China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has authorised Geespace, the commercial space arm of Geely, to conduct a two-year commercial trial of satellite Internet of Things services. The company will use the first phase of its low-Earth-orbit Geely Future Mobility Constellation to provide wide-area, low-power and highly reliable connectivity in places where conventional mobile networks are weak or unavailable. Potential applications include connected vehicles, intelligent transport, marine and fishing operations, energy and water infrastructure, and remote monitoring.
Geespace currently operates 64 satellites launched through six successful missions between 2022 and 2025. The company says the constellation provides communication coverage across almost the entire planet outside the polar regions and is capable of handling around 340 million communication sessions per day. More than 20,000 in-vehicle satellite terminals have already been delivered, while Geespace has carried out tests and partnerships with telecom operators in more than 20 countries. The approval makes it the second private Chinese company authorised for this type of commercial satellite IoT trial and highlights Beijing’s push to expand private-sector participation in satellite communications.
