MWC 2023 Recap: Sessions, Partner Announcements, and more
The buzz couldn’t have been louder and warmer, as the industry opens its arms to the NTN technology we’ve pioneered and that will be a game changer for many.
Tarun Gupta
March 14, 2023
3GPP
NTN
Continuing our momentum from CES 2023 in Las Vegas, satellite had its week at MWC 2023 Barcelona. At an event heavy with telecom attendees, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) was the talk of the show, bringing with it excitement for what it will mean for new territories, new use cases, and new revenue streams for operators and OEMs.
As our team walked the numerous halls within the Grand Fira, meeting with partners and soon-to-be-collaborators, we were stopped quite often with those recognizing our logo splashed across our lapel. The buzz couldn’t have been louder and warmer, as the industry opens its arms to the technology we’ve pioneered and that will be a game changer for many.
Let’s recap some of the buzz worthy moments from the show.
Sessions
Two of our founders separately joined partners on-stage to talk about the future state of NTN.
Our CTO and co-Founder Dr. Andrew Nuttall joined Kigen’s Loic Bonvarlet, SVP of Product Marketing on March 1 to discuss “Seamless coverage between terrestrial and satellite NTN for devices, sensors and machines to bring energy-efficient solutions.” Kigen and Skylo are making satellite connectivity integration frictionless for device makers, leveraging Kigen’s leadership in next-generation SIM technology with eSIM. To view a video of the session, click here.
Our CEO and co-Founder Parth Trivedi joined Deutsche Telekom’s Christopher Ruttgers and Intelsat’s Jean-Philippe Gillet in DT’s stand to discuss its goal of making T-IoT the one-stop-shop for global IoT coverage. This will be achieved by removing complexity in the market by bringing partners together to simplify the experience for the customer. To read more about the session, click here.
Announcements
Skylo is excited to have so many partners in our ecosystem and the announcements that many made declaring our collaborations. Below are snippets from each and links to the full versions.
Deutsche Telekom (DT-led): We announced our partnership with Deutsche Telekom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications carriers, to provide the satellite network for DT’s converged cellular and satellite connectivity offering for IoT applications under the T-IoT brand. This eliminates the need for end users to purchase separate devices, services, and bills from multiple providers, and have access to ubiquitous coverage wherever they have access to the open sky. For the first time, new ‘direct-to-device’ 5G NTN technology standards (3GPP Rel. 17) enables any certified NB-IoT- or LTE-M-capable devices or modules to be able to connect to the satellite network without the need for any extra hardware. At the end of the year, Deutsche Telekom, with Skylo, will launch an "early adopter" program for developers who can test convergent end devices. Click here for the full release.
Druid: Our partnership brings together Druid’s Raemis Core application with Skylo’s satellite connectivity. It’s made possible with Druids Raemis core platforms NTN support, one of the first to support satellite NTN, bringing seamless connectivity to devices, sensors, machines and more for an improved customer experience. Click here for the full release.
Kigen: Leveraging Skylo’s SIM profile on Kigen’s technology, together, we’re making satellite connectivity integration frictionless for device makers, allowing for seamless transitions between cellular and satellite connectivity. This combination is particularly attractive for devices used in challenging environments, where relying on terrestrial cellular networks alone can be problematic and is already being adopted by market leaders in rugged technology. Click here for the full release.
MediaTek: Our partnership enables smartphone and IoT manufacturers to develop new devices, sensors, and wearables with in-built satellite connectivity. OEMs can offer connectivity experiences that weren’t possible before, such as being able to text without any gaps or loss in coverage resulting in deeper customer relationships. Click here for the full release.
Murata: Our collaboration enables seamless, ubiquitous connectivity so that device manufacturers can connect devices such as wearables, sensors, and trackers directly over satellite without requiring new hardware or specialized equipment. Click here for the full release.
Viasat: This relationship offers first generation standards based Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services, adding Skylo’s technology, sales, and service support for 3GPP Release-17 Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) industry standard waveforms and spectrum. Click here for the full release.
To learn more about Skylo’s NTN solution, click here.