Post by Mariano Falcitelli

Our paper "Evaluating Binary Serialization Protocols for IoT/M2M Applications over Hybrid Terrestrial and Non-Terrestrial Networks" is out today in MDPI Telecom 🎉 The core problem: JSON is too verbose for container tracking devices operating over LEO satellite links (~160-byte message limit). We benchmarked four binary serialization protocols — CBOR, MessagePack, Protocol Buffers, and a custom Struct+Zlib hybrid — on a testbed scaled up to 2000 concurrent devices using the oneM2M framework. Only Protocol Buffers and Struct+Zlib fit within NTN constraints; Protocol Buffers wins on the performance/maintainability trade-off. Real-world validation on the Astrocast LEO platform confirms the findings. For a 10,000-device maritime fleet, picking the right protocol can save over €62,000/month. This work grew out of a great collaboration between CNIT, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, and the University of Pisa. A big thank you to Natesh Kumar, Francesco Kotopulos De Angelis, Paolo Pagano, and Sandro Noto — it was a long road with plenty of challenges, but well worth it. Open access — enjoy the read 👇 https://lnkd.in/di4KnStS #IoT #SatelliteIoT #NTN #oneM2M #ProtocolBuffers #ContainerTrackingDevices #CNIT #SantAnna #OpenAccess