If only to remind us that, despite all the hullabaloo, non-terrestrial network (NTN; satellite) IoT technology remains a putative proposition, Barcelona-based satellite IoT provider Sateliot has issued a press notice to declare the launch of four new low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellites on a SpaceX mission sets it on the path to a properly-available IoT service. The firm said customers have already “contracted” the firm to connect eight million devices. It said it plans to raise a further €30 million in series B funds shortly, and restated its target to achieve revenues of €1 billion by 2030.
Sateliot, building an NB-IoT satellite constellation based on Release 17 specifications in the 5G NR cellular standard, stated that its so-called ‘Revolution’ mission, which carried four satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Friday (August 16), “prepares [it] for commercial operations”. The firm has a virtualized cloud-native 5G core for its NB-IoT satellite service, courtesy of a deal with AWS, signed towards the back-end of 2022. It wants to wholesale satellite NB-IoT as a roaming extension for terrestrial operators.
Telefonica has been trialling the service. It said in February it is working with Swedish power grid firm Sentrisense to use satellite IoT service for electric grid sensors. It also has a notable deal in the bag with freight software and analytics company t42 to deploy “thousands of 5G-IoT sensors” in shipping containers for “more than 50 logistics partners across over 50 countries”. A press statement at the end of last year said the shipping industry could save “up to $47 billion annually” by connecting unconnected containers on the high seas.
Sateliot’s burgeoning NTN-NB-IoT constellation is “characterised by its democratic and accessible nature”, and is “designed to extend the coverage of mobile operators [to] 100 percent of the planet”, it said. The company, founded in 2018, will deploy additional satellites by 2025, and will have 100 in orbit by 2028, it said. It is “actively engaged” in series B discussions to raise €30 million; it has previously raised €25 million. It is targeting “SMEs, public administrations, and large enterprises in sectors… agriculture, livestock, logistics, and critical infrastructure”, it said.
A statement said: “This launch propels us into a new phase of development. Not only will we begin generating revenue, but we will also position Spain as a global leader in IoT connectivity… It also represents the revolution of the 5G NB-IoT NTN standard… to transform industries worldwide; regardless of location or infrastructure, connectivity black spots will become a thing of the past. The technology is revolutionary, incorporating enhancements from previous satellites and being the first constellation to implement standard GSMA and 3GPP developments fully on satellites.
