OQ Technology also launches the world’s first secure private network
service based on a 5G IoT satellite constellation in LEO_
Luxembourg, 17 April 2023 – OQ Technology, the pioneer of 5G IoT
(Internet of Things) satellite services, has announced the first
commercial contract for using the world’s first constellation of LEO
satellites to provide 5G coverage for IoT devices. The contract, close
to 1 million EUR, is with an unnamed customer described as one of the
world’s largest oil and gas companies. The initial customer service
package covers the year 2023 with the option for future extension plans.
With this contract OQ Technology also introduces “OQ-Secure” a
reliable and flexible new product suite and the world’s first secure
private network, providing 5G connectivity for IoT devices based on
standardised 3GPP cellular technology for narrowband-IoT.
OQ Technology will be deploying a large number of user terminals
covering oil and gas well heads, allowing the customer to monitor
performance, detect leaks and spillages, smart metering and track asset
among other use cases. The company will also implement a 3GPP compatible
network management suite, gateways to receive the data and manage and
control users and assets, and a secure layer to keep the data safe. The
network management suite allows the customer to have its own way of
controlling data traffic, have the data directly sent to them, and
directly command the satellite payload without any operator
intervention.
As a result of OQ Technology’s plans to grow its constellation from
three to ten satellites this year, customers such as this oil & gas
company will be able to receive more daily transmissions. Together with
more satellite launches next year, OQ is targeting near-real-time
coverage. This low latency is critical for many applications such as
environmental monitoring, smart metering, asset tracking and vehicle
telematics.
Omar Qaise, founder and CEO of OQ Technology, said: “This commercial
product suite and contract is the start of a whole new ballgame. In
addition to funding and contracts to prove a certain technology, we are
now making revenue based on our 5G IoT satellite constellation and
delivering the services and products it can provide. The value of this
single customer contract also shows the tremendous potential that our
technology, products and services have. It is a multiple of what other
satellite IoT startups have been trying to achieve over the years. OQ
Technology already has a large pipeline of customers from different
verticals and has started the process of converting that pipeline into
paying customers.”
OQ-Secure is a fully private and secure network for companies requiring
a complete private and secure end-to-end data pipeline while benefitting
from 5G connectivity. It consists of both hardware and software in space
and on the ground without the need for further external intervention
from other space or ground segments.
It is compatible with terrestrial narrowband (NB) IoT mobile networks
and can be integrated into terrestrial 5G networks. This allows
customers of OQ Technology to manage and monitor their assets in a
hybrid mode and expand the geographical foot print of their private 5G
network on a global scale.
Through OQ-Secure customers can reserve dedicated access to OQ
Technology’s satellite NB-IoT constellation as opposed to the shared
service. It also includes deployment of the OQ ONE Nano gateways. These
gateways connect to sensors using different wired and wireless standard
interfaces. They allow direct communication with the SCADA (supervisory
control and data acquisition) network, core network and software suite
that controls and manages the users and network traffic.
The gateways provide a highly secure platform to manage the security
aspects of the end-to-end solution. Users can also connect their
unmodified standard 3GPP modules to the network.
“The new product isn’t just your ordinary satellite to terminal
device network, but a fully-fledged product suite that gives our
customers flexibility over their network management, security, ease of
integration, and interoperability with their existing terrestrial
cellular network,” Qaise said.
“We encourage other enterprise customers to try and use the OQ Secure
solution by applying to our early adopter programme where they will get
first move benefits.”
bout OQ Technology
OQ Technology operates the world’s first constellation of LEO
satellites providing 5G coverage for IoT devices based on standardised
3GPP cellular technology for narrowband-IoT. Its technology is available
for mobile operators and customers in industries such as energy, mining,
logistics, maritime, agriculture, and defence. The company’s patented
technology can easily be used to connect existing cellular chips,
allowing billions of users around the world to have ubiquitous IoT
connectivity anywhere and using both terrestrial and satellite networks.
