Soracom Air for Satellite
Overview
Soracom's planNT1 enables IoT devices to connect to Skylo's NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) satellite network using NB-IoT (NTN R17). Built on Soracom’s Connectivity Management Platform, planNT1 delivers satellite-based coverage to regions that traditional terrestrial networks cannot reach, including rural, remote, or maritime environments.
Features
- Satellite-based NB-IoT (NTN R17) connectivity via Skylo.
- Over-the-Air (OTA) provisioning to plan01s and plan-US IoT SIM cards using Soracom’s Subscription Containers feature.
- Operates on standardized NB-IoT bands:
- Band 255 (1525–1660.5 MHz) – UK, Australia, New Zealand.
- Band 256 (1980–2200 MHz) – Europe.
- Band 23 (2000–2200 MHz) – North America (US, Canada).
- Designed for low-power, low-bandwidth applications.
Coverage
Current coverage includes:
- The United States, Brazil, and Canada.
- Multiple EU Countries and the United Kingdom.
- Australia and New Zealand.
Additional countries will be added as coverage becomes available. Refer to Skylo’s coverage map or contact us for current regional availability.
Device Requirements
Devices must be certified for use with the Skylo network. Soracom has independently validated the following modules:
| Manufacturer | Module |
|---|---|
| Murata | 1SC (tested with FW RK_03_02_01_00_40831_001) |
| Quectel | BG770A-SN BG95-S5 CC660D-LS |
Please refer to the Skylo certified devices list for more information on certified devices.
Limitations
When using planNT1, please keep the following limitations in mind:
Connection-oriented or synchronous protocols, such as TCP, HTTP, and MQTT, should be avoided when using a satellite connection. Timeouts and retransmissions may occur due to these protocols being unoptimized for the high latency of satellite communications, which can result in communication failures and unexpected high data charges. For these reasons, Soracom recommends only using UDP traffic over satellite.
- When communicating via satellite the maximum UDP payload size is 1200 bytes.
- When using planNT1 with a Virtual Private Gateway, satellite connectivity is only supported if the VPG Rendezvous Point is configured as Frankfurt.
- SMS is not supported over satellite connections.
- Unlike other Soracom plans, planNT1 will never be activated automatically for fallback. The planNT1 IMSI must be selected manually by the user or explicitly configured in device settings.