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Podcast: ‘Pennies per transmission’ communication with Skylo-Viasat partnership
Listen as ‘The Dish’ speaks with Skylo CPO Gupta on first direct-to-device network
Nonterrestrial network service operator Skylo Technologies is teaming up with satcom provider Viasat to develop what the companies call “the first global direct-to-device network.”
The network combines Viasat’s (NYSE: VSAT) geostationary satellite network and spectrum access with Skylo’s 3GPP Release-17 standard patented IoT technologies to connect directly to satellites without additional network infrastructure, saving time and costs for original equipment manufacturers and end-users, Tarun Gupta, co-founder and chief product officer of Skylo Technologies, tells Connectivity Business News in the latest episode of “The Dish.”
“What makes this network different [is that the partnership with Viasat] allows for global connectivity using existing spectrum, existing satellites, existing ground stations and existing services,” Gupta says.
Industries increasingly reliant upon satellite connectivity and IoT range from large enterprises such as energy companies to farms, with differing abilities to pay for connectivity, Gupta said.
“Before, you were looking at satellite connectivity being tens to hundreds of dollars per month for simple bitrate type of communications,” says Gupta. “Now you’re able to have communications directly to satellite for literally pennies per transmission. That’s huge.”
Digital equity is critical as anyone anywhere can experience an emergency and lose cell service, he said. Though Palo Alto, Calif., where Skylo is headquartered, is “one of the biggest tech hubs on the planet,” it has areas with no available cell service, he says.
“If you want to be connected, you should have that ability to do so.”
—Tarun Gupta, co-founder and CPO, Skylo Technologies
While services such as SOS and two-way texting capabilities are expected to begin in North America in the first half of 2024, higher bandwidth capabilities, such as sending pictures and making remote payments, could later be added.
“I’m just I’m excited to see what will happen in the next three to four years,” Gupta said.
Listen to Gupta discuss how collaboration is helping Skylo and Viasat to meet consumer connectivity demands and expand the reach of satellite direct-to-device service.
