More satellite IoT news. Australian satellite IoT outfit Myriota has launched its non-terrestrial (NTN; satellite) narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) service, Myriota HyperPulse. It uses US satellite broadband provider Viasat’s dynamic leasing capability, hinged on its geostationary L-band network, which scales satellite connectivity with demand. HyperPulse is the first solution to use the facility, apparently. Its work with Viasat was announced in February; the firm is onboarding a first cohort of development partners to use the service, starting next month (April).
Meanwhile, Barcelona-based rival Sateliot has said it has closed a €70 million Series B round, with €10 million from Hyperion. It had announced new funds earlier this week from the Spanish government (€13.8 million), to go alongside investments of €5.2 million from Global Portfolio and €30 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB), to swell its Series B round to €58.8 million. The new €10 million injection takes it to its target, effectively. Both Myriota and Sateliot are building low-Earth orbit (LEO) NB-IoT networks based on release 17 of the 5G standard.
The deal with Viasat sees its own LEO network augmented with the US firm’s geostationary L-band network. The HyperPulse service goes alongside its UltraLite offer, which is focused on “the most extreme energy efficiency, security, and spectrum efficiency”, it said. It is pitching satellite NB-IoT for remote tracking and monitoring applications that run on batteries – as is Sateliot, and all satellite IoT companies. It is now accepting applications for its early adopter program (EAP).
Ben Cade, chief executive at Myriota, said: “The global market for satellite communications is constantly advancing through technical breakthroughs and network expansions…. Building on more than a decade of experience…Myriota HyperPulse, in partnership with Viasat, reinforces how leaders in respective fields can collaborate to support customers as they apply unique sensor-based connectivity with their deep customer understanding to deliver disruptive, new approaches to solve crucial problems.”
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Andy Kessler, vice president for Viasat’s enterprise division, said: “Our collaboration will see the first 5G NTN commercial service based on our dynamic leasing model, which enables Myriota to deliver a cost-effective, standards-based solution optimised specifically for the needs of customers leveraging IoT. All of it done in a way that is simple and easy to deploy for critical industries looking to operate more safely, efficiently, and sustainably.”
Separately, Sateliot said it will use its Series B round to build a constellation of over 100 LEO satellites to deliver IoT connectivity to remote areas. It put four on a SpaceX shuttle last August, bringing its total to six; it has a stated target to achieve revenues of €1 billion by 2030, and claims existing supply contracts worth €270 million. The company’s shareholders include Indra, Cellnex, and SEPIDES. In a press statement, Sateliot noted the geopolitical context for the interest in its funding round, also.
It said: “The closing of this funding round takes place amid an extraordinary geostrategic situation, which is driving significant public and private investment across all NATO states. Specifically, the EU has announced institutional funding and investment mechanisms of up to €800 billion, while national governments have committed to increasing defence budgets to two percent of GDP. Institutional and strategic investors are strengthening Sateliot’s role in building a sovereign European telecoms infrastructure, with over €4 billion allocated for satellite IoT and €10 billion for the European secure communications programme.”
