• Spanish companies will develop 5G satellite solution for IoT
• Partnership will combine Sateliot’s LEO sat platform with Telefonica’s 5G terrestrial capability
• Companies plan to target sectors including maritime and defence

Telefónica has partnered with Sateliot to develop 5G new radio (5G NR) non-terrestrial network (NTN) solutions to expand connectivity to remote, maritime and unconnected areas, supporting enterprise and public sector verticals.

The collaboration aims to enhance current narrowband internet of things (IoT) capabilities based on NR-NTN standards by building a hybrid architecture that combines Telefónica’s terrestrial 5G expertise with Sateliot’s low-earth orbit satellites.

Together, the two companies will develop new pilot schemes for 5G NR satellite connectivity functions aimed at critical communications. They are seeking to validate interoperability between different types of networks, while strengthening resilience and global coverage.

Sateliot will contribute its satellite connectivity platform that currently includes its first constellation, consisting of six launched satellites. It plans to launch five more this year, bringing the total to 16, which will complete its IoT use case.

Jaume Sanpera, CEO and founder of Sateliot, said: “Integrating our 5G NTN with Telefónica’s terrestrial infrastructure will enable coverage expansion into remote environments and support critical use cases, such as industrial IoT and infrastructure monitoring, as well as logistics, energy, maritime, and security services. We believe this agreement will serve as a benchmark for other operators to drive convergence between satellite and terrestrial networks.”

The partnership is not the first collaboration between the two Spanish companies. They previously teamed up to demonstrate the convergence between mobile and satellite connectivity in a roaming trial carried out in July 2022.

For Telefónica, it adds another partner in its foray into satellite connectivity. In March, it announced a partnership with Satellite Connect Europe – the Vodafone-backed wholesale direct-to-device (D2D) satellite company – to explore D2D connectivity in the region. It also works with Starlink through its global business unit, Telefónica Global Solutions.

Javier López Gutiérrez, director of defence and security at Telefónica España, said: “The combination of Sateliot’s satellite capabilities and our 5G SA bubble deployments will allow us to extend terrestrial connectivity into the space domain, strengthening coverage and resilience in critical environments. This approach also lays the groundwork for future direct-to-device capabilities, expanding connectivity beyond traditional environments.”

- James Pearce, Editor, TelecomTV