Photo by Telesat

CloudOps, a managed services and software company based in Québec, will build the cloud infrastructure for Telesat‘s new Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, the companies announced March 30.

Under the terms of a new strategic partnership agreement, CloudOps will serve as Telesat’s software prime contractor for the Lightspeed constellation. It will design and develop cloud infrastructure, cloud-native data platforms, and optimized system operations utilizing technologies from a variety of partners.

Ian Rae, CloudOps’ founder and CEO, said that the applications enabled by systems like Telesat Lightspeed would require network, cloud, and edge-computing technologies to work in concert. "This important work will support bringing these applications and experiences to a much broader audience, allowing Canadians and global industries to access more affordable and higher-performance internet experiences,” Rae said in a statement.

[I’d Bet on Telesat: Dan Goldberg is All In on Lightspeed LEO Play]

The financial details of the CloudOps agreement were not disclosed. CloudOps is the latest Québecian space company to benefit from an investment agreement Telesat reached with the Canadian government in February. The government of Québec will invest 400 million Canadian dollars ($316 million) in the Lightspeed project in exchange for Telesat moving Lightspeed’s manufacturing and operations to the Canadian province.

Telesat is investing about $5 billion total into its new Lightspeed LEO constellation. Thales Alenia Space is the prime manufacturer for the system, which will be made up of 298 Ka-band satellites to provide global broadband internet service starting in the second half of 2024.

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The GoRainSat device. Photo: Goanna Ag

Myriota and Goanna Ag have teamed up to launch two new satellite-based products to help Australian farmers, the companies announced Wednesday. The two new products, GoRain and GoTank, aim to change how farmers manage water resources. Goanna Ag is a provider of on-farm sensor solutions, and Myriota is a provider of low-cost and low-power satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT).

GoRain is designed to enable data-driven decisions to support stronger crop yields. GoTank is designed for the livestock industry, and remotely updates farmers on water tank levels. The partnership between Goanna Ag and Myriota will see GoRain and GoTank devices make use of Myriota's network of nanosatellites. For farmers, this means that data from rain gauges and tank monitors can now be collected from anywhere in the world where the sky is visible, and seamlessly displayed in Goanna Ag's apps – the first solution of its kind, the two companies claim.

"We believe that this technology will transform the Australian market and provide the information needed to support the industry in even the most challenging times," Goanna Ag's CEO, Alicia Garden, said in a statement.

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Swissto12 additively manufactured all-metal patch antennas. Photo: Swissto12

Fleet Space Technologies has selected Swissto12 to deliver additively manufactured all-metal patch antennas for its C4 and C5 satellites. Swissto12, which develops advanced engineered Radio Frequency (RF) products for aerospace applications, said in a Feb. 9 release that this delivery will be the first of its kind. 

The contract will include the manufacturing with Swissto12's patented and space qualified additive manufacturing processes specially optimized for RF applications. Fleet Space said the Centauri 4, or C4 payload will provide the most powerful communication nanosatellite in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), with the ability to connect millions of gateways for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. 

Fleet Space CEO Flavia Tata Nardini commented: "I have never been so excited by a technological breakthrough such as this latest generation of the payload. This and the new 3D printed antennas that my amazing team have built at Fleet Space. We can finally demonstrate how powerful nanosatellites can be in the comms world."

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Swarm co-founders Ben Longmier and Sara Spangelo holding the Swarm Tile, and a Swarm satellite. Photo: Swarm

Swarm's Internet of Things (IoT) network that connects sandwich-sized satellites to tiny, handheld hardware is now live, offering remote connectivity at the market-disrupting price of $5 per month per device. 

Swarm, which was founded in 2017 and garnered media attention in 2018 for launching satellites without FCC approval, is now an operational player in the satellite IoT market. The company announced its commercial availability on Tuesday, after it launched 36 satellites on the recent SpaceX rideshare mission. The company now has 81 satellites on orbit, 72 of which are commercial. 

The company is vertically integrated, and built and designed hardware, software, and protocols for its satellites and the user modem it calls the Swarm Tile. The Tile costs $119 per device and is a modem that can be embedded into any IoT device that operates in a remote location. 

