The floLIVE – Skylo Partnership to Extend Global Coverage with 5G NTN Connectivity for IoT. The Sky is Not the Limit!

The two companies have collaborated to further extend the reach of floLIVE’s global hyperlocal network to rural areas that are beyond the reach of mobile network operators.

 London, UK and Palo Alto, United States, 22 September 2022 – floLIVE, the creator and owner of the world’s first and largest global hyperlocal network and a leading provider of global IoT connectivity and network services for IoT, and Skylo, an innovative provider of cellular connectivity over satellite, today announced a collaboration to provide continuous and affordable satellite 5G Non-terrestrial Network (NTN) coverage. Skylo works with existing satellite operators, terrestrial mobile network operators, and device makers to provide a connectivity solution that seamlessly roams between terrestrial and satellite networks.

The partnership brings together floLIVE’s comprehensive carrier relations and integrations with Skylo’s satellite connectivity that leverages existing satellite constellations already in space. This new partnership is made possible with a firmware update to existing devices and requires no new hardware; this enables rapid device rollouts and connectivity is expected to be live in Q1-2023. 

New connected use cases are constantly evolving and expanding with the introduction of Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technologies as well as NTN. The introduction of battery-powered devices that have a lifespan of years has also greatly expanded the types of possible use cases. With these new methods of connectivity, it’s possible to leverage IoT applications that monitor power lines to prevent wildfires, help mining and construction companies track their assets live, and keep people safe in remote areas often challenged with limited to no cellular IoT connectivity.

Many of these important use cases occur in remote areas where cellular coverage can be patchy and unpredictable. In order to leverage the full range of possible use cases, connectivity must always be available. Skylo provides dependable coverage in remote and rural areas by leveraging satellite communication and integrating the latest technologies that conform to 3GPP standards.

Skylo’s engineering teams have worked closely together over the past two years in partnership with modem makers to develop the world’s first 3GPP standards-based approach to satellite NTN or ‘direct-to-device’ connectivity. Skylo’s software-defined approach allows IoT devices to connect over existing, well-established satellites.  This combination provides the fastest time to market, most robust, and scalable solution yet for direct-to-device connectivity while keeping the device’s inherent antenna, battery life and power modules. 

With this new technology, customers can send data and receive data over satellite as they normally would, as long as they have access to open sky – whether stationary or mobile.

“We are pleased to join forces with Skylo to extend our global reach into new areas and territories”, stated Bill Wark, SVP Sales at floLIVE. “This collaboration enables us to expand the reach of our global network into new territories to provide truly ubiquitous coverage to our customers”.

“We’re excited to work with floLIVE to quickly enable a wide variety of connected products over our satellite network”, stated Eric DaVersa, VP Business Development at Skylo. “The fact that device makers now have the choice to include satellite NTN connectivity in their products without adding any incremental hardware is a paradigm shift for the industry”.

floLIVE owns and operates the world’s first global, hyperlocal cellular network. floLIVE plans to use Skylo’s service to address previously untapped markets and to provide a new breakthrough asset tracking service for high-value goods.