MediaTek and Inmarsat have conducted IoT field test transferring data through Inmarsat’s Alphasat L-band satellite, in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) 35,000 kilometers above the equator.
MediaTek said it is pushing the boundaries of advanced IoT 5G satellite communications with the field trial.

The new 5G satellite NB-IoT technology established a bi-directional link from MediaTek’s satellite-enabled standard NB-IoT device to a GEO satellite, breaking new ground for global IoT coverage. MediaTek said the test builds the foundation for hybrid satellite and cellular networks to enable new ubiquitous 5G IoT services at a global scale.

“MediaTek’s collaboration with Inmarsat will accelerate efforts to converge cellular and satellite networks in the 5G era,” said Ho-Chi Hwang, general manager of Communication System Design at MediaTek.

MediaTek and Inmarsat ran the test with a base station located at the Fucino Space Center in Italy and developed by Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry (III). The test device, built with MediaTek’s satellite-enabled NB-IoT chipset, was located in Northern Italy. The prototype system established a communication channel and data transfer with the GEO satellite Alphasat.

“Testing MediaTek’s standard NB-IoT chip over Inmarsat’s GEO satellite network has proven technology from mobile networks works effectively over GEO satellites with little modification and will provide a cost effective path to hybrid global IoT coverage,” said Jonathan Beavon, senior director of Inmarsat Product Group.