Document v0.1: Nov 2, 2023
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to guide Skylo partners to be able to develop the application software for the devices with the approved and certified cellular chipsets version of the firmware by Skylo. The document also describes a quick overview of how the application flow should be for optimising the network and having a better experience with satellite connection along with some of the critical and standard AT Commands.
A typical end-to-end satellite network architecture between a UE and a cloud platform would look like the below diagram The document provides the necessary information for either an embedded or cloud application developer to be able to develop and integrate with skylo Network.
Overview
The high-level end-to-end connectivity and data flow between the embedded devices and cloud platforms through the skylo satellite network is as similar to any standard terrestrial network. Connectivity with Skylo requires an active Skylo SIM card along with an approved chipset and certified UE & Modem firmware.
The connectivity between Skylo Network and UEs is supported through standardised 3GPP-specified NB-IOT protocol along with some advanced features recommended by Skylo to the chipset partners. The Cloud API interface is applicable for the NIDD [ NON-IP Data Delivery ] only while UDP packets are routed through the packet gateway component from Skylo Network
Device Application
The device application flow for the connectivity module should follow the call flow diagram within the device application space for a better experience, it should involve three stages and the device must always be with access to OpenSky
- GNSS or location information acquisition
- Connectivity with Skylo’s Satellite Network
- Refreshing the location information for UE to keep the connectivity stable
- The rate defines the experience and suggested timer is about 10Secs.
Altair Modem Commands
The general set of at commands used for connecting to the skylo’s satellite network were provided below and these commands are very specific to ALT1250 Chipset, Please reach out to the Module or chipset providers for additional commands
MTK Modem Commands
The general set of at commands used for connecting to the skylo’s satellite network were provided below and these commands are very specific to MTK Chipset, Please reach out to the Module or chipset providers for additional commands
Quectel Modem Commands
The general set of at commands used for connecting to the skylo’s satellite network were provided below and these commands are very specific to Quectel Chipset, Please reach out to the Module or chipset providers for additional commands
Glossary
GNSS
A general term describing any satellite constellation that provides positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services on a global or regional basis.
UE
Any device used directly by an end-user to communicate. It can be a hand-held telephone, a laptop computer equipped with a mobile broadband adapter, or any other device.
NIDD
Non-IP Data path for Machine Data which offers efficient communication between IoT devices and enterprise applications. This data delivery method can help applications that transact small amounts of infrequent data.