The Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 kit (Photo by Nordic Semiconductor)

Nordic Semiconductor has launched a new software and development kit with satellite at the heart of it. The new nRF9151 SMA Development Kit (DK) will combine satellite and IoT connectivity in an interesting new move for the company. The nRF9151 is a specialized DK for RF engineers developing cellular IoT, DECT NR+, and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) applications. Alongside the hardware release, Nordic has launched new modem firmware that adds NTN (satellite) support to the nRF9151 module – marking Nordic’s first step toward enabling direct-to-satellite communication. The company announced the move, Dec. 11.

The new modem firmware enables direct-to-satellite IoT communication by adding support for NB-IoT NTN (3GPP rel 17). The firmware also supports terrestrial LTE-M and NB-IoT networks, as well as GNSS, making it a comprehensive solution for the development and evaluation of hybrid connectivity solutions.

“As engineers push the boundaries of wireless connectivity with satellite IoT and DECT NR+, they need development tools that offer flexible and precise RF performance. The nRF9151 SMA DK provides exactly that, giving RF experts the granular control needed to validate their most ambitious designs, especially for the challenging RF environment of direct-to-satellite communication,” Kristian Sæther, Senior Product Director Long-Range, Nordic Semiconductor, said in a statement.