5G News Operators Satellite Tech Updates

OQ Technology launches satellite aboard SpaceX Transporter-2 mission

The constellation will consist of more than 60 spacecraft to offer 5G IoT services in remote and rural areas.

OQ Technology has launched its Tiger-2 satellite (6U Nanosatellite) aboard the SpaceX Transporter-2 rideshare mission organised by Spaceflight Inc.

About an hour and a half later, Spaceflight’s Sherpa LTE-1 module (a spacecraft model carrying multiple satellites, including Tiger-2) separated from the rocket upper stage and went on to deploy the different customer satellites. The team received a confirmation that Tiger-2 was successfully ejected from the dispenser aboard the Sherpa LTE-1 module into space.   

Tiger-2 forms part of OQ Technology’s planned constellation that will consist of more than 60 spacecraft to offer 5G IoT services in remote and rural areas. Tiger-2 will be followed by MACSAT, an ESA-supported agile nanosatellite mission dedicated to 5G IoT in LEO.

Omar Qaise, Founder and CEO of OQ Technology, said: “We were very delighted to hear this news and are very thankful to our partners, as the world’s first satellite 5G IoT operator, Tiger-2 is an important mission for us as it will start preliminary commercial 5G IoT services by Q4 2021 and will be followed by more satellites.”

OQ Technology is the first 5G IoT operator building a global hybrid system that combines both satellite and terrestrial wireless networks, using regular 5G chips in mobile devices. Aimed primarily at customers with a focus on Africa, Middle East, Asia and the Americas, it’ll enable expansion of the 4G and 5G IoT footprint globally.