As satellite‑enabled connectivity continues to expand beyond sectors like maritime and agriculture, opportunities are emerging for land‑based industries as well. This Viasat case study demonstrates how satellite services can enhance connected vehicle operations in regions where terrestrial coverage is limited.
COUNTRY: Brazil
BAND: MSS L-band (3GPP-standardized)
THE CHALLENGE:
Vast road networks in Brazil, especially those crossing rugged or remote terrain, often suffer from unreliable or nonexistent cellular coverage, limiting real-time vehicle tracking, telemetry, and safety communications for connected vehicles.
THE SOLUTION:
A multi-partner field trial tested a satellite-enabled solution along a 250 km highway between Curitiba and Blumenau. A compact module was integrated into vehicles via the controller area network (CAN) bus, using dual-mode satellite and cellular chipsets. The module transmitted and received telemetry data, switching seamlessly between satellite and cellular networks depending on coverage conditions.
THE IMPACT:
The trial proved that reliable, real-time data exchange is possible even in connectivity blackouts, with transmission times as low as 3–5 seconds. This solution enables robust telemetry for over 1,000 vehicle parameters, including location, acceleration, and engine diagnostics, supporting advanced fleet management, safety monitoring, and future autonomous driving use cases.
It marks a major step toward scalable, standards-based D2D and other advanced NTN services integration for the automotive sector in Latin America and beyond.
These MSSA Member case studies showcase the exciting progress happening across the NTN ecosystem from sustainable fishing and marine protection efforts to advanced automotive connectivity and global D2D services.
Each example highlights how satellite-enabled technologies are expanding what is possible across land, sea, air, and remote environments. We look forward to sharing additional case studies in the near future as more innovations and real-world deployments continue to emerge!
RESOURCES:
- Viasat Perspectives: Demonstrating the power of Direct-to-Device (D2D) for the automotive sector
- MSSA Filing: MSSA Presents at CITEL MSS_D2D_IoT Case Studies 2 June 2025
- MSSA Technical Document: MSS Reference Architecture