Ligado and Mavenir partner to develop 5G base stations

Mobile communications company Ligado has today announced it has formed a partnership with Mavenir to develop base stations for 5G as it progresses its plans to deploy the first 5G mobile satellite network for the Internet of Things (IoT).

The base stations aim to enable business-critical operations anywhere in the United States and North America. Ligo said the 5G satellite IoT network will support “tens of millions of mobile devices” powering critical machine-to-machine communications for businesses requiring ubiquitous, continental coverage. The company plans to launch service trials in 2022, providing standalone satellite or multi-layer connections to enterprise customers in the transportation, agriculture, utilities, and energy sectors.

"We are deeply committed to supporting critical infrastructure enterprises as they modernise their operations for a 21st Century economy," said Ligado Chief Executive Officer Doug Smith. "Ubiquitous network coverage and reliability are especially essential for critical device communications, which makes our 5G satellite IoT network a pivotal tool to ensure always-on connectivity and data management for an enterprise's entire fleet of devices."

Extended coverage, network redundancy, and mobile satellite and terrestrial connectivity support

The satellite network aims to add extended coverage and network redundancy to Ligado’s 5G mobile private network solution, enabling always-on connectivity and coverage across an enterprise's entire footprint, the company said. It will also add to the capabilities of other terrestrial wireless operators by using mainstream, low-cost chipsets and devices that can support mobile satellite and terrestrial connectivity.

Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO of Mavenir, said: "We are excited to work with Ligado on ORAN-based 5G base station development. With this engagement, Mavenir and the ORAN ecosystem not only strengthen their place in enterprise deployments but also enter a phase of innovation in cellular service delivery via non-terrestrial networks. We are looking forward to expanding our Open RAN product portfolio to meet the evolving needs of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks and their co-existence in the future."

"We're delighted to apply Mavenir's unmatched 5G network technology prowess to deliver 3GPP-based IoT services via the crucial mobile satellite network layer," said Ligado Chief Technology Officer Maqbool Aliani. "Ligado's uniquely capable North American satellite network unlocks a highly compelling market by bringing mainstream IoT devices to a continental satellite footprint,” Aliani added.