Amid the rapid expansion of satellite IoT solutions, the acquisition of Ground Control strengthens CLS’s standing as a leader in both technology and environmental responsibility.

For over 40 years, CLS has been at the forefront of using satellite IoT to address two of the most pressing global challenges:

• Environmental protection and climate change adaptation: monitoring biodiversity, herd management, smart agriculture, sustainable fisheries, observing oceans, ice, and hydrological systems, detecting pollution, and deploying early-warning systems for natural disasters such as wildfires and floods.
• Security of people, assets, and critical infrastructure: humanitarian staff and vehicles, monitoring of global maritime traffic, pipelines, dams, and energy networks that require continuous and reliable surveillance, including in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

Ground Control brings to CLS its recognized expertise in designing rugged satellite communication terminals, from its cost-effective, plug-and-play RockBLOCK modules for simple sensor and gateway connectivity, to its RockREMOTE series, built to handle more advanced IoT and M2M requirements. The acquisition also strengthens CLS’s portfolio of web-based platforms with Cloudloop, an enhanced device and data management platform already used by critical sectors such as energy, transport, and emergency communications.

As the long-standing operator of the Argos satellite-based data collection and localization system, CLS was tracking objects long before the advent of GPS. A subsidiary of CNES (French Space Agency) and the investment company CNP, CLS pioneered satellite data collection and geolocation services, which remain at the core of its activities. Over the years, the company has become a global player in satellite IoT solutions.

Ground Control’s technologies enrich CLS’s already extensive ecosystem, which includes beacons, services, decision-support cloud platforms, forecasting models, and artificial intelligence tools. While CLS and Ground Control sometimes operate in the same strategic sectors, they address different complementary customer bases and offer distinct yet interoperable technologies.

“Combining CLS’s space-based IoT services with Ground Control’s robust hardware and cloud platforms makes perfect sense.

This move will allow us to better serve our clients with enhanced proximity, agility, and a broader portfolio of tools adapted to their operational environments,” commented Stéphanie Limouzin, President of the CLS Group.

Ground Control, which designs and manufactures low-power, compact satellite IoT devices and manages them via its Cloudloop platform, will retain its brand identity while joining the CLS Group.

This acquisition brings three new operational sites, alongside CLS’s existing 31 offices on five continents, creating a network of 35 locations and over 1,100 employees.

Alastair McLeod, Ground Control’s CEO, said: “Joining CLS is a natural evolution for Ground Control.

“Together, we offer end-to-end solutions, hardware, connectivity, platform, support, with stronger global coverage and shared environmental values.”