Name

Rock Seven

Legal name

Ground Control Technologies UK Ltd and Ground Control Systems

Website

https://rock7.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rock Seven (doing business as Ground Control) is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of Iridium-based satellite IoT and tracking devices, selling proprietary Rock-branded hardware, multi-network satellite airtime (Iridium, Viasat, Starlink, OneWeb), and the Cloudloop management platform to enterprise customers in environmental, maritime, utilities, renewables, and defense sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Satellite IoT Hardware & Connectivity

NAICS

Satellite Telecommunications (5174), Telecommunications Resellers (517121)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Enterprise Satellite Connectivity & Managed Services (VSAT, SD-WAN over Satcom) (HDAIAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fleet, Asset Tracking & Telematics Location Platforms (BPAMANAF), Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• Satellite IoT hardware
• Asset tracking devices
• Satellite airtime services
• IoT connectivity platform
• Remote monitoring solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Basingstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Device Sales: Sale of proprietary satellite IoT and tracking devices including RockBLOCK, RockFLEET, RockREMOTE, and RockSTAR product lines. Devices are manufactured in the UK and USA.
2. Satellite Airtime Services: Recurring revenue from satellite connectivity services via multiple networks including Iridium, Viasat/Inmarsat, and Starlink. Services include subscription management and per-message/usage-based billing.
3. Cloudloop Platform Services: Platform services including subscription management, device management, data formatting, and tracking services. Delivered as API-first integration.
4. Professional Services: Design and installation services for satellite connectivity solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rock Seven (Ground Control) designs and manufactures satellite IoT modules and asset tracking hardware (RockBLOCK, RockFLEET, RockREMOTE, RockSTAR, RockBLOCK Pro, I-CELL product lines), provides satellite airtime service plans across Iridium, Viasat/Inmarsat, Starlink and OneWeb networks, and operates the Cloudloop cloud platform for device, subscription, and data management. The company sells directly to enterprise, government, defense, maritime, utility and industrial customers requiring always-on connectivity for remote assets, complemented by partner-distributed terminals (Hughes, Cobham, Thales, Kymeta) and design/installation professional services.

Product overview

Rock Seven (Ground Control) offers a comprehensive satellite IoT and asset tracking portfolio built around proprietary Rock-branded devices and partner satellite terminals, all managed through the Cloudloop cloud platform. The product architecture consists of: (1) Satellite IoT devices including RockBLOCK 9603, RockBLOCK 9704, RockBLOCK Pro, RockBLOCK RTU, RockBLOCK Plus, and RockBLOCK APNT for sensor connectivity and data transmission; (2) Asset tracking products including RockFLEET (vessel/vehicle), RockFLEET Assured (A-PNT navigation), RockSTAR (handheld messenger), and RockSTAR Burst (covert pager); (3) Industrial IoT gateways including RockREMOTE and RockREMOTE Rugged with LTE/cellular fallback; (4) Cloudloop management platform with Subscription Manager, Device Manager, Data, and Tracking modules; (5) Partner products including Hughes 9502, Cobham Explorer terminals, Thales VesseLINK, Kymeta u8, and SCADASat by TSAT; and (6) Cellular IoT products including I-CELL devices for 2G/LTE transition. The portfolio supports multiple satellite networks (Iridium, Viasat/Inmarsat, Starlink, OneWeb) with cellular fallback options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RockBLOCK 9704 Iridium Certus 9704 satellite IoT module with onboard power regulation, USB-C/TTL-UART and optional GNSS passthrough. Ships with open source C and Python SDKs plus Cloudloop Data integration for plug-and-play satellite communication. Targets developers and integrators building satellite-connected sensors and devices.
• RockBLOCK 9603

Quantifiable outcome

• 12-month battery life on RockSTAR devices

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• IridiumcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2005Gold-tier Iridium partner since 2005. Ground Control provides Iridium SBD, Certus 100, and Certus 9704 based connectivity solutions. One of Iridium's most established partners with diverse connectivity plans.
• Viasat (Inmarsat)coreTechnology or IntegrationFirst Elevate partner with Viasat/Inmarsat. Offers Go-anywhere Pro and IoT Pro airtime plans. Provides BGAN M2M terminals and services including Hughes 9502 and Cobham Explorer 540.
• TSAT (SCADASat)coreTechnology or IntegrationSCADASat by TSAT provides private satellite network for SCADA and utility industries with direct communication channels between control centers and remote locations.
• Hughes Network SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationDistributes Hughes 9502 IP satellite terminal for Viasat IoT Pro network applications including IP SCADA and M2M.
• Cobham (Explorer)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Cobham Explorer 540 (world's first BGAN M2M terminal for Viasat IoT Pro and cellular) and Explorer 323 portable terminals.
• Thales (VesseLINK)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvides VesseLINK 200 and VesseLINK 700 terminals for maritime communications with global satellite coverage from pole to pole.
• CLS GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGround Control is a CLS Group Company. Parent organization providing strategic direction and resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Iridium Communications: Operator of the Iridium satellite network that Rock Seven's entire product line is built around. Comparable because Iridium sells direct enterprise satellite IoT services and modules, creating direct channel overlap on the same hardware and airtime stack.
• Viasat (Inmarsat): Acquirer of Inmarsat and operator of BGAN M2M and IoT Pro networks that Ground Control resells. Comparable because Viasat competes and partners with Rock Seven on the same VSAT, BGAN M2M, and enterprise satellite connectivity offerings.
• Globalstar: Satellite operator offering IoT/M2M, asset tracking, and SPOT consumer/messenger products with partner distribution. Comparable to Rock Seven because Globalstar pursues overlapping satellite IoT and tracking device markets with operator and reseller economics.
• Thales Alenia Space / Thales VesseLINK: Thales provides VesseLINK maritime terminals (200/700) that Ground Control distributes, and competes at the satellite terminal layer for the same global maritime and defense customers Rock Seven targets.

Direct peers

• Kymeta: Manufacturer of u8 LEO flat-panel terminals using OneWeb's LEO constellation for SATCOM-on-the-Move. Comparable because Kymeta addresses the same maritime and vehicular broadband satellite market where Rock Seven positions RockFLEET and partner products.
• ORBCOMM: Specialist in satellite IoT/M2M connectivity, asset tracking, and industrial monitoring devices with its own network and platform. Comparable to Rock Seven across satellite IoT hardware, airtime service plans, and a recurring platform revenue model.
• Cobham Satcom (now part of Thales): Manufacturer of BGAN M2M, Explorer 540/323 terminals that Ground Control distributes alongside its own hardware. Comparable because Cobham's terminals address the same maritime and industrial satellite IoT use cases that RockBLOCK and RockREMOTE serve.

Emerging players

• Astrocast: Operates a LEO satellite IoT constellation with its own modules and connectivity services targeted at asset tracking and remote monitoring. Comparable to Rock Seven's low-power SBD/Certus IoT modules and asset tracking product lines.
• Swarm Technologies (SpaceX): Operator of a LEO satellite IoT constellation offering low-cost Modem and Swarm Tile modules plus connectivity. Comparable to RockBLOCK-class SBD modules on low-power, low-data satellite IoT for off-grid sensor applications.
• Sateliot: Operates a 5G NB-IoT satellite constellation for massive IoT deployments, partnering with MNOs. Comparable to Rock Seven's massive IoT and RockBLOCK RTU cellular-fallback product positioning in low-power remote sensing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rock Seven