com/index.php/ejsit/article/view/717
Issue
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Mahmoud Matar, Khaled Matar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
ISSN 
