Skylo Technologies

Skylo Technologies, headquartered in Mountain View, California and founded in 2017, is a non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity provider that enables standard smartphones, IoT devices, and connected vehicles to transmit and receive satellite messages using existing GEO satellite infrastructure — positioning itself as the software and protocol layer that converts conventional cellular chipsets into satellite-connected devices without requiring specialized satellite hardware.

Skylo's technical innovation is a firmware-level implementation of the 3GPP NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) protocol standards that allows Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets — the dominant application processors in Android smartphones and IoT devices — to communicate with GEO satellites using the standard NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) waveform. Because the 3GPP NTN standard defines how cellular modems communicate with satellites using the same waveform family as terrestrial cellular (just with adaptations for long round-trip propagation delays), Skylo's satellite network can support off-the-shelf cellular chipsets without hardware modification, only firmware updates — dramatically reducing the cost and complexity of satellite connectivity for device manufacturers.

Skylo launched direct-to-device (D2D) satellite messaging service in the United States and Canada, enabling SOS emergency messaging, two-way text messaging, and IoT telemetry for devices equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 Gen 2 and other NTN-capable modems. Partnerships with Qualcomm and device OEMs allow Skylo's satellite connectivity to be marketed as an embedded feature rather than an external satellite communicator accessory.

Skylo raised $183 million from strategic investors including Intel Capital, BMW (Germany's largest automaker, targeting connected vehicle satellite backup connectivity), Samsung, and others — reflecting interest from automotive, IoT, and consumer electronics industries in native satellite connectivity as a standard feature. Skylo's GEO satellite network provides coverage for messaging at lower data rates than LEO satellite broadband competitors (Apple's Emergency SOS via Satellite uses Globalstar; T-Mobile's Starlink D2D targets higher bandwidth), with Skylo's 3GPP NTN approach positioning it for integration into future 5G NR-NTN compatible devices as the standard matures.