Viasat and WiSig Networks Collaborate to test 5G NB- NTN Chipset Solution for Global Satellite IoT

• Viasat, a global leader in satellite communications, and WiSig Networks, an IIT Hyderabad–incubated 5G/6G deep-tech company, today announced a collaboration to bring a new 3GPP Release 17 NB-IoT Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) chipset and module into Viasat's L-band satellite IoT ecosystem.

The WiSig solution — built on technology originating from research at IIT Hyderabad — is currently undergoing testing at Viasat's UK laboratories for potential use with Viasat's highly reliable, global satellite network, with the goal of enabling standards-based satellite IoT services across maritime, government, enterprise and safety-of-life applications worldwide.

Extending Viasat's L-band satellite IoT ecosystem

The collaboration is intended to add a purpose-built, standards-compliant device class to Viasat's growing satellite IoT and NB-NTN portfolio. As the satellite IoT market evolves toward 3GPP-defined NTN standards, the WiSig NB-IoT NTN module could complement Viasat's existing L-band services with a low-power, low-cost device option for maritime, government, enterprise and safety-of-life use cases — from asset monitoring, tracking and control for industries like agriculture, energy, utilities and mining, to remote telemetry and humanitarian logistics in disaster zones.

A standards-based satellite IoT solution

WiSig's NB-IoT NTN solution is designed to comply with the 3GPP Release 17 standard for satellite IoT and supports both L-band and S-band operation. It is engineered for compact, low-power end devices delivering two-way messaging, location and low-rate data over satellite, with target battery life measured in years and a forward path to 5G Advanced and future 6G NTN evolutions.

The chipset and module are currently undergoing testing at Viasat's UK laboratories with Viasat's highly reliable L-band geostationary satellite network, which supports a range of safety-of-life, mobility and mission-critical communications services worldwide.

System-on-Chip designed in the country, developed under India's semiconductor and 5G/6G missions

The complete solution stack — including the baseband and RF SoC, module and reference end devices — was developed by WiSig Networks, building on research originating at IIT Hyderabad, where WiSig is incubated. Development has been supported by Government of India research grants under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)'s 5G/6G research initiatives and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), including the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme administered under the India Semiconductor Mission. The product is among the early DLI-supported communication chip designs from India to undergo testing with a global satellite operator. Government funding has supported the indigenous R&D of the chipset; the collaboration with Viasat is a demo and testing cooperation between both organizations.

Indian market focus, global deploy-ability

A core objective of the collaboration is to explore how to enable satellite IoT services for the Indian market, including fisherman safety and tracking along the Indian coastline, maritime, disaster response, and connectivity for central and state government agencies operating in remote regions where terrestrial mobile coverage is unavailable.

Viasat operates a global L-band geostationary satellite network, including satellite coverage in India with its partner Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). In October 2024 at India Mobile Congress, the company demonstrated standards-based direct-to-device satellite connectivity in India in collaboration with BSNL. The introduction of WiSig's NB-IoT NTN device-class module aims to broaden the satellite IoT ecosystem available over Viasat's network in India.

Designed to operate over Viasat's worldwide satellite network, the WiSig module is positioned for global availability following successful completion of testing, with India serving as both a foundational market and a centre of indigenous chip-design talent.

Gautam Sharma, MD Viasat India, said: “Viasat continues to be excited by the potential for NTN technology to extend satellite connectivity to billions more devices around the world. By collaborating with partners like WiSig on its NB-NTN solution, we aim to expand the ecosystem to bring standards-based NTN connectivity for major industries. Our collaboration represents our continued commitment to innovation in India, where we can work with emerging technology leaders to make a global impact.”

Prof. Kiran Kuchi, Founder, WiSig Networks and Faculty, IIT Hyderabad, said: "This collaboration with Viasat is a significant moment for India's deep-tech ecosystem — taking a standards-compliant communication SoC, developed at WiSig Networks on a foundation of research at IIT Hyderabad, into testing with one of the world's leading satellite operators. We are grateful for the support of DoT and MeitY, and we look forward to the impact this collaboration with Viasat can have for users in India and globally."

Announced in the context of Bharat Innovates 2026

The announcement is being made in the context of Bharat Innovates 2026, India's deep-tech showcase in Nice, France, held as part of the India–France Year of Innovation 2026. The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and is intended to showcase India's leading deep-tech ventures on a global platform. WiSig Networks has been selected to participate.

