The partnership will connect tens of millions of Internet of Things devices across North America
RESTON, Va. June 1, 2022 – Ligado Networks today announced a partnership with Sony Semiconductor Israel (hereafter “Sony”) to develop chipsets for Ligado’s 5G mobile satellite network for the Internet of Things (IoT), marking a significant milestone for deploying advanced connectivity services across North America.
Ligado’s 3GPP standards-based 5G satellite IoT network will support tens of millions of mobile devices powering critical machine-to-machine communications in the transportation, agriculture, utilities, and energy sectors. The partnership with Sony brings Ligado one step closer to providing standalone satellite and combined satellite and terrestrial connections to enterprise customers.
“As a leader in developing IoT standards for mobile satellite networks, we are excited to work with Sony to advance new capabilities and serve the growing market for 5G mobile satellite connectivity anywhere in the U.S. and across North America,” said Sachin Chhibber, Ligado Chief Technology Officer. “This satellite capability will also support our 5G mobile private network solution by enabling ubiquitous coverage and reliability, which are essential for critical infrastructure enterprises as they modernize operations.”
“We are excited to support Ligado’s 5G mobile satellite network,” said Dima Feldman, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing at Sony Semiconductor Israel. “The addition of satellite connectivity to our market-leading 5G IoT chipsets improves utility for critical communications customers and expands our market reach.”
As a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets, Sony will build on extensive design efforts and standards coordination to adapt 5G IoT technology and manufacture IoT chipsets that are compatible with Ligado’s L-band MSS spectrum, which 3GPP has standardized as Band 255 for Non-Terrestrial Networks. Ligado plans to deploy a 5G satellite IoT network to support mainstream devices using low-cost chipsets for both satellite and terrestrial connectivity. The satellite offering adds extended coverage and network redundancy to the company’s planned 5G mobile private network solution, enabling always-on connectivity and coverage across an enterprise’s entire footprint.
With the 22-meter reflector-based antenna of Ligado’s SkyTerra 1 satellite, the network will support real-time communication to the small modules and devices used for innovative applications like wide-area vehicle diagnostics, environmental monitoring, smart metering, and critical messaging anywhere in North America.
Ligado and Sony indicated the work would be completed in several phases, with the goal of conducting initial technology trials by the end of the year.
About Ligado Networks
Building on 25 years of experience providing crucial satellite connectivity, our mission is to modernize American businesses by delivering secure and reliable 5G connectivity solutions needed to transform their operations and realize the efficiencies of a digital world. Our plans to deploy licensed mid-band spectrum in public and private 5G networks will help pave the way for future innovations and economic growth across America.
About Sony Semiconductor Israel
Sony Semiconductor Israel is a leading provider of cellular IoT chipsets. The company’s cellular IoT chipsets are the smallest and most highly integrated LTE CAT-M and NB-IoT chipsets on the market, featuring ultra-low power consumption, hardware-based security, and a carrier-grade integrated SIM (iSIM), all 5G ready. With a commitment to the highest quality and end-to-end security approach, the company’s Altair all-inclusive cellular IoT chipsets offer long battery life and fast time to market.
Sony Semiconductor Israel provides low-power and cost-efficient chipsets for a range of industrial and consumer IoT applications such as trackers, smart meters, smart labels, wearables, and vehicle telematics. The company’s cellular IoT chipsets are commercially deployed on the world’s most advanced LTE networks.