Skylo Technologies and O² Telefónica partner to enable IoT roaming
Skylo Technologies has announced its partnership with O² Telefónica. Together, the companies will enable businesses to roam ‘seamlessly and transparently’ between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) on IoT devices.
Satellite NTN coverage will initially deliver connectivity in the most remote and rugged locations where providers offer no cellular services. IoT (Internet of Things) devices in these regions will utilise a single 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project)-compatible wireless dual-mode module that powers transitions between Skylo’s satellite network and O² Telefónica’s terrestrial service coverage. Hybrid connectivity, in this instance, is defined as the combined offering of cellular connectivity and non-terrestrial network connectivity.
“In removing the gap that previously existed between cellular and non-terrestrial connectivity, we’re opening up new possibilities for the IoT market and allowing previously untapped use cases to be realised in the commercial and consumer space,” said Prasanna Iyengar, director of product management for Skylo.
O² Telefónica integrated SIM (iSIM) technology brings a cost-effective and sustainable solution, free of traditional SIM card components, to power this terrestrial/NTN hybrid connectivity. It utilises a Skylo NTN profile for simplicity and ease of use.
“Our cooperation with Skylo is an important building block. Together with Skylo, we can now offer our customers IoT networking solutions from a single source, even in remote areas,” said Karsten Pradel, director B2B at O² Telefónica. “This hybrid satellite-based IoT connectivity service complements our portfolio and demonstrates how we are driving digitalization and providing seamless connectivity to businesses worldwide.”
O² Telefónica’s IoT connectivity management platform, KITE, offers a single unified pane-of-glass for managing this hybrid connectivity during lifecycle across multiple networks. This approach enhances transparency, flexibility and reliability, under a single Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Through its partnership with Skylo, O² Telefónica also provides testing services to guarantee performance and fair utilisation of Skylo’s non-terrestrial network.
The commercial launch of O² Telefonica and Skylo’s hybrid cellular/satellite IoT connectivity services will take place in the coming months.
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