In August 2026, Chinese commercial IoT based on Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites saw significant development. On August 20, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued Geespace, a subsidiary of Geely, a license for commercial testing of satellite IoT services. On August 28, the Geely Galaxy Warship 700 model was unveiled, equipped with Geespace LEO satellite IoT hardware and services, marking the first example of serial installation of LEO satellite connectivity in a passenger car.
This product represents a secondary network for the vehicle. When cellular coverage is unavailable—whether in mountains, deserts, oceans, or due to disaster-related weather conditions—the car can still transmit location data, upload tracks, send emergency signals, and distress messages via the LEO IoT channel. The primary use remains terrestrial cellular communication, with the satellite channel serving as a constant backup path rather than just an additional feature.
The obtained license allows Geespace, over approximately two years, to offer broadband low-power IoT connectivity from its own LEO constellation and conduct pilot projects in areas such as smart vehicles, construction equipment, fishing, energy, logistics, and low-altitude mobility, while simultaneously testing next-generation NTN IoT technologies. This shifts the focus of satellite IoT from an infrastructure narrative to a subscription-based service model.
Geespace's development spanned a decade: the journey of founder Wang Yan from telecommunications to micro-satellite design, the company's establishment in 2018, and the completion of the first phase of the LEO IoT constellation in September 2025. The company reports that there are 64 satellites in orbit with a claimed reliability of 100% and a daily throughput of 340 million messages. Furthermore, there is a satellite factory in Taizhou that modularly assembles components—robots perform thousands of screwing operations with a tolerance of 0.01 mm, reducing production cycles to 28 days. Previously, tests were conducted on a bidirectional terminal-satellite platform, including high-orbit automotive terminals and a test with China Unicom in 2025.
For observers of the commercial space sector, the evaluation question shifts from the number of launched spacecraft to the number of connected devices that pay for services. Cars may only be the first revenue-generating vertical; subsequent areas named include energy, ocean, and machinery. Geespace's August activity—obtaining the license, followed by equipment installation at the factory—marks the moment when LEO IoT ceased being solely a constellation story and began taking on the characteristics of a full-fledged operational business.