KDDI-owned cellular IoT provider Soracom is offering satellite NB-IoT in a phased and controlled commercial launch to key enterprise customers. The move follows integration with US-based non-terrestrial network (NTN) service operator Skylo Technologies, which lets terrestrial Release 17-level 3GPP-based NB-IoT hardware connect via its...
GSMA Intelligence begins tracking NTN developments as satellite and telecom converge
In a sign of the increasing convergence of telecom and satellite, GSMA Intelligence has put out its first quarterly tracker focused on satellite and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN).
The report identified 91 telecommunications operators...
Anritsu and fellow test equipment company ETS-Lindgren have collaborated on a new Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) testing solution, which combines Anritsu’s MT8821C Radio Communication Analyzer with ETS-Lindgren’s EMQuest antenna measurement software and supports narrowband IoT NTN testing.
The MT8821C has a wide dynamic range, supports cellular technologies and...
Amazon's Project Kuiper expects to start service demonstrations with Vrio and others later this year
Satellite TV operator Vrio has announced that it plans to use Amazon's Project Kuiper Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to provide broadband internet service across seven countries in South America.
Those...
13 new satellites support its direct-to-cellular service with T-Mobile US
On the 14th anniversary of its Falcon 9 rocket's first launch, Starlink put up 20 new satellites, 13 of which have direct-to-cellular capabilities.
The launch brings the number of D2C-capable satellites that Starlink has in space...
Verizon makes a $100 million commitment to AST
AST SpaceMobile has followed up a commercialization announcement with AT&T with the news today that the satellite company has struck a deal with Verizon to provide direct-to-cellular service to the carrier's customers and leverage Verizon's 850 MHz...
With the continued evolution of 5G, close-in priorities for operators are understanding the why and how of 5G-Advanced, working with satellite providers on Non-terrestrial networks (NTN), and setting the stage for the commercialization of 6G in the 2030 timeframe. And before any of this...
Cellular MVNO Transatel has struck a deal with satellite IoT operator OQ Technology to be able to offer a converged terrestrial/non-terrestrial cellular NB-IoT network service. OQ Technology has deployed NB-IoT on a constellation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It wants a “global constellation” to...
The latest test and measurement trends include Non-terrestrial and Open RAN networks
To set the stage for the Test and Measurement Forum (available on demand here), Emil Olbrich, vice president of network technologies with Signals Research Group (SRG), laid out some of the market trends...
Satellite connectivity startup Skylo, offering Release-17 level NB-IoT on existing geostationary satellites, has certified the Altair ALT1250 chipset from Sony Semiconductor Israel for dual-mode cellular and satellite IoT communications. It is the fifth module to be certified by Skylo, RCR Wireless understands. Devices based...
Satellite direct-to-cellular service provider Lynk announced today that it has signed a five-year contract with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to enable U.S federal agencies to purchase its services for unmodified smartphones over the next five years.
Lynk explained in a release that...
The GSA report had identified 77 publicly announced partnerships between operators and satellite vendors
Satellites are rapidly gaining prominence in the world of cellular communication, with 50 operators in 37 countries and territories already planning satellite services, according to a recent report by the GSA.
However,...
The commercial highlights an AT&T satellite-to-cellular service
In the most recent of a series of ongoing tests with AT&T, AST SpaceMobile streamed one of the carrier's commercials from space to a smartphone.
The two companies are conducting tests via AST SpaceMobile's BlueWalker 3 satellite, which is...
From emergency texting to revolutionizing agriculture, explore the promises and challenges of cellular coverage into space in RCR Wireless News' new report.
In the report we explore the intricacies of space-based cellular connectivity and delve into the status of NTN standardization and commercialization.
Make sure you...
The interest in cellular non-terrestrial network technology and the business opportunity is reflected in the amount of activity in the space in recent years, as 3GPP 5G standards work has built momentum toward convergence of satellite and cellular networks and raised the possibility of...
The interest in cellular non-terrestrial network technology and the business opportunity is reflected in the amount of activity in the space in recent years, as 3GPP 5G standards work has built momentum toward convergence of satellite and cellular networks and raised the possibility of...
With both the satellite industry and the cellular industry trying to figure out which use cases, services and business models should shape their approach to converged 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), what do analysts have to say about the market opportunity?
There have already been...
The Federal Communications Commission has granted permission for AT&T and ASTSpaceMobile to test direct-to-cellular capabilities using FirstNet and 800 MHz spectrum in Texas and Hawaii.
According to a filing with the FCC, ASTSpaceMobile and AT&T are planning to test uplink connections from up to...
If cellular systems are to reach ubiquitous terrestrial coverage, that means going where no cellular technology has gone before: Into space. Early services which integrate satellite-based cellular, such as emergency texting, are set to launch in 2024. But the challenges of equipment survivability and...
WASHINGTON, DC—Satellite and cellular technologies are converging in 3GPP standards. New partnerships are being struck to provide services such as the ability to send text messages in areas where terrestrial mobile networks don't reach. What is the potential of satellite-cellular convergence?
If there were...
WASHINGTON, DC—At the satellite industry's flagship show, one of the hottest topics is the emerging convergence between terrestrial cellular and satellite systems, what one moderator called the "Great Convergence."
During a panel of satellite company CTOs on Monday who were discussing "game-changing" tech in...
The Federal Communications Commission has unanimously approved a new rules framework on satellite-based, cellular communications directly to end-user devices—or "supplemental coverage from space" (SCS).
The new rules provide guidance to "enable collaborations between wireless carriers and satellite operators to make sure smartphone users stay...
Omnispace will develop a next-generation standards-based mobile and IoT network designed to serve the markets where MTN operates
Omnispace announced a collaboration with African telco MTN with the aim of exploring the use of S-band for satellite services to expand the latter's portfolio of wireless...
ZTE unveiled 10 5G-A products including UBR and FDD massive MIMO products, mmWave products and a non-terrestrial networks (NTN) base station
Chinese vendor ZTE Corporation recently announced 5G-Advanced (5G-A) products at an event during MWC 2024, which took place in Barcelona, Spain, last week.
During its...
