A couple of items across the news desk this week about non-terrestrial network (NTN; satellite) extensions for cellular 5G-branded IoT connectivity: Luxembourg-based NTN-IoT startup OQ Technology has signed Aramco Digital as a distributor, and Australian NTN-IoT outfit Myriota is working with US satellite broadband provider Viasat to enhance its own satellite IoT proposition. Both services, badged as 5G, are essentially satellite-range NB-IoT pipes.
Both OQ Technology and Myriota categorise their services in marketing as 5G NTN IoT (or 5G-based narrowband NTN). They are building low-earth orbit (LEO) nano-satellite NB-IoT constellations based on Release 17 specifications in the 5G standard – deliver low-power and (very) wide-area IoT coverage. Aramco Digital, the tech innovation arm of oil and gas company Aramco, will sell the former’s NTN airtime to Industry 4.0 customers.
These include the Saudi firm’s own operations. Aramco Digital will integrate satellite IoT into its “ecosystem” to drive operational efficiency, asset monitoring, and automation in multiple sectors, notably in critical industries like energy, mining, logistics, and infrastructure. A statement said: “Both companies will explore new business models and technology advancements to further drive digitalization and sustainability in industrial operations.”
OQ Technology called the deal a “significant step” to deliver IoT for enterprises in the Middle East region. Aramco Digital, talked about “industrial innovation”, and said: “We are empowering businesses with seamless, real-time data access in even the most remote locations. This collaboration marks a strategic step toward enabling a more connected and intelligent industrial landscape in Saudi Arabia.”
Meanwhile, Myriota’s new deal with Viasat will see its HyperPulse NB-IoT NTN service use the US firm’s dynamic leasing capability, hinged on its geostationary L-band network, which scales satellite connectivity up or down with demand. HyperPulse is the first solution to use the facility, apparently. It stated: “The result is a connectivity solution ready… to apply in the real world… [with] standards-based, satellite-driven connectivity optimised for IoT.”
HyperPulse sits alongside Myriota’s UltraLite service in its NTN portfolio; the latter is geared for more extreme energy efficiency, security, and spectrum efficiency. The former “expands the solution base”, it said, to deliver connectivity for remote monitoring and tracking using cellular-based battery-only IoT solutions. Like other NTN providers, it talks about “near-real time reporting” as a benefit.
It said it will “quickly and cost-effectively” scale its field intelligence and monitoring services to meet demand. It has opened an ‘early adopter programme’ to a first cohort of developers to use the HyperPulse service from April 2025. Myriota said: “The global market for satellite comms networks is advancing through technical breakthroughs and network expansions, and [we are] at the forefront of this.”
Viasat said the deal will see the “first 5G NTN commercial service” based on its dynamic leasing model, which “optimised” for IoT. “All of it [is] done in a way that is simple and easy to deploy for critical industries looking to operate more safely, efficiently, and sustainably,” it said.
