Mavenir and Terrestar achieve NTN Voice over NB-IoT call

Mavenir, the cloud-native network infrastructure provider, and Terrestar Solutions, the Canadian premier mobile satellite operator, have achieved a milestone by successfully completing a Voice over NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) call in NTN (non-terrestrial network) mode, claimed to be an industry first.

The achievement was conducted over a 3GPP-standardised NTN S-band spectrum, avoiding interference common in terrestrial networks. Designed to work with GEO satellites delays as well, the network ensures consistent coverage despite higher latency.

The call was made back in January using standard codec, Sony’s Altair ALT1250 module, Mavenir Open RAN (Open vRAN and Open Beam radio) and Mavenir Converged Packet Core. It was conducted in collaboration with Terrestar.

According to the companies, the successful call highlights Mavenir and Terrestar’s ability to deliver innovative solutions that bridge the connectivity gap in challenging and remote environments. By leveraging 3GPP standards-based NTN technology, their collaboration is enabling the integration of satellite and terrestrial networks to bring seamless connectivity to underserved regions, supporting IoT use cases and extending the scope of reliable communication.

“Terrestar Solutions embodies innovation and leadership as the first MSS [mobile satellite service] player to offer a real-time voice service based on a fully compliant 3GPP non-terrestrial network,” said Jacques Leduc, President of Terrestar Solutions. “With our dedicated S-band spectrum and an open network architecture, we leverage the strength of the 3GPP ecosystem to drive a breakthrough that sets us apart. Our mission: to accelerate the ecosystem development and provide all, through their mobile service provider, with satellite mobile connectivity that ensures security, autonomy and independence.”

Sachin Karkala, SVP & GM of the RAN Business Unit at Mavenir, added: “Satellite services provide the perfect addition to existing terrestrial networks, adding a layer of widespread coverage, and nowhere is this more important than underserved and remote regions. This development allows satellite operators to launch voice services immediately using available spectrum, existing GEO satellites and industry-standard user equipment with a simple software upgrade to deliver voice services country-wide.”

The achievement paves the way for broader adoption of NTN-based NB-IoT solutions and further integration of voice services into IoT ecosystems as the standards progress, the companies said.

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