SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system isn’t just for phones in cellular dead zones. In New Zealand, the satellite technology now covers IoT devices, starting with equipment to monitor beehives.
In December, New Zealand mobile carrier One NZ was the first to start offering cellular Starlink service to consumers, about a month before T-Mobile kicked off its own beta in the US.
On Tuesday, SpaceX and One NZ notified the US Federal Communications Commission about their plan to use more radio spectrum to increase capacity for satellite connectivity. In a letter, One NZ said: “We now want to ensure that we continue to have sufficient capacity to provide services to users and to enable additional services to be offered, including data and IoT services. The allocation of additional spectral capacity will support these outcomes.”
Specifically, One NZ plans on using the 2500 to 2515MHz and 2620 to 2635MHz radio bands in New Zealand. The carrier had only been tapping the 1780 to 1785MHz and 1875 to 1880MHz spectrum to send and receive data from orbiting Starlink satellites.
The company filed the notification a month after One NZ began offering cellular Starlink to monitor and control companies’ IoT devices based in remote areas. Use cases include partnering with the local IT vendor, APIS Solutions, to create the “world’s first Starlink Direct‑to‑Cell (DTC) IoT network” with the system meant for beehive keepers.
(Credit: APIS Solutions)
In a video, APIS Solution says it built the product by using an “off-the-shelf” module to connect to SpaceX’s cellular Starlink satellites. The resulting device can monitor a beehive in real time without needing to rely on traditional cell towers. Instead, the beehive can be placed in remote areas while still being monitored.
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It’s unclear if T-Mobile will expand the cellular Starlink service in the US for IoT devices. The carrier didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But SpaceX’s website has long advertised cellular Starlink as a solution for keeping IoT devices in remote areas connected.
In the meantime, T-Mobile recently upgraded its cellular Starlink service to support multimedia messaging, following its official launch in the US last week. In October, the technology will then support data for select third-party apps on smartphones.
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
