Fractal M2G Architecture Connects IoT Mesh Networks to LEO Satellites
Fractal Antenna Systems is developing a Mesh-to-Gateway (M2G) architecture that takes a different approach to satellite-connected IoT: instead of requiring every sensor to establish its own direct link with a satellite, terrestrial devices can first exchange data through a local wireless mesh and forward aggregated traffic through selected gateway nodes.
The architecture is designed around Software-Defined Radio (SDR), allowing gateways to bridge multiple terrestrial frequency bands with LEO satellite links through a reconfigurable radio platform.
M2G combines 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz terrestrial connectivity with satellite backhaul. By concentrating the more demanding satellite communications functions at gateway nodes, the architecture could reduce the hardware, power, and spectrum requirements imposed on individual IoT endpoints.
Fractal is targeting initial in-orbit testing for 2028 and beyond, subject to regulatory and development milestones.
🛰️ M2G Architecture: Mesh First, Satellite Second #
Traditional direct-to-device satellite architectures attempt to establish a satellite connection from individual endpoints. That approach can be attractive for isolated sensors, but scaling it across millions of low-power devices introduces significant challenges in RF design, power consumption, antenna performance, spectrum utilization, and network management.
M2G introduces an intermediate aggregation layer.
The architecture separates the network into two domains:
- Terrestrial mesh: Low-power Part 15 devices communicate locally using established unlicensed wireless technologies.
- Satellite backhaul: Gateway nodes aggregate local traffic and transmit consolidated data to LEO satellites.
This approach allows large numbers of inexpensive IoT endpoints to share a smaller number of more capable satellite gateways.
Terrestrial mesh aggregation #
Devices operating in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz bands can participate in local mesh networks. Instead of transmitting independently to orbit, endpoints forward traffic through neighboring devices or gateway nodes.
The gateway then performs the processing and RF conversion necessary to establish the satellite connection.
This architecture effectively separates endpoint connectivity from satellite access.
Direct satellite fallback #
M2G does not eliminate direct satellite communications entirely.
Standalone 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz devices operating outside terrestrial mesh coverage can potentially communicate directly with satellites where the link budget and regulatory conditions permit.
The resulting architecture can therefore support both aggregated mesh traffic and selected direct-to-satellite links.
📡 SDR as the Core M2G Technology #
Software-Defined Radio is central to the M2G architecture because the gateway must bridge heterogeneous terrestrial networks with changing satellite communications requirements.
Multi-band RF flexibility #
A reconfigurable SDR platform can support multiple frequency bands without requiring an entirely separate radio architecture for each waveform.
For M2G, the gateway can aggregate traffic from 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz terrestrial networks while configuring its satellite-facing radio for the required LEO uplink.
This flexibility is particularly valuable in a system where terrestrial and space links operate under different technical and regulatory constraints.
Software-defined protocol evolution #
Satellite communication standards and regulatory requirements can evolve over the operational lifetime of deployed hardware.
SDR allows waveform processing, modulation schemes, filtering, and other radio functions to be updated through software. That can extend gateway lifetimes and reduce the need for hardware replacement when network requirements change.
Simplified IoT endpoints #
The M2G model moves much of the complexity associated with satellite communications away from individual sensors.
Instead of equipping every endpoint with specialized satellite RF hardware, antenna systems, and processing capabilities, only gateway nodes need to handle the more demanding satellite link.
For large-scale IoT deployments, this could significantly reduce endpoint cost and power requirements.
📜 FCC Spectrum Changes and the M2G Model #
The M2G concept is closely connected to evolving regulatory treatment of unlicensed spectrum for satellite communications.
On August 6, 2026, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled Unleashing Unlicensed Spectrum for Direct-to-Device. The proposal considers allowing satellite communications in selected unlicensed frequency bands, including the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz ISM bands, while excluding the 902–928 MHz band from satellite uplinks.
FCC Part 15 governs technical requirements and emission limits for a broad range of unlicensed devices, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other ISM-based equipment.
For M2G, the distinction between these bands creates an architectural opportunity rather than simply a limitation.