The Tile communicates with satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) that weigh just 400 grams. Satellites pass the data to ground stations, pulling customer data into an API where it can be easily accessed. It's a two-way network, allowing a customer to send a command to the sensor. At this point, satellites pass over Swarm's ground stations about every three hours. When the company has launched its full constellation of 150 satellites, it will allow data to be transmitted at any time. 

Sara Spangelo, CEO and co-founder told Via Satellite the Swarm pricing model is four to 20 times cheaper than similar satellite offerings today, and Swarm can transmit customer data more often because of its large number of satellites. Spangelo said this pricing allows customers who may pay $10,000 each month to another provider to spend $500 per month with Swarm. The company's goal with the pricing is to bring in new customers who haven't been able to afford remote IoT connectivity before. 

"For small companies that are bootstrapped, doing low-margin things like agriculture and logistics, this is an incredible benefit to their businesses – how they operate their price points, the risks they can take, the markets they can enter," Spangelo said. "It also is at the point where people that have only previously used cell [connectivity], but want to expand their business beyond where cellular coverage is, can start to think about it as affordable." 

The company has customers from small and medium-sized businesses to Ford-owned Autonomic, which has a connected vehicle infrastructure called the Transportation Mobility Cloud. Another company SweetSense, which offers remote water and energy monitoring solutions, has a partnership with Swarm, whose pricing allows SweetSense to monitor more water supplies in Africa. 

Spangelo said Swarm has the highest demand in agriculture for water monitoring applications, and logistics for tracking trucks or maritime tracking. She also reports demand in energy monitoring, environmental tracking, and government uses, but emphasizes that the service "vertical agnostic." 

"It’s not a moisture sensor or an asset tracker. It’s a modem, or a connectivity device that can be integrated or plugged into any sort of device," Spangelo said. "We do that on purpose. We have ideas of the verticals and use cases, but we’ve been very surprised what people come around with, ones we would have never expected."

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Myriota CEO Dr. Alex Grant. Photo: Myriota

Myriota will take part in a new project by the Australian government involving satellite, the company announced Wednesday. It will be involved in the SASAT1 Space Services Mission to deliver space services to South Australia. The $6.5 million project was announced by South Australian Government Premier Steven Marshall, and marks a new partnership between the South Australian state government and industry. Myriota will provide Internet of Things (IoT) space services for the new small satellite, which, once deployed, will support the improvement of state emergency, environment, water monitoring, and bushfire mitigation services.

Earth Observation (EO) imaging will be done via a hyperspectral electro-optical payload. Myriota's IoT connectivity will support the collection of data about multiple weather events, including rainfall and bushfires, both of which have been impacted by climate change in recent years. The mission is set to deliver the satellite in 15 months for launch into orbit, with the satellite available for a further three years to 2024 for data collection and operations.

Myriota CEO and co-founder Alex Grant believes this project could lead to greater collaboration across South Australia's growing space ecosystem:  "Myriota is proud to be involved in the SASAT1 project, and to partner with space industry leaders Inovor Technology and the SmartSat CRC, as well as and the South Australian government," he said. "South Australia sits at the heart of Australia's space industry, and is leading the growth of our national ecosystem. The Space Services Mission will benefit South Australians through the improved delivery of emergency services, and environmental monitoring."

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The Iridium Edge Solar device. Photo: Iridium

Iridium Communications revealed Tuesday the availability of Iridium Edge Solar – a solar-powered Internet of Things (IoT) remote asset tracking and management device. Iridium Edge Solar has over-the-air configuration capabilities, and can be used for Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), fisheries management, tracking of freight shipping containers, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) applications, monitoring of oil and gas pipelines, and heavy equipment telematics data reporting.

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Skylo COO Angira Agrawal. Photo: Skylo

Skylo, an Indian Internet of Things (IoT) network provider, revealed Tuesday that Angira Agrawal was hired as Chief Operationg Officer (COO). Agrawal will oversee all operations and customer-facing activities throughout its markets, including the U.S. and India. In December 2020, Skylo deployed an IoT network in India.

