10 April 2020: Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo will develop the initial component of its satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure for a global hybrid network. They will design and build an initial set of two satellites for operation in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO). These initial 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 is reinventing mobile communications by building a global hybrid network by initiating the development of its new generation NGSO satellite constellation which will operate in the S-band.
"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 Herv 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."
The development of this initial set of satellites will begin immediately and they are scheduled for launch in 2021. Omnispace and Thales Alenia Space, along-side other industry stakeholders, will contribute to the development of the 3GPP NTN friendly standard for global implementation.