Vodafone IoT and Skylo launch commercial satellite connectivity service

Hybrid Cellular-Satellite Connectivity Expands IoT Coverage Across Industries

Skylo today announces the commercial launch of its standards based Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) satellite service to Vodafone IoT customers – bringing ubiquitous global connectivity to enterprise customers. The introduction of the commercial service follows successful trials conducted with customers across the UK, Spain, Italy, and Canada with use cases ranging from monitoring of remote storage tanks to micro mobility and e-bikes.

By integrating Vodafone IoT and Skylo’s network cores, devices can now switch seamlessly between cellular to satellite and satellite to cellular networks using a Vodafone standard global SIM. The new service will benefit both new and existing Vodafone IoT customers and will further reduce coverage blackspots without needing expensive bespoke satellite hardware or complex multi-vendor management. This is made possible because Skylo’s network is built on 3GPP standards – allowing satellite networks to seamlessly integrate with existing cellular networks, devices and SIM-based services.

The hybrid service will be managed centrally through Vodafone IoT’s Managed Connectivity Platform – which already connects over 240 million devices around the world – ensuring that every connection can be orchestrated in the same way, whether it’s connected on terrestrial or satellite networks. With sectors such as asset tracking, logistics, maritime, agriculture, mining and remote energy infrastructure set to benefit, businesses will now be able to connect their devices in even more places using this hybrid connectivity model, providing seamless multi-national connectivity.

Erik Brenneis, CEO of Vodafone IoT, said: “Integrating satellite connectivity directly into our cellular estate is a gamechanger for enterprise operations. Moving to a full commercial launch with Skylo allows us to offer our customers truly ubiquitous connectivity. Whether that’s tracking supply chains across continents or monitoring utilities in unreachable locations, businesses can count on Vodafone IoT for continuous, resilient connectivity, wherever they need it.

“This is only the beginning of our hybrid cellular-satellite journey, and we look forward to connecting more customers, in more countries, on more networks.”

“Bringing commercial NTN service to Vodafone IoT customers makes satellite a standard part of their connectivity, not a separate network to manage,” said Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO and Co-Founder, Skylo.

“By working together, NTN becomes a seamless extension of the mobile network – standards-based, integrated through a single Vodafone SIM, and ready to solve real-world commercial needs today.”

“That’s what the standardised sky looks like: operators bringing terrestrial and satellite networks together as one, so customers can focus on running their business, not their connectivity.”