TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Spain\u2019s Sateliot announced plans Nov. 10 to develop upgraded satellites from newly expanded facilities in Barcelona, aiming to move beyond connecting sensors and machines to also provide wideband voice, video and data links directly to smartphones.<\/p>\n
The first 16 150-kilogram satellites are slated to launch in 2027 to demonstrate the capability in certain areas for a few minutes at a time, a spokesperson told SpaceNews, before scaling to provide real-time coverage by 2030.<\/p>\n
Sateliot aims to first deploy five more 15-kilogram spacecraft in 2026, bolstering a connectivity service for Internet of Things (IoT) devices using global 5G standards known as 3GPP.<\/p>\n
The startup said last month<\/a> it had achieved a narrowband connection for the first time between one of its four operational low Earth orbit satellites, using buses provided by Alen Space of Spain, and a commercial IoT device operating under Release 17 of this standard.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ultimate goal is to build a global network of hundreds of satellites to deliver 5G IoT and New Radio (NR) connectivity for real time, low latency dual-use (civil and defense) applications,\u201d the spokesperson said via email.<\/p>\n Sateliot has lodged plans with international regulators to deploy up to 500 satellites.<\/p>\n The upgraded satellites, called Trit\u00f3, would be built at the venture\u2019s newly opened European 5G Satellite Development Center at its Barcelona headquarters, which includes a 100-square-meter clean room.<\/p>\n