Sateliot demonstrated end-to-end transmission across Telefónica's network using a SIM card in Telefónica Tech's Kite platform within an IoT cellular device, seamlessly switching to Sateliot's network. The test successfully demonstrated that a standard roaming connection can be authenticated by Telefónica's core network over Sateliot's networks.
The test also included the innovative Store&Forward implementation, a two-step authentication method developed and patented by Sateliot, designed to support standard roaming with a Mobile Network Operator and adapted for the Non-Terrestrial Network in Low Earth Orbit (NTN LEO).
Store&Forward technology is part of Sateliot's 5G network, which stores data when the satellite is not in a position to connect with a ground station and forwards it when it comes within coverage range.
This feature is especially relevant for Sateliot to serve latency-tolerant IoT applications and for its early-stage constellation, where the number of satellites is still limited.
The positive results of the demonstration confirm that 5G IoT devices are capable of transmitting data over a standard roaming interface using the Store&Forward two-step authentication method, ensuring that Sateliot will enter commercial operations in 2024.
The success of this trial provides strong support for the agreements Sateliot has already established with various partners to implement services that are having a positive impact on multiple sectors. These include, for example, supporting 43 million Americans in gaining access to private water wells; saving shipping companies millions of euros in maintenance and repair costs; assisting South African livestock farmers in their fight against poaching and improving herd management; and providing a much more precise crop monitoring system to farmers worldwide.
Marco Guadalupi, CTO of Sateliot, states: "This is the culmination of years of research and development of our Store&Forward technology, a two-step authentication procedure that gives Sateliot a unique position to establish roaming extensions for NB-IoT NTN applications. We are witnessing a game-changer in future 3GPP networks, which will reduce costs based on low-density constellations and a reduced ground segment infrastructure, minimizing the impact on space and reducing time to market."
Carlos Carazo, Director of Technical Operations for IoT and Big Data at Telefónica Tech, says: "This is a very important milestone for the industry in which Telefónica natively integrates the satellite network with Telefónica's NB-IoT networks and Kite, the managed connectivity platform for IoT developed by Telefónica Tech, with which the customer can control and monitor their power lines in real time and remotely from anywhere in the world through a web portal or through APIs."
