emnify and Skylo to Unveil the First Converged Cellular and Satellite Connectivity at Mobile World Congress

Berlin and Mountain View, September 21, 2023 — Today, emnify the leader in cloud-native IoT connectivity solutions, and Skylo, a global software-defined non-terrestrial network (NTN) operator focusing on connecting everything, everywhere, announce an industry-first convergence of satellite and cellular IoT connectivity from a single emnify SIM. Partnering with leading module manufacturer, Murata, the companies are expanding the next generation of IoT connectivity to space. The combination of emnify’s cloud-native, mobile core technology and direct IoT cellular access with providers around the globe, with Skylo’s NTN satellite access, provides seamless, intelligent, friction-free, network IoT connectivity.

The emnify IoT SuperNetwork, the industry’s first cloud-native IoT connectivity service with direct access to over 540 cellular networks in over 180 countries, now provides access to Skylo’s satellite NTN services, marking the first and only single SIM access to global IoT connectivity on terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. This innovation drastically reduces the operational cost and complexity of adding satellite connectivity, delivering on the promise of converged IoT connectivity to meet the needs of scaling IoT businesses, regardless of geographical challenges or local network infrastructure limitations.  

"Our collaboration with Skylo underscores our commitment to expanding the SuperNetwork to create new opportunities and open new markets for IoT businesses everywhere," said Frank Stoecker, CEO and emnify founder. "The addition of satellite connectivity exemplifies the power of the SuperNetwork to go beyond traditional networks to provide dedicated IoT connectivity with truly global reach.”

Skylo, the leader in satellite connectivity, shares in the excitement. “We are thrilled to partner with emnify to offer friction-free access to NTN, ensuring that businesses are always connected for critical needs,” said Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO and Skylo co-founder. "This innovation in IoT connectivity provides new levels of reliability and device availability, expanding IoT’s reach to previously inaccessible areas, and bringing new use cases to life."

“It’s critical that IoT customers have reliable, cost-effective, integrated hardware solutions to take advantage of innovations in IoT connectivity,” said Mehul Udani, Vice President Corporate Technology and Innovation for Murata. “Murata’s combined cellular and NTN radio modules provide a breakthrough in offering converged connectivity around the globe.” 

Transformative use cases highlight converged IoT connectivity potential

Remote Monitoring Systems

In remote regions lacking traditional infrastructure, the unparalleled reach of the SuperNetwork with Skylo’s NTN satellite connectivity will enable reliable monitoring of water resources. The SuperNetwork ensures that sensors always use the appropriate network in their location. 

According to Matt Trumbo, Director of Product Management for In-Situ,

“For our markets, NTN effectively means you can use your cellular devices anywhere – no worrying about coverage, no hassles with local providers and network compatibility.  It’s the benefits of traditional satellite data providers at an order of magnitude less in cost and in power consumption.  NTN will completely alter how we partner with our customers to create decision-quality information.” 

Asset Tracking

The SuperNetwork’s advanced reach and reliability with Skylo’s NTN satellite connectivity is necessary to enable breakthrough use cases and opportunities in asset tracking.  High value assets are often stationed permanently or temporarily in remote, previously unconnected areas. Powered by a single emnify SIM, IoT tracking devices and sensors provide continuous data to monitor equipment location, movement and critical telemetry needed for services such as predictive maintenance, usage optimization, and security. 

“We're excited about the possibility of merging satellite and cellular connectivity for GPS tracking in remote and rural areas. It's a compelling solution that extends our tracking capabilities to places where conventional cell networks can't reach. This innovation not only broadens our service coverage but also ensures connectivity in the most remote locations, enhancing the reliability of our GPS tracking solutions,” said Adam Ben Jacob Director of Sales, Support & Technology for OneStep GPS. “Our team is eager to dive into testing and deployment.”

New SuperNetwork Eval Program

emnify and Skylo are offering a new evaluation program for customers interested in deploying converged cellular and satellite connectivity. This program will allow selected participants to work directly with emnify and Skylo to test their use cases and the capabilities of the SuperNetwork to jumpstart their converged IoT connectivity transformation with hands-on support and guidance from a team of IoT experts.

Deploying IoT Satellite Roundtable at Mobile World Congress, Las Vegas 

emnify is hosting an invite-only roundtable discussion on September 26, from 2:30-5:30. The roundtable, moderated by Matt Hatton, founding partner at Transforma Insights, features speakers from Skylo and Murata to discuss this next level of connectivity and how IoT businesses can take advantage of increased availability, lower power consumption, and a limitless footprint. 

To register your interest in attending the roundtable please visit https://www.mwclasvegas.com/agenda/session/deploying-iot-satellite-in-2024-discover-new-technologies-to-expand-your-iot-connectivity.

To learn more about converged cellular and satellite IoT connectivity and the SuperNetwork, stop by the emnify booth, #839, at Mobile World Congress.

For more information and updates on the event please visit https://www.emnify.com/events/mwc-las-vegas-2023.

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emnify Media Relations Contact

Jennifer Baisch

emnify

Jennifer.Baisch@emnify.com

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Skylo Media Relations Contact

Rosa Lear

Skylo Technologies

press@skylo.tech

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About emnify

emnify is the leading cloud building block for cellular communications in the IoT stack, connecting millions of IoT devices globally – from electric vehicles to energy meters, alarm systems to GPS trackers, thermometers to health wearables. The emnify API and SIM technology connect and secure any kind of IoT deployment to its application back-end. emnify’s cloud-native integrations and no-code workflows ensure seamless lifecycle scalability for deployments of all sizes – from start-up to enterprise. The award-winning emnify IoT SuperNetwork is the largest globally distributed mobile cloud core network of its kind, supporting local network access (2G – 5G, LTE-M, NB-IoT and satellite) in over 180 countries from more than 25 cloud regions – and counting. emnify’s solution is built on partnerships with the leading hyperscale cloud service providers, system integrators, and hundreds of network operators worldwide.

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About Skylo

Skylo Technologies is an NTN service provider based in Mountain View, CA, offering a service that allows smartphone and IoT cellular devices to connect directly over existing satellites. Devices connected over satellite are managed and served by Skylo’s commercial NTN vRAN, featuring a 3GPP standards-based cloud-native base station and core. Skylo works with existing satellite operators, terrestrial mobile network operators, and device makers to provide subscribers an anywhere, anytime connectivity solution that seamlessly roams between terrestrial and satellite networks. Skylo’s focus is on enabling connected services for people outdoors and connected workflows for machines at work across critical industries such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, mining, and others, in addition to mass-market consumer devices. For more information, visit www.skylo.tech, contact info@skylo.tech, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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