Sateliot

Sateliot is a Barcelona-based company developing a constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellites to provide global 5G NB-IoT (narrowband Internet-of-Things) connectivity. The company aims to offer seamless IoT coverage worldwide, especially in remote areas lacking terrestrial networks. Its technology allows standard NB-IoT devices to connect directly to its satellites without requiring specialized hardware. 

As of August 2024, Sateliot launched six satellites, including four deployed on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. These satellites, measuring 20 x 10 x 35 cm and weighing 10 kg, orbit at an altitude of ~600 km and have an expected lifespan of five years. As of November 2024, the company planned to expand its constellation to over 100 satellites by 2028. Sateliot's technology utilizes the 3GPP 5G NB-IoT NTN (non-terrestrial network) standard, allowing seamless integration between terrestrial and satellite networks. The company claims to be the first LEO satellite connectivity provider to work under the 3GPP standard. Sateliot uses a patented two-step authentication method called “Store & Forward,” which stores data when a satellite is not in a position to connect with a ground station and forwards it when it enters the coverage range.

Sateliot's business model involves partnering with mobile network operators to offer IoT connectivity as a roaming service. It targets agriculture, logistics, ocean logistics, livestock, infrastructure, energy, wearables, mining, military, and oil and gas industries.  

Key customers and partnerships

As of June 2024, the company had secured EUR 200 million in recurring revenue contracts from 400 clients in 50 countries. Sateliot’s mobile network operator partners included Telefonica, AWS, GSMA, Comfone, and GCF. Sateliot also partnered with t42, a freight software and analytics company, to deploy thousands of 5G-IoT sensors in shipping containers across more than 50 countries (November 2023). The company also partnered with Sensefinity to launch global 5G-IoT satellite connectivity to facilitate data transmission from smart containers for Maritime shipping (January 2023). 

Sateliot has partnerships with 1) SpaceX for a satellite launch (May 2024), 2) Exolaunch for launch services (May 2024), and Leaf Space for ground station support (June 2024).