Agrawal joined Skylo from Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea, where he served as head of the enterprise business for the North and East of India. He led a team specializing in digital solutions for government, enterprise, and Subject Matter Expert (SME) customers.

"As Skylo grows broadly around the world, and deeply into verticals like farming, fishing, logistics and healthcare, it is vital to bring in key leadership who understand what customers want and who can help deliver smooth user experiences," said Skylo CEO and co-founder Parth Trivedi. "Angira brings an impressive resume of scaling complex businesses with specific expertise in wireless and mobility solutions, and his deep experience in India and Asia Pacific will be critical as we deploy in these regions and beyond. Angira embodies Skylo's core value — customer first — and we're proud to have him on the team."

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Photo: Skylo

Skylo is partnering with BSNL, India’s government-owned telecommunications provider, to deploy a satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) network in India, the company revealed Dec. 10. This news comes after Skylo raised $103 million in a Series B round in January, led by SoftBank Group.

Skylo and BSNL plan to connect millions of sensors and machines from space, so that business owners anywhere can make smarter and more timely decisions. Skylo supplies the hardware in the form of a rugged hub device, which connects to satellites that are already in use. The companies report that successful proof of concepts have already been conducted, and the network is being rolled out across India with select customers in the government and private sectors. The network is currently being integrated and tested on trucks, commercial vehicles, railways, and fishing vessels in India.

"For centuries, industries including agriculture, railways, and fisheries, have been operating in the physical world and haven't had the opportunity to take full advantage of modern digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), IoT, and space connectivity, regardless of their geography – until today," said Skylo CEO and Co-Founder Parth Trivedi. "With Skylo and BSNL, fishermen, farmers, and truck drivers can access the benefits of an affordable, reliable satellite network and connected sensors, giving them up to the minute information. As a result, they'll be able to make better decisions, save time and money, radically improve operations, and even save the lives of their workers."

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Photo: EchoStar Mobile

EchoStar Mobile is partnering with Jersey Telecom (JT) to offer a cellular roaming network for its new SYNERGY service suite. EchoStar Mobile will be combining its European S-band mobile satellite network with the Jersey Telecom’s 4G platform to bring bring hybrid satellite/cellular capability to Internet of Things (IoT) and mobility customers across the U.K. and Europe.

EchoStar Mobile SYNERGY’s service offers a networking solution that uses both mobile satellite and cellular connectivity. This partnership with JT allows EchoStar Mobile to avoid “complex technical deployments or the hefty price tag often associated with mobile satellite services and hybrid communication solutions,” according to EchoStar Mobile Senior Director of Commercial Operations Telemaco Melia.

“The demand for ubiquitous pan-European data that spans borders and networks is unprecedented and continues to grow, as enterprises look to optimize their IoT deployments,” said Barna Kutvolgyi, Managing Director, JT International. “This partnership combines the comprehensive capabilities of JT’s platform with EchoStar Mobile’s leading technologies, to reduce complexity and deliver comprehensive coverage in a streamlined solution for EchoStar Mobile’s customers across Europe.”

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Photo: Totum Labs

Totum Labs, a satellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity company, revealed Monday the completion of a $13 million Series A financing round. Heroic Ventures and Space Capital co-led the investment round with participation from existing investors, including Qualcomm Co-founder Dr. Andrew Viterbi, and new strategic investor Qamcom. The addition of this round brings Totum’s total funding to $15.5 million.

Totum is developing Doppler Multichannel Spread Spectrum (DMSS) technology, aiming to enable low-cost, global, indoor tracking and monitoring of billions of assets. This new round of funding and will help the company accelerate the deployment and commercialization of its Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) sensor to satellite network and connectivity.

“Others that have launched satellites are not on a technical path to scale to billions of connections and they will largely be limited to high value, low-volume endpoints historically associated with satellite connectivity,” said Ted Myers, founder and CEO of Totum Labs. “Only Totum’s DMSS technology can go head-to-head with the cellular industry for LPWA connectivity and provide a robust and cost-effective connectivity experience for a massive number of endpoint connections across a wide variety of industry use cases.”

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