IoT applications and services in space information networks

The rate of traffic generated by Machine-type Communications (MTC) is growing at a very fast pace, putting under strong pressure existing network infrastructures. One of the most challenging tasks attoday is being able to support machine-to-machine (M2M)/Internet ofThings (IoT) data exchanges by providing connectivity between any pair of M2M devices all over the world. For this reason, we analyse the roleof Space Information Networks (SINs) in supporting MTC, in this work. Horizontal solutions are analysed herein in order to allow interworkingby acting as relay entities among different protocol stacks and services, vertically implemented over different network segments. We analyse thestill pending challenges hampering interworking, and propose a possibleprotocol stack for M2M/IoT communications based on the oneM2M standard. Eventually, this paper compares the performance achievableby using two of the most diffused application protocols, ConstrainedApplication Protocol (CoAP) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport(MQTT), shedding light on their efficiency and differences.