Internet of Things

Satellite IoT companies don’t see broadband systems as competitors
Companies developing internet-of-things satellite constellations don’t see other broadband megaconstellations as direct competitors, but some see an opportunity to learn from them.

Hiber partners with Inmarsat for IoT satellite network
Days after acknowledging it would no longer operate its own satellite network, Dutch internet-of-things startup Hiber says it is partnering with Inmarsat to provide those services.

Hiber abandons plans for IoT satellite constellation
Dutch company Hiber is dropping plans to deploy an internet-of-things smallsat constellation, electing instead to provide similar services through a third-party system.

Rocket Lab wins multi-launch deal for IoT constellation
Rocket Lab will deploy an entire constellation of internet-of-things satellites for a French startup under a multi-launch deal announced Sept. 8.

SpaceX to acquire Swarm Technologies
SpaceX has quietly agreed to acquire Swarm Technologies, a company that operates a smallsat constellation providing internet-of-things services.

Swarm begins offering commercial satellite data service
With 81 miniature satellites in orbit, internet-of-things startup Swarm announced the start of its commercial data service.

Omnispace raises $60 million to fund hybrid network
Omnispace, a company developing a hybrid space and ground network to provide 5G and internet of things services, announced Feb. 2 it raised $60 million to fund the rollout of its system.

Swarm Technologies reveals plan to connect devices for $5 per device per month
Swarm Technologies announced prices for its satellite communications products Sept. 29, including data services starting at $5 per device per month.

Kepler signs launch agreement with Exolaunch
Kepler Communications announced a launch agreement Aug. 18 with Exolaunch of Germany for two cubesats scheduled for flight in September on a Russian Soyuz rideshare mission. Under the contract, Exolaunch will provide launch, mission management, integration and deployment services for Kepler’s two six-unit XL cubesats.

Skylo forms partnership with Sony Semiconductor Israel
Skylo, a Silicon Valley satellite communications startup, announced a partnership Aug. 18 with Sony Semiconductor Israel, a company formerly known as Altair.

Kepler reviews plan for constellation architecture
Kepler Communications is reviewing the architecture for its internet-of-things constellation in response to SpaceX’s plan to revise the architecture of its Starlink constellation.

Astrocast raises $9.2 million, grows target IoT constellation size to 80 satellites
Astrocast has raised an additional 9 million Swiss francs ($9.2 million) to help build and deploy a larger constellation of Internet of Things satellites than the Swiss startup previously envisioned.

Op-ed | IoT smallsats: Ready for launch?
In recent years, there has been a boom of announcements for satellite constellations comprising satellites weighing as little as 3 kilograms to address a growing market of machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) via satellite.

ÅAC Clyde to build Kepler Communications TARS satellite
Kepler Communications, a Canadian startup designing a telecommunications constellation, selected ÅAC Clyde, the company being formed by Sweden’s AAC Microtec and Scotland’s Clyde Space, to build TARS, a six-unit cubesat for machine-to-machine communications.

Op-ed | Networking the space-terrestrial frontier
The planned deployment of thousands of LEO satellites by OneWeb and SpaceX’s Starlink are proof that the crusade for high throughput, low latency and wide coverage has only started.

Sigfox’s CTO on where satellite fits in an IoT-only network
When it comes to connecting untold scores of low-power devices across broad expanses, French telecom startup Sigfox is one of the biggest influencers.