MediaTek’s
satellite-enabled Narrowband (NB)-IoT standard chipset tested
with base station at Fucino Space Center in Italy using Inmarsat’s ’Alphasat’
Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite
MediaTek is
pushing the boundaries of advanced IoT 5G satellite communications with a
successful field trial that transfers data through Inmarsat’s Alphasat L-band
satellite, in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) 35,000 kilometers above the equator.
The results of MediaTek
and Inmarsat’s IoT field test will be contributed to the 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)’s Rel-17 standardization work on
Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), which is part of its overarching initiative to
establish 5G standards toward new use cases and services.
The new 5G satellite
NB-IoT technology established a bi-directional link from MediaTek’s
satellite-enabled standard NB-IoT device to a commercial GEO satellite,
breaking new ground for a truly global IoT coverage. The successful 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 industry efforts to converge
cellular and satellite networks in the 5G era. MediaTek is a leading
connectivity provider and contributor to 3GPP standards, and our ongoing work
with Inmarsat GEO satellites will help drive 5G innovation across verticals
like IoT,” said Dr. Ho-Chi Hwang, MediaTek General Manager of Communication
System Design.
MediaTek is the world’s 4th largest
fabless semiconductor company and Inmarsat is the world leader in global,
mobile satellite communications. The two companies 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 successfully established a
communication channel and data transfer with the GEO satellite ‘Alphasat’.
The successful test could
provide proof as to the feasibility of new global standards and open market
potential of using a single device for connecting both satellite and cellular
networks.
“Testing MediaTek’s
standard NB-IoT chip over Inmarsat’s established GEO satellite network has
proven technology from mobile networks works effectively over GEO satellites
with little modification and will provide a very cost effective path to
ubiquitous and hybrid global IoT coverage,” said Jonathan Beavon, Senior
Director, Inmarsat Product Group.
FUCINO
SPACE CENTER, Italy – August 19, 2020