Utility companies today manage sprawling networks of power lines, pipelines, water systems, and telecommunications infrastructure that span thousands of miles across diverse terrain. Traditional monitoring relies on scheduled inspections, reactive maintenance after failures occur, and manual readings that provide only periodic snapshots of system performance.
Digitization introduces IoT sensors, predictive analytics, and monitoring systems that enable continuous tracking of equipment health, early detection of potential failures, and automated performance optimization. This technological transformation allows utilities to prevent outages before they occur, reduce maintenance costs, improve system reliability, and ensure uninterrupted service delivery to communities while maximizing infrastructure lifespan.
- Manual readings
- Inefficient use of resources
- Gaps in Manual Readings
Remote Infrastructure Locations Challenge Traditional Connectivity
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High cost of connectivity
- Patchy coverage due to terrain
- High infrastructure costs
Utility infrastructure monitoring faces significant connectivity obstacles, as critical equipment is often located in remote areas far from cellular towers or broadband networks. Power transmission lines cross mountains and deserts, pipelines traverse wilderness areas, and water treatment facilities operate in isolated locations where traditional internet infrastructure is unavailable or unreliable.
Even when some connectivity exists, the distributed nature of utility networks makes it expensive to provide dedicated connections to every monitoring point. Harsh weather conditions or electromagnetic interference can further complicate connectivity. These connection gaps result in undetected performance issues, inability to perform remote diagnostics, increased maintenance costs, and extended outage times that impact customers and communities.
Satellite Services in Inaccessible Territories
Lacuna satellites solve the connectivity challenges of utility infrastructure monitoring across remote and inaccessible service territories.
Smart grid monitoring powered by reliable satellite IoT technology enables electric utilities to track transmission lines, substations, and distribution equipment in mountainous regions and rural areas where environmental challenges include electromagnetic interference, extreme weather, voltage surges, lightning strikes, and temperature fluctuations, facilitating real-time equipment health monitoring and failure detection before outages occur.
Water utilities leverage Lacuna’s constellation for pipeline monitoring across remote watersheds and desert regions, with sensors transmitting measurements from remote, hard to reach places without the need for site visits to track water quality, pressure levels, and leak detection across vast uninhabited terrain. Beyond direct sensor connectivity, Lacuna satellites provide satellite backhaul for existing solutions in areas with poor cellular coverage and ultimately deliver monitoring that enhances service reliability and reduces outage frequency and duration while ensuring continuous surveillance of substations, pump stations, and critical equipment regardless of geographic constraints.
Ultra-Low Power
- Global Coverage
- Direct-to-Satellite Links
- Complementary systems
- Low Density Deployments
- Interoperable Technology
