Nordic Semiconductor, Sateliot and Gatehouse Satcom Push LEO Satellite IoT Forward

Remote fields, open sea, desert infrastructure – wherever terrestrial mobile networks end, IoT projects often end as well. A new satellite IoT breakthrough could change that for good.

Nordic Semiconductor, Sateliot and Gatehouse Satcom have jointly achieved a key milestone for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) IoT connectivity: a direct chip-to-cloud connection from Nordic’s nRF9151 cellular IoT module via Sateliot’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to Nordic’s nRF Cloud device platform.

For the Wireless IoT ecosystem, this marks more than just another lab demo. It is a concrete step toward global, NTN-based IoT coverage that works with standard cellular IoT hardware and can extend existing LTE-M / NB-IoT use cases far beyond today’s network maps.

A “cell tower in space” for massive IoT

Sateliot operates a 5G IoT LEO constellation designed to behave like a cell tower in space. Devices on the ground connect over standardized cellular IoT technology and can roam seamlessly between terrestrial networks and satellite coverage.

By successfully transmitting data from the nRF9151 module to nRF Cloud via Sateliot’s LEO network, the partners have shown that direct-to-device satellite IoT can run on low-power, cost-sensitive hardware – a key prerequisite for asset tracking, smart agriculture, smart metering and environmental monitoring far away from terrestrial base stations.

Collaboration across the ecosystem

The project brings together three complementary roles:

• Nordic Semiconductor – low-power cellular IoT hardware and cloud platform (nRF9151, nRF Cloud)

• Sateliot – LEO 5G IoT satellite constellation and NTN infrastructure

• Gatehouse Satcom – 5G NTN NB-IoT software and protocol expertise for reliable connectivity

The result: a technical proof point that shows how standardized NTN, 5G, NB-IoT and satellite can be combined into an integrated, global IoT connectivity layer.

Commercial satellite IoT on Nordic’s roadmap

Nordic is already working on satellite connectivity based on the nRF9151, which is positioned as one of the lowest-power cellular IoT modules on the market. In addition to previously announced GEO satellite support, Nordic now plans a commercial LEO NTN solution built around the same hardware platform.

The goal: IoT devices that can use the same type of antenna and power budget as classic terrestrial LTE-M / NB-IoT devices, but still send data via satellite when needed. This opens the door to:

• Smart agriculture in remote fields

• Global asset tracking for containers, vehicles and equipment

• Environmental and infrastructure monitoring far from the next base station

• Remote sites where private networks would be too costly to build and operate

With around 75 percent of the world’s landmass still lacking terrestrial cellular coverage, satellite-augmented IoT is seen as a decisive building block for truly global deployments.

A cost-efficient alternative to private networks

For many companies, especially in logistics, agriculture, mining or utilities, building private mobile networks in remote regions is technically possible – but economically difficult.

Standardized NTN solutions such as the one demonstrated by Nordic, Sateliot and Gatehouse Satcom aim to become a cost-efficient alternative: devices can use the same hardware platform worldwide and connect via public networks, whether terrestrial or satellite-based. This reduces complexity in device design and simplifies global rollouts.

What’s next?

Over the coming months, the partners intend to make the solution available for developers and pilot projects that want to test NTN LEO connectivity in real-world applications.

The nRF9151 with NTN support is expected to become generally available from early 2026, enabling device manufacturers to plan new products with integrated satellite IoT connectivity.