EchoStar starts construction of a 28 smallsat constellation (Image Credit: Sat News)
Procures satellites and plans Australian operations for new Low Earth Orbit constellation to power connectivity for smart devices
EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) has announced an agreement with Astro Digital, a designer, manufacturer and operator of smallsat systems, for the construction of a global, S-band, mobile satellite service (MSS) network.
Under the agreement, Astro Digital will manufacture the satellites for the constellation, which will deliver global Internet of Things (IoT), machine-to-machine (M2M) and other data services starting in 2024. EchoStar will operate the constellation from its Australian subsidiary, EchoStar Global.
The 28 satellites in this constellation design will feature an advanced software-defined radio (SDR) with onboard storage and processing to power smart two-way device connectivity. The satellites will be enabled with the LoRa® (meaning “Long Range”) protocol for connecting very low-cost, long-lived devices. With support for 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) services, the constellation will serve as a foundation for EchoStar to engineer 5G New Radio (NR) based NTN capabilities, according to 3GPP release 17 specifications.
Through its subsidiary, EchoStar Mobile Limited, EchoStar also operates an MSS network in Europe using the GEO EchoStar XXI satellite, which will interoperate seamlessly with the new LEO constellation.
“This agreement represents another step forward towards our goal of a global non-terrestrial 5G network,” said Hamid Akhavan, CEO, EchoStar. “With our engineering ingenuity, our service delivery expertise and our spectrum rights, EchoStar is uniquely positioned to offer worldwide S-band satellite services to help meet the insatiable demand for complete and constant connectivity.”
“These new capabilities will fill a gap in the connected ecosystem, greatly expanding worldwide IoT interoperability,” said Josh Williams, managing director, EchoStar Global Australia. “Our team, together with Astro Digital, has already begun integration of our Australian-based operations to bring to market a truly global solution with consistent and reliable network performance.”