About Viasat

Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. With offices in 24 countries around the world, our mission shapes how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate and connect. Viasat is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure, affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives anywhere they are — on the ground, in the air or at sea — while building a sustainable future in space. In May 2023, Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat, combining the teams, technologies and resources of the two companies to create a new global communications partner. Learn more at www.viasat.com, the Viasat News Room or follow us on Facebook, Bluesky  Instagram, LinkedIn, X or YouTube

About WiSig Networks

WiSig Networks’ vision is to become a leading Indian supplier of programmable, intelligent and future-ready 5G/6G networks, semiconductors, software and services. Its mission is to build indigenous, standards-driven wireless platforms that serve India’s strategic needs while competing in global telecom and satellite markets. WiSig develops full-stack 5G FWA networks, O-RAN-based CU/DU/radio systems, Massive MIMO and ULPI radios, and private/enterprise 5G solutions. The company’s semiconductor portfolio includes 5G NB-IoT NTN SoCs, modules and satellite-IoT devices for remote, defence, maritime, asset-tracking and IoT applications. With deep IP in 5G/6G, field-proven deployments and IIT Hyderabad incubation, WiSig is positioned as one of India’s emerging full-stack wireless deep-tech companies.

IIT Hyderabad and Its Startup WiSig Announce 'Koala', India's 1st 5G SoC to Drive NB-IoT Applications

Koala, India’s first 5G cellular chipset.

Koala NB IoT SoC fulfils the objective of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and has wide-ranging 5G applications.

Department of Telecommunication (DOT) has funded this activity as part of the “Indigenous 5G Testbed” project, and MEITY supported the SoC design through the FabCI incubator.

Hyderabad: July 01, 2021: Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), along with WiSig, today announced ‘Koala’ an NB-IoT SoC (Narrowband Internet-of-Things System-on-Chip). NB-IoT is a 5G massive Machine-Type-Communication (MTC) technology that enables low-bit rate IoT applications with long-range and device battery life up to 10 years. Smart meters, machine-to-machine connectivity, Industry 4.0, a plethora of sensor connectivity, asset tracking, digital healthcare, and many more applications find the use of Koala.

The SoC supports 3GPP Rel-13/14 compliant NB-IoT modem with integrated baseband and radio, an application processor, and GPS functionality for location tracking. Department of Telecommunication (DOT) has funded this “Indigenous 5G Testbed” project. IITH and WiSig networks (WiSig), a 5G start-up incubated in iTIC (IITH Technology Incubator) and FabCI (Fabless Chip Design Incubator, a MEITY funded incubator at IITH) collaborated in the successful development of Koala, India’s first 5G cellular chipset. Cyient, an Indian Multinational Company, did the semiconductor design.

Congratulating Prof. Kiran Kuchi for this noteworthy work, Prof. B.S. Murty, Director, IITH, said, “I am delighted that Koala SoC, an NB-IoT 3GPP standards-compliant chipset, has been jointly developed by IITH and WiSig. I applaud Prof. Kiran Kuchi for this initiative. I also thank DoT for the 5G Testbed project and MEITY for the FabCI incubator. Koala NB IoT fulfils the objective of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and has wide-ranging 5G applications. I am also Happy that Cyient has been a partner in this development, which is a demonstration of synergy between industry and academia, that is crucial for realizing Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Researcher can be reached via our public relations cell at pro@iith.ac.in for any further queries in the subject matter.

BSNL with Skylo To Introduce World's First, Satellite-based Narrowband-IoT Network in India

BSNL, in partnership with Skylotech India, announced today a breakthrough in satellite-based NB-IoT (Narrow Band-Internet of Things), in pursuance of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modis vision of a truly Digital India starting with fishermen, farmers, construction, mining andlogistics enterprises. With this solution, India will now have access to a ubiquitous fabric of connectivity for millions of yet unconnected machines, sensors and industrial IoT devices.

This new ‘Made in India’ Solution, which is indigenously developed by Skylo, will connect with BSNLs satellite- ground infrastructure and provide PAN-India coverage, including Indian seas. The coverage will be so vast that it will not leave any dark patch within the boundary of India, from Kashmir &Ladakh to Kanyakumari, and from Gujarat to the North East, including the Indian seas.

Shri P.K.Purwar, CMD, BSNL, said:“The solution is in line with BSNLs vision to leverage technology to provide affordable and innovative telecom services and products across customers segments”.He further added:Skylo would also help provide critical data for the logistics sector to enable effective distribution of COVID-19vaccine in 2021and will be a big contributor in service to the nation.”

Shri Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO and Co-founder, Skylo, said: For centuries, industries, including agriculture, railways and fisheries, have been operating offline, and havenot had the opportunity to take full advantage of the latest advancements in AI&IoT until today.This is theworlds first satellite-based NB-IoT network and I am proud to launch this capabilityin India first to transform lives and our domestic industries”.

Shri VivekBanzal, Director (CFA), BSNL Board, said, Successful POCs have already been conducted by BSNL and Skylo in India and we will soon approach various user groups before the New Year 2021 begins.

This breakthrough announcement is very timely because it comes during the ongoing Indian Mobile Congress 2020. This new technology supports the Department of Telecom