Photo: Via Satellite archive

Sateliot is the first satellite operator to join the Global Certification Forum (GCF), a mobile and IoT standards certification organization. Sateliot and GCF said the collaboration announced this month will speed up the market availability of certified 3GPP Rel-17 non-terrestrial network Low-Earth Orbit (NTN LEO)-supported IoT chipsets and modules. 

Sateliot is building a constellation of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to provide narrowband IoT   under the 3GPP standard. 

GCF has more than 300 members including large mobile network operators, device manufacturers, and the test industry. The organization provides certification solutions for devices based on 3GPP and other relevant standards including smart phones, modules and chipsets, hot spots/routers, tablets and notebooks, IoT devices and wearables.

The GCF certification program assures device and network interoperability, and helps participants reduce testing costs and time to market. Both companies aim to bring ecosystem players together to support global IoT adoption. 

 “We are pleased to announce the first standards-based satellite operator joining the Global Certification Forum. We anticipate other satellite operators and manufacturers will follow, making interoperable, 3GPP standards-based cellular NTN access a reality soon,” commented Lars Nielsen, CEO of GCF. 

Sateliot’s CCO Gianluca Redolfi commented: “This unprecedented agreement in the space industry sends a clear message that Sateliot’s technology is ground-breaking and disrupting the satellite industry. It’s no secret that, in the future, most IoT devices will work under standard protocols as is happening on terrestrial communications.”