Iridium Communications launched its latest moonshot toward commercial viability of its direct-to-device satellite communications strategy that it hopes will lead to a 3GPP 5G standards-based narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) non-terrestrial network (NTN) service. The move comes months after the company’s previous initiative fizzled.

The new project is boldly dubbed “Project Stardust,” and it’s designed to get Iridium back into the burgeoning direct-to-device satellite communications space.

Iridium CEO Matt Desch said during a press briefing that the project will use the company’s existing low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to support standards-based 5G services. Iridium is working on a new software package that can be used to update those satellites and be used in a new chipset design to allow direct-to-device communications.

“Smartphones provided by mobile network operators could then roam onto our system when they're out of coverage for their terrestrial systems and they can send messages, their location, get help when they're in an emergency,” Desch said.

This low-speed connection approach will also serve IoT and asset tracking use cases.

“It’s not just about smartphones,” Desch said. “This is all also about narrowband-IoT devices and tracking cows and goats and oil farms and all the other things that we plan our network to expand to be able to offer more effectively.”

65 satellites, no waiting

The Iridium constellation includes more than 65 satellites split into six different “planes” in north-to-south orbit, as well as nine in-orbit “spare” satellites to take position in the event of any failed primary satellite. The constellation uses satellite-specific L-band spectrum, which in combination with those satellites effectively means complete global coverage.

Desch said that the project’s use of Iridium’s existing satellites will help manage costs, and that it expects to begin testing the new service next year, with a commercial launch currently planned for 2026.

The new project comes two months after chip giant Qualcomm pulled out of an arrangement to provide the necessary silicon to device vendors in support of Iridium's previous direct-to-device initiative.

Desch stated that Iridium’s initial strategy was basically analogous to what Apple has done with its own direct-to-device satellite connection service working with satellite firm Globalstar, but for the Android ecosystem.

However, he admitted that the Android community backed away from that approach.

“They preferred ultimately a more standardized approach, so we're reacting to that and we'll be developing to the 3GPP standards for them,” Desch said.

Iridium sees IoT, commercial broadband opportunities

Research firm Analysys Mason predicts the satellite direct-to-device market will generate more than $50 billion in revenues by 2032. ABI Research is more bullish, predicting the broader satellite communications market could generate $124.6 billion in service revenues by 2030, citing opportunities like IoT, backhaul, commercial broadband and mobile satellite services.

The direct-to-device market did hit a significant milestone earlier this year when SpaceX launched 21 Starlink satellites into space, setting into motion plans for the satellite communications provider to begin linking Earth-bound smartphones beginning later this year. Starlink has signed Direct to Cell service arrangements with a handful of service providers, including T-Mobile in the United States, Rogers in Canada, KDDI in Japan, Optus in Australia, One NZ in New Zealand, Salt in Switzerland, and Entel in Chile and Peru.

Iridium’s offering is similar to Starlink in that both are targeting low-speed use cases like messaging and emergency services. Desch noted that Iridium’s global spectrum presence will allow it to compete against more regional offerings that rely on specific spectrum assets from national operators.

“I do believe there's going to be other players in the space, though we believe it's fair to argue that we may be the most sure thing with an already fully deployed network, globally approved in a coordinated spectrum and all the business processes, the partner development support and back office systems already in place,” Desch said. “Others are more likely to be a regional service relying on other spectrum and I think this will be complementary to those as well.”

Desch said Iridium also remains fully committed to this low-speed focus, citing ongoing challenges of providing broadband speed to mobile devices from space. This goes back to Iridium’s initial push into the satellite communication space where the operator burned through billions of dollars for a service that ultimately underdelivered on its hyped promises.

There are also a growing number of satellite players in the broadband-speed space. SpaceX is currently the heavyweight in that market, but there are also providers like AST SpaceMobile, which has been working with operators AT&T and Vodafone on 4G LTE and 5G-based satellite services, and SES, which recently launched its fifth and sixth satellites into orbit and is working with NTT DoCoMo on private 5G and edge services.

“I'm not a skeptic, I just I think our history at Iridium is we came out of a history of over promising 20, 30 years ago about what this cellphone-like thing would do. When it didn't work well inside buildings or inside your car, people were disappointed,” Desch said. “It's turned out to be a great service overall if it's marketed in a way of what it really does and users are really happy with what they bought and how it works. … There's room for multiple [direct-to-device] players and we just want to be one of those in that space.”