# An Overview of CubeSat Missions and Applications
## 4 The Use of CubeSats as Telecommunication and Asset-Monitoring Platforms
### Radio Communication CubeSat Technologies
Furthermore, NT IoT services can greatly improve agriculture practices by enabling the use of distributed sensors that monitor environmental conditions such as temperature, moisture, and soil chemical composition and allow for the maximization of crop output, while at the same time enabling reduced water and other resource usage. Civil protection services can also utilize 5G IoT connectivity for the real-time monitoring of natural disasters and the efficient employment of response measures. Finally, space based IoT services can contribute to the improvement of healthcare services by enabling the continuous operation of a variety of real-time health monitoring sensors such as wearable medical devices and fitness trackers, as well as by enabling the operation of efficient autonomous systems such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) tasked with the transportation of medical supplies to areas with otherwise limited access [145; 146; 147; 148]. One of the most prominent examples of a commercial 5G IoT CubeSat constellation is the one owned and operated by the Luxembourg based OQ Technology (Leudelange, Luxembourg), which is the first company to ever operate a Narrowband (NB) 5G IoT CubeSat constellation. Initially, OQ Technology utilized the two 6U CubeSats, GOMX-4A and GOMX-4B, which were developed by GomSpace and were already in orbit since 3 February 2018, in order to test and demonstrate data uplink and downlink experiments through their in-space-programmable Software Defined Radio (SDR) in what came to be known as the Tiger-1 mission, which concluded successfully in April 2020 [149]. Following this success, OQ Technology partnered with NanoAvionics and Space Inventor and proceeded with the buildup of its initial fleet of CubeSats through the launch of the Tiger-2, Tiger-4, Tiger-5, Tiger-6, Tiger-7, Tiger-8, and MACSAT 6U CubeSats, as well as the Tiger-3 non-CubeSat nanosatellite. Furthermore, the company also collaborated with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) on the development and launch of the PHI-Demo 12U CubeSat [150]. The company's goal is to develop a worldwide hybrid system which combines both terrestrial and space-based wireless communication systems in order to provide seamless 5G IoT coverage that can be used for a variety of applications. When complete, the constellation is expected to encompass approximately 60 satellites. The satellite platforms utilized by OQ Technology to this day are equipped with both COTS as well as in-house developed communication-enabling hardware and software. These satellites are placed in high-inclination, Sun-synchronous orbits, helping them achieve global coverage [151; 152]. In the immediate future, OQ Technology is set to further expand its space-based infrastructure through its involvement in the ERMIS--Hellenic CubeSat Demonstration Mission and the launch of ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2 6U CubeSats which were developed in collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the University of Patras, the University of the Aegean, and the National Observatory of Athens [153]. Another prominent example of an IoT CubeSat constellation is that of SpaceBEE CubeSats, which are operated by Swarm Technologies (Mountain View, CA, USA). The SpaceBee platform is a 0.25U CubeSat, making it the smallest two-way IoT communications satellite in the world as of 2025. The main purpose of this constellation is to provide cost effective, low-data-rate IoT connectivity services to mobile sensors even in remote areas of the Earth. The extremely small size of SpaceBEE allows the launch of these satellites en masse for a very low cost, and with the launch of the final swarm of satellites on 12 June 2023, the constellation reached its peak with 150 satellites in orbit. Swarm technologies was acquired by SpaceX in July 2021 and the constellation continued providing commercial services until March 2025 as its role was eventually replaced by SpaceX's own Starlink Direct-to-Cell constellation [154; 155].