BROWSING: NTN

EchoStar, Dish complete merger

Charlie Ergen's network companies are now officially one entity again, with EchoStar having completed its merger with Dish Network. The all-stock transaction was completed on December 31, via the mechanism of a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar merging with Dish Network. The Dish Network...

Test and Measurement: SpaceX to test direct-to-cellular connections

SpaceX has been granted special temporary authority by the Federal Communications Commission for field testing of direct-to-cellular communications via its Starlink second generation satellites. The company said that it would be testing up to five devices at different power levels using T-Mobile US' spectrum in...

A ‘revolution’ in container tracking – t42 supplies satellite IoT to 50 shipping firms

Barcelona-based satellite IoT provider Sateliot, building an NB-IoT satellite system based on Release 17 specs in the 5G NR cellular standard, has announced a deal with freight software and analytics company t42 to deploy “thousands of 5G-IoT sensors” in shipping containers for “more than...

10 telecom trends for 2024: Juniper Research

Telco market is primed for disruption, analyst firm finds, due to impacts of GenAI and more What telecom trends can the industry expect to shape 2024? Juniper Research has put forward a list of 10 that it sees as being paramount for telcos in the...

Test and Measurement: Emerson completes NI buy

Emerson has officially completed its acquisition of National Instruments (NI), at an equity value of $8.2 billion. NI will become a new Test and Measurement business segment within Emerson's Software and Control group. Emerson indicated that it expects the addition of NI to boost...

Starlink plans satellite cellular voice, data and IoT services, starting in 2025

Starlink is planning to expand its satellite-to-cellular-phone services from emergency texting to include voice, data and IoT service, starting in 2025. A Starlink website promoting the LEO satellite company's Direct to Cell services promises "ubiquitous coverage" and "seamless access to text, voice, and data...

Next Generation Wireless: A Guide to the Fundamentals of 6G

Download Keysight’s ebook, Next Generation Wireless: A Guide to the Fundamentals of 6G, and explore the technologies and industry-driven applications that are setting the stage for the next generation of wireless communications including: New spectrum technologies, Artificial intelligence and machine learning networks, Digital twins, New...

Global NTN mobile connections to reach 175m by 2030: ABI Research

ABI Research revealed that the total annual satellite services revenues at a global level will reach $124.6 billion by the end of the decade Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) mobile connections worldwide are forecasted to reach 175 million by 2030, according to new research from analyst firm...

AT&T says it’s seen 30% traffic increase in the past three years

AT&T President of Network Chris Sambar says the "network is the killer app" and details 5G SA services Killer application? We don't need your killer application. Or rather ... the network itself is the killer application, in that it enables multiple services and lets users...

Soracom intros satellite NB-IoT from Skylo into converged global IoT offer

KDDI-owned global virtual IoT network operator (MVNO) Soracom has announced a partnership with US-based cellular-IoT satellite operator Skylo Technologies. The deal sees Soracom further integrate non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity as an option in its cloud-managed portfolio of wireless IoT standards, which also includes (terrestrial)...

Test and Measurement: Keysight partners with Skylo on NTN NB-IoT certification

Keysight Technologies has teamed up with space-based NB-IoT start-up Skylo to put together a certification program for 3GPP 5G Release 17 Non-Terrestrial Network chipsets, modules and devices to be used on Skylo's network. Skylo will use Keysight's testing solutions combined with Skylo's own test...

AST SpaceMobile hits space-based LTE speeds of 10+ Mbps using AT&T spectrum

Space-based cellular connectivity company AST SpaceMobile said that it has repeatedly achieved download speeds of more than 10 Mbps over LTE as it tests its LEO BlueWalker 3 satellite with unmodified, commercial smartphones on the ground. AST SpaceMobile used leased AT&T spectrum and Nokia...

How to monetize 5G with eSIM and iSIM

eSIM and iSIM unlock new IoT opportunities as operators scale 5G 2022 has been a landmark year for eSIM technology, with significant adoption from OEMs and CSPs across consumer and IoT devices. iSIM, the integrated SIM – which moves eSIM functionality into silicon, is following...

FCC revamps satellite spectrum-sharing rules

The Federal Communications Commission has unanimously approved new rules in place that govern how space-based systems coordinate and share spectrum, in an attempt to balance early-mover system protections while enabling newer players to have spectrum access. The changes mark the first work coming out of...

FCC to launch Space Bureau

FCC's International Bureau will split into a Space Bureau and Office of International Affairs The Federal Communications Commission will officially launch its Space Bureau tomorrow, reflecting the agency's reorganization to deal with increased interest in satellite-based communications. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed the reorganization late last year...

FCC proposes framework for space-mobile collaboration

Rosenworcel envisions a seamless 'Single Network Future' With interest in integration of satellite and terrestrial networks on the rise in order to provide ubiquitous coverage, the Federal Communications Commission has proposed a new regulatory framework meant to support collaborations between satellite and wireless terrestrial network...

Nokia Bell Lab’s cellular moon shot

A moon rover + base station will launch later this year Amid rising interest in what non-terrestrial networks might mean for communications on Earth, Nokia Bell Labs is taking space-based networks a step further, and collaborating on a NASA project to put LTE on the...

Test and Measurement: Greener RAN, Open RAN, NTN among the test showcases at MWC23

BARCELONA—It was a hectic week for test and measurement vendors at Mobile World Congress 2023, with a slew of announcements, and demonstrations across the Fira, that illuminate where the industry's attention and development efforts are focused. Power usage—specifically, telecom equipment that can use...

Test and Measurement: Keysight supports pan-European 6G testbed

Keysight Technologies is joining with 16 other companies and organizations to coordinate a European 6G testbed program, the 6G-SANDBOX program funded by Horizon Europe to help promote a European supply chain for advanced wireless systems. 6G-SANDBOX is one of 35 new projects, funded...

FCC grants SpaceX partial permission to launch Starlink Gen2

The federal agency sharply curtailed the number of satellites Starlink sought to launch, citing orbital safety concerns The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday granted private space firm SpaceX partial permission to get started on their second-generation Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. With this clearance,...

Sony preps “first” LTE-M/NB-IoT chipset – as “most advanced” cellular IoT solution

Sony Semiconductor Israel has introduced a new dual-band low-power cellular IoT chipset solution which it claims is the “first” to combine the both LTE-M and NB-IoT in a single integrated modem. The new ALT1350 chipset also supports satellite (non-terrestrial; NTN) connectivity, plus cellular, satellite-GNSS,...

Rakuten gets approval for AST SpaceMobile testing in Japan

Direct-to-satellite service tests are planned for the remote mountains on Japan’s northernmost island Rakuten Mobile announced this week that it has obtained preliminary licenses from Japanese regulators to begin testing direct-to-mobile satellite communication. The company said it is working with satellite maker AST SpaceMobile and its recently...

Apple spent $450M to get iPhone-to-satellite service working

The company drew from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, previously used for R&D investments in Corning and others Apple’s iPhone 14, introduced in September, is the first iPhone to sport Emergency SOS by satellite functionality. Apple claimed on Thursday that the key feature was made possible...

Sateliot plans first active NB-IoT nanosatellite launch

Nascent satellite-based 5G narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) wholesaler Sateliot continues to put together the pieces of its network, announcing this week that its first functional low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite is expected to hitch a ride on a SpaceX launch in the first quarter of 2023. The...