Viasat survey shows surge in industrial D2D IoT demand

Viasat has reported strong near-term interest in direct-to-device connectivity for industrial internet of things deployments, with a survey suggesting most organisations plan to adopt the technology within the next 18 months.

The findings come from a study of 600 IoT decision-makers across agriculture, energy, transport and logistics, mining, and utilities. Vanson Bourne carried out the research for Viasat.

Direct-to-device, often shortened to D2D, refers to IoT devices that connect over satellite and cellular networks without dedicated satellite terminals. The approach is linked to the rise of non-terrestrial networks, where satellites extend coverage beyond terrestrial infrastructure.

The survey found that 91% of respondents intend to include D2D in their IoT strategy within 18 months. More than two thirds (69%) expect adoption within 12 months. Among terrestrial IoT users, 32% plan to adopt within the next six months.

Respondents also broadly agreed on the market direction. Nine in ten said D2D will accelerate global IoT adoption, citing wider coverage and the ability to deploy devices in locations that are difficult to reach with cellular networks.

Drivers and barriers

Respondents cited device size and deployment scale as key drivers. Small form-factor hardware ranked as the top perceived benefit, cited by 61% of decision-makers, followed by support for large-scale deployments (59%).

More than half (55%) pointed to suitability for deployments with no cellular coverage, a common requirement in industrial settings such as remote mining operations, agricultural sites, offshore energy infrastructure, and dispersed utility assets.

Despite the stated intent to adopt, the survey highlighted a gap between interest and operational readiness. Some 81% said adoption would be feasible only in the next one to two years.

Cost was the most common concern, cited by 53% of respondents. Integration issues followed at 37%. Another 34% said they are waiting for proof of effectiveness before scaling the technology across their operations.

Sector differences

Transport and logistics showed the strongest momentum for near-term deployment. In that sector, 81% plan to adopt within the next year. Respondents also highlighted compact hardware as a leading advantage, aligning with constraints in vehicles and mobile equipment.

Energy reported the lowest near-term intent among the sectors covered, with 61% planning adoption in the next year. The survey did not detail why energy lagged other industries, although respondents across the sample cited cost and integration as barriers.

The study also asked about changing connectivity models over time. It found that 89% would consider replacing their current IoT connectivity with D2D within the next two to three years, suggesting interest not only in incremental deployments but also in broader connectivity refresh cycles.

Industrial use cases

Decision-makers highlighted potential applications by sector. In agriculture, 33% cited crop storage monitoring as a key use case. In mining, 36% selected automated haulage vehicles. In transport, 43% pointed to vehicular tracking and route optimisation.

Utilities respondents most frequently selected water infrastructure monitoring (43%). In energy, 33% cited wellhead monitoring.

These examples span fixed and mobile assets, many in remote environments where a satellite link can supplement terrestrial networks or serve as the primary communications channel.

Satellite in IoT

The results also suggest growing use of satellite connectivity in existing IoT deployments. More than half of organisations surveyed (55%) said they use satellite, up from 41% in Viasat's 2024 survey.

Many organisations also reported continued expansion of their broader IoT programmes. Some 78% said progress in their organisation's IoT roll-out has increased over the past 12 months, indicating sustained budget and operational attention even as economic conditions remain uneven across sectors.

Viasat has expanded its position in satellite communications since acquiring Inmarsat in 2023. It markets satellite services across consumer, business, and government segments, including connectivity for transport markets such as aviation and maritime.

In comments accompanying the report, Viasat framed D2D as a standards-based development with implications for cost, equipment size, and deployment complexity.

"Organisations are rightly excited by the potential for standards-based D2D and are planning to deploy new technology quickly, and at scale. The excitement makes sense because we know new devices can lower the barrier to entry for organizations by reducing the cost, complexity, and physical size of IoT terminals. But while companies rightly want to move fast, the change represents a major shift. It's our job to work with our partner ecosystem and customers to help them access the safety, efficiency, and sustainability benefits satellite-enabled IoT can bring," said Andy Kessler, Vice President, Enterprise, Viasat.

Viasat expects organisations to move from early trials to wider deployments as costs, integration approaches, and performance evidence become clearer over the next one to two years.