Thales Alenia to develop key components for US IoT hybrid communications network
Omnispace, has announced on 9 April that it has selected Thales Alenia Space to develop the initial component of its satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure.
Thales Alenia, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) will design and build an initial set of two satellites for operation in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO).
The aim is to deliver a global hybrid communications network based on 3GPP standards.
The satellites will support 3GPP-defined (the 3rd Generation Partnership Project telecommunications specifications that unite standard development organizations) Narrow-Band IoT radio interface and will serve to advance the development and implementation of Omnispace’s global hybrid network.
Omnispace has also initiated the development of its new generation NGSO satellite constellation which will operate in the S-band.
The development of this initial set of satellites will begin immediately and they are scheduled for launch in 2021.
“Thales Alenia Space has a successful track record of developing NGSO satellite constellations and is well-qualified to support our vision of delivering the world’s first global 5G non terrestrial network (NTN),” said Ram Viswanathan, President and CEO of Omnispace LLC. “This investment in our next-generation satellite infrastructure allows us to progress the development of our technology and demonstrate our unique capabilities as we continue to work towards launching our broader vision of a global hybrid network.”
“Thales Alenia Space is pleased to be working with Omnispace, which is taking a holistic approach to the design, development and deployment of their next-generation, IoT-based satellite network infrastructure,” said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “Omnispace’s selection of Thales Alenia Space reinforces our leadership position as a major industrial partner and our expertise in space-based IoT communications. We look forward to collaborating with Omnispace in delivering this innovative project.”