Turning the 900 MHz restriction into an architectural feature #
Because 900 MHz is excluded from the proposed satellite uplink framework described by Fractal, 900 MHz devices can remain exclusively within the terrestrial mesh.
Traffic originating from those devices can then be forwarded to a gateway and transmitted to the satellite using an eligible band such as 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz.
This effectively creates a frequency-domain separation between the terrestrial access network and satellite backhaul.
The result is greater freedom to independently optimize:
- Transmit power
- Antenna characteristics
- Network topology
- Traffic aggregation
- Spectrum utilization
- Ground-network coverage
🔧 Gateway Hardware and Interference Management #
M2G requires gateway hardware capable of simultaneously managing multiple terrestrial and satellite-facing RF environments.
Fractal’s proposed architecture incorporates several hardware concepts intended to address these requirements.
Triple-band gateway antennas #
M2G gateways use low-profile antenna systems designed to operate across 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.
Supporting multiple bands within a compact gateway is important for deployments where a single node must aggregate heterogeneous IoT traffic before forwarding it into the satellite network.
Spatial separation of terrestrial and satellite links #
One of the architecture’s key interference-management concepts is spatial separation.
Terrestrial mesh communications primarily propagate horizontally across the local environment, with energy concentrated around the horizon. Satellite links, by contrast, operate toward high elevation angles.
The difference in propagation geometry provides a natural degree of spatial isolation between ground and satellite communications.
This separation can reduce mutual interference and simplify coexistence between the two network layers.
Deployable satellite aperture #
On the spacecraft side, Fractal is developing a deployable aperture concept that integrates antennas, electronics, and solar-energy harvesting into a common structural surface.
The objective is to reduce the volume and mass required during launch while providing a larger operational aperture once the spacecraft reaches orbit.
The deployable architecture is intended for operation within the regulatory framework governing satellite communications under FCC Part 25.
🌾 Target Applications for M2G #
The architecture is particularly relevant to applications where large numbers of sensors must operate across geographically distributed or partially connected environments.
| Domain | Potential Applications |
|---|---|
| Industrial & Infrastructure | Remote sensors, machine control, industrial monitoring, robotics |
| Logistics & Fleet | Heavy-equipment tracking, asset monitoring, commercial transportation |
| Agriculture & Off-Grid IoT | Environmental sensing, smart agriculture, remote field monitoring |
| Remote Infrastructure | Distributed monitoring across areas with limited terrestrial connectivity |
The gateway model is especially attractive when deploying thousands or millions of low-power devices would make individual satellite links impractical.
Instead of scaling satellite hardware linearly with endpoint count, the network can scale through a smaller number of strategically positioned gateways.
🛰️ M2G’s Approach to Direct-to-Device Satellite Connectivity #
Nathan Cohen, CEO of Fractal Antenna Systems, argues that unlicensed Part 15 networks can experience congestion in dense deployments while remote devices face a fundamentally different problem: the lack of economical connectivity infrastructure.
M2G addresses both conditions by combining terrestrial mesh networking with satellite backhaul rather than treating them as independent systems.
The resulting architecture can be viewed as a layered connectivity model:
IoT endpoints → terrestrial mesh → M2G gateway → LEO satellite → network infrastructure
This differs fundamentally from an architecture in which every endpoint maintains its own satellite connection.
For dense IoT deployments, aggregation can reduce the number of satellite links required while preserving satellite reach for remote locations.
🚀 2028 and Beyond: From Architecture to Space Deployment #
Fractal Antenna Systems is advancing M2G gateway hardware and satellite integration, with initial in-orbit testing targeted for 2028 and beyond.
The project’s success will depend on more than the radio architecture itself. Regulatory approval, satellite payload integration, RF interference management, link-budget performance, gateway economics, and real-world mesh scalability will all determine whether the model can transition from a technical architecture into a commercially viable IoT platform.
If those challenges can be addressed, M2G offers an alternative path for satellite IoT: rather than putting a satellite modem into every endpoint, build a flexible terrestrial mesh and use a smaller number of intelligent SDR gateways to bridge the network into orbit.
That approach could make satellite connectivity more scalable for large distributed IoT deployments while preserving direct satellite access where terrestrial mesh coverage is unavailable.