en.eeworld.com.cn, Jun. 13, 2025 –
OSLO, Norway – June 13, 2025 – Nordic Semiconductor, a global leader in ultra-low power wireless IoT connectivity, announced that it will participate in MWC Shanghai 2025, Asia’s cutting-edge mobile and IoT technology event.
The exhibition will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from June 18 to 20, 2025. At that time, Nordic will focus on showcasing its innovations in the field of cellular IoT (LTE-M, NB-IoT), including the latest non-terrestrial networks (NTN) technology.
Key highlights at the Nordic MWC Shanghai booth:
Nordic's booth will showcase nRF9151 terrestrial network (TN) and non-terrestrial network (NTN) IoT examples and the latest development board nRF9151 SMA that can realize NTN functions. We will provide complete modem firmware and development SDK for dual-connection scenarios of NTN and TN.
Live demonstration of a highly integrated, low-power small cell tracker, engineers will showcase Nordic’s cellular tracker solution, including nRF9151, nRF7000, Bluetooth, and PMIC, using SoftSIM and Thingy:91 X. The demonstration will highlight the versatility and high efficiency of the solution.
Daniel Li, Nordic’s Product Marketing Manager for Cellular IoT, will be at the “Satellite and NTN” summit to discuss the latest Nordic nRF9151 module optimized for satellite communications and detail target applications for Nordic cellular modules in areas such as global tracking, agriculture and industrial environmental monitoring.
Achieve wider cellular coverage
Although modern cellular networks have covered 90% of the world's population, existing terrestrial communication technologies still have significant limitations in terms of geographical scope. 4G/LTE can only cover 15% of the earth's surface area, and even with the traditional 2G/3G network, the overall coverage rate is less than 35%. This situation poses a severe challenge to IoT applications that require wide-area connectivity.
In key areas such as agricultural monitoring, asset tracking, and infrastructure management in remote areas, the coverage gap of traditional cellular networks is becoming increasingly prominent. With the gradual elimination of 2G networks, the industry is in urgent need of finding more reliable alternatives. It is worth noting that the NTN technology launched by 3GPP is complementing terrestrial IoT solutions such as LTE-M and NB-IoT, providing new possibilities for breaking through geographical restrictions.
This communication architecture will reshape the deployment model of the Internet of Things, enabling devices to stay connected in oceans, deserts, and remote mountainous areas that are not covered by traditional networks. From livestock tracking to cross-border logistics, the new generation of hybrid networking technology is ushering in an era of global Internet of Things.
Essentially, 3GPP NTN technology extends the traditional ground-based NB-IoT network into space, replacing ground-based base stations with satellites. This innovation allows devices to access cellular networks in space just like connecting to ordinary LTE-M/NB-IoT networks.
The technology consists of two core components: first, a satellite group as an "air base station", and second, a cellular core network that supports it. It is this core network system that realizes the seamless connection between the ground and satellite networks, and the equipment can switch freely between the ground network and the satellite network just like roaming between different operators' networks.
Daniel Li, Product Marketing Manager for Cellular IoT at Nordic Semiconductor, said: “Our nRF9151 module is designed to comply with the NTN specification. In addition, we are working with multiple vendors to provide customers with a variety of commercial options for NTN deployments, including Skylo, Iridium, Myriota, Omnispace and Gatehouse Satcom. Skylo device certification and NTN support will be included in a product update later this year, and interested companies can visit the Nordic booth for inquiries.”
Nordic and Skylo, a pioneer in NTN communications, have entered into a strategic partnership to certify Nordic’s nRF9151 low-power cellular module on Skylo’s satellite network service, thereby providing device manufacturers with a ready-made cellular solution that complies with 3GPP standards.
Nordic aims to provide a comprehensive NTN development ecosystem, including chipsets, modules and SDKs, and is fully committed to providing developers with the tools they need for terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.