The permit allows Geespace to provide low-power, wide-coverage connectivity for sensors and equipment in remote areas where traditional land-based networks are unavailable.
The approval is a significant step in China’s strategy to integrate private capital into its commercial space industry and build infrastructure that supports large-scale industrial monitoring.
Unlike high-speed satellite broadband intended for consumer internet, satellite IoT focuses on low-speed data transmissions for sectors such as marine fisheries, energy infrastructure, and smart transportation.
This technology ensures that critical data from sensors in oceans, deserts, or isolated sites can be transmitted reliably, positioning Geespace as a domestic alternative to established global operators like the U.S.-based Iridium Communications.
Geespace aims to expand its current network of 64 satellites to a constellation exceeding 5,600 in the long term to support its growing international footprint.
The company has already initiated trials with telecommunications operators in more than 20 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
As global demand for these active satellite connections is projected to grow significantly by 2030, this trial will test the technical and business mechanisms required for private firms to manage orbital networks alongside state-run systems.