O2 Telefónica and Skylo Deliver Hybrid Cellular/Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) Coverage

Skylo and Telefonica work together to extend NTN service to cellular users

Mountain View, CA - SEPTEMBER 27, 2023 Skylo Technologies, the global software-defined non-terrestrial network (NTN) service operator announces its partnership with O2 Telefónica, a renowned German telecommunications services provider. Together, the companies will enable businesses to roam seamlessly and transparently between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) on IoT devices. 

Satellite NTN coverage will initially deliver connectivity in the most remote and rugged locations where providers offer no cellular services. IoT devices in these regions will utilize a single 3GPP-compatible wireless dual-mode module that powers smooth transitions between Skylo's satellite network and O2 Telefónica's terrestrial service coverage. Hybrid connectivity, in this instance, is defined as the combined offering of cellular connectivity and non-terrestrial network connectivity. 

“In removing the gap that previously existed between cellular and non-terrestrial connectivity, we’re opening up new possibilities for the IoT market and allowing previously untapped use cases to be realized in the commercial and consumer space," said Prasanna Iyengar, Director of Product Management for Skylo. "We are thrilled to partner with O2 Telefónica to introduce hybrid IoT connectivity to existing and new customers across the globe.”

O2 Telefónica integrated SIM (iSIM) technology brings a cost-effective and sustainable solution, free of traditional SIM card components, to power this terrestrial/NTN hybrid connectivity, utilizing a Skylo NTN profile for simplicity and ease of use. 

Karsten Pradel, Director B2B at o2 Telefónica, underlines the importance of the partnership: "Our cooperation with Skylo is an important building block. Together with Skylo, we can now offer our customers IoT networking solutions from a single source, even in remote areas. This hybrid satellite-based IoT connectivity service complements our portfolio and demonstrates how we are driving digitalization and providing seamless connectivity to businesses worldwide."

Further, O2 Telefónica's award-winning IoT connectivity management platform, KITE, offers a single unified pane-of-glass for managing this hybrid connectivity during lifecycle across multiple networks. This approach enhances transparency, flexibility, and reliability, all under a single Service Level Agreement (SLA). Through its partnership with Skylo, O2 Telefónica also provides testing services to guarantee top-tier performance and fair utilization of Skylo's non-terrestrial network.

The commercial launch of O2 Telefonica and Skylo’s hybrid cellular/satellite IoT connectivity services will take place in the coming months. 

About Skylo

​​Skylo Technologies is an NTN service provider based in Mountain View, CA, offering a service that allows smartphone and IoT cellular devices to connect directly over existing satellites. Devices connected over satellite are managed and served by Skylo’s commercial NTN vRAN, featuring a 3GPP standards-based cloud-native base station and core. Skylo works with existing satellite operators, terrestrial mobile network operators, and device makers to provide subscribers an anywhere, anytime connectivity solution that seamlessly roams between terrestrial and satellite networks. Skylo’s focus is on enabling connected services for people outdoors and connected workflows for machines at work across critical industries such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, mining, and others, in addition to mass-market consumer devices. For more information, visit www.skylo.tech, contact info@skylo.tech, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About o2 Telefónica

O2 Telefónica is a leading full-service provider of telecommunications services for consumers and business customers. The portfolio of the core brand O2 and various secondary and partner brands includes not only traditional telephony and Internet connections but also innovative digital services in the area of the Internet of Things and data analysis. In mobile communications, O2 Telefónica serves more than 44 million mobile lines (incl. M2M - as of March 31, 2022). No other network operator connects more people in this country. The company's high-performance, award-winning mobile network reaches over 99 percent of the population. In the fixed network, O2 Telefónica offers its customers the greatest technological diversity and geographical availability of any provider in Germany. Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG is listed on the TecDAX and MDax and has been part of the Eurostoxx 600 since June 2022. In fiscal year 2022, the company generated revenues of EUR 8.2 billion with around 7,500 employees. The company is majority-owned by the Madrid-based Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica S.A., one of the largest telecommunications groups in the world.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Skylo Technologies

Rosa Lear

press@skylo.tech 

o2 Telefónica 

Alexander Geckeler (Press Officer)

M: +49 (0)178 1391 123 

E-Mail: alexander.geckeler@telefonica.com

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