Which operator are you using? We've found L-band to be very reliable and does not suffer from any of the attenuation issues found in Ku. And heavy spreading on the return path provides for an even more resilient link.
Disclosure: We'll be offering an L-band satellite gateway for IoT this summer.
We currently use Iridium. On Ku band I beleive. I'll look further into this and see what our options are for L-band.
Outernet looks like a great project. How small of a satellite can be used to achieve the connection? Any more info/documentation on the L-band gateway?
Disclosure: We'll be offering an L-band satellite gateway for IoT this summer.