OQ Technology has reached a significant milestone in satellite-enabled connectivity with the successful completion of an end-to-end NB-IoT connection and IoT data transmission between Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9151 low-power cellular IoT module and OQ’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.
The company said the demonstration stands apart from other non-terrestrial network (NTN) trials as it was powered entirely by OQ Technology’s own 3GPP-compliant NTN NB-IoT radio access network stack, combined with a fully integrated and operational 5G core network. This vertically integrated approach gives OQ Technology end-to-end control of performance, reliability and service optimisation, resulting in improved user experience and lower total cost of ownership.
During the test, Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9151 IoT module successfully connected directly to OQ’s satellites without requiring any hardware modifications. This confirmed the readiness of low-power, mass-market, standards-compliant NTN IoT technology for large-scale commercial deployment.
Nordic Semiconductor, widely recognised for its low-power wireless solutions, said the collaboration demonstrates that a mainstream cellular IoT module supporting LTE-M and NB-IoT can operate seamlessly over a 5G NTN satellite network. The result opens the door to broad global adoption of IoT devices that require energy efficiency, industrial-grade performance and worldwide band compatibility.
Kristian Sæther, Senior Product Director, Long-Range BU at Nordic Semiconductor, said: “Reliable connectivity beyond terrestrial networks is critical for industries in remote areas. With our nRF9151 module connecting directly to OQ’s LEO satellites, customers can extend coverage without redesigning hardware—simplifying deployment and reducing cost.”
Omar Qaise, Founder and CEO of OQ Technology, added: “This breakthrough reflects years of NTN innovation at OQ. From the world’s first NB-IoT physical-layer waveform test from LEO with our Tiger-1 mission in 2019, to becoming the first European company to broadcast D2D signals to standard mobile phones and now enabling a fully integrated NTN connection with a Nordic IoT module, OQ continues to set global benchmarks for 3GPP standardised satellite connectivity. Our verticalisation in terms of both space hardware and software results in benefits to end users in terms of low cost and complexity that unlocks mass market roll out to all types of devices from trackers to vehicles and sensors, which are essential for enterprise and private industrial networks.”
OQ Technology said its NTN platform is designed to help mobile network operators extend coverage beyond terrestrial infrastructure, while also meeting the demands of enterprise and industrial users that require high reliability, security and predictable performance. The platform enables precise quality of service control, optimised traffic management, strong resilience across devices, satellites and cloud infrastructure, and faster innovation without reliance on third-party vendors.
The company noted that more than 75% of the world’s landmass and maritime areas remain without cellular coverage, making satellite-based NTN connectivity a critical layer for industries such as energy, mining, logistics, agriculture and environmental monitoring.
OQ Technology and Nordic Semiconductor confirmed they will continue working together to support mobile network operators, developers, OEMs and enterprise users as they adopt next-generation NTN-enabled IoT devices.
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