Soracom, Inc., a global provider of advanced internet of things (IoT) connectivity, has announced a new partnership with non-terrestrial network (NTN) service operator Skylo Technologies. This collaboration promises customers building IoT solutions and M2M (machine to machine) devices access to Skylo’s direct-to-device 3GPP NTN connectivity, along with the advanced capability of Soracom’s fully-virtualised cellular platform.
The combination of NTN-based NB-IoT (NarrowBand-internet of things) connectivity and cloud-based IoT network management represents IoT connectivity: highly integrated with the hyperscale cloud platforms that serve as the backbone of today’s IoT. Soracom’s fully virtualised global platform provides full MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) capability paired with connectivity management tools.
Since 2021, Soracom has offered unified, “single pane of glass” management for connectivity options from cellular and LPWA (low-power wide-area) to Wi-Fi and satellite. In 2022, Soracom added native support for satellite messaging capability, allowing customers to manage satellite IoT devices and billing directly through the Soracom platform. Skylo’s satellite NTN lets chipsets, modems, modules, and devices designed for terrestrial networks to connect via existing satellites using the global 3GPP release 17 standard.
While the network is grounded in 3GPP specifications, much of the development of the network operates on what Skylo refers to as the “Standards Plus” approach. Skylo’s engineers add additional technical specifications to improve the functionality, interoperability, and ubiquity of the satellite-based network over and above the 3GPP standards, delivering an exceptional user experience. In combining Soracom protocol conversion and authentication offloading features, the customer can also minimise the amount of data transmitted over the satellite link while maintaining integration with a cloud service of their choice.
“Soracom is committed to a cloud-native future where anything can connect to the cloud from anywhere, without compromising availability, affordability, or capability,” says Kenta Yasukawa, CTO and co-founder of Soracom. “Combining breakthrough NTN NB-IoT network, we can enable customers to add satellite coverage to their existing hardware with minimal data overhead for hyperscaler cloud integrations.”
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Soracom, as its expertise aligns with our mission to connect the unconnected,” says Andrew Nuttall, CTO and co-founder of Skylo. “Together, we are empowering businesses and industries to unlock the full potential of IoT, regardless of their location or infrastructure constraints, enabling real-time data access, monitoring, and control in areas not currently served by cellular connectivity.”
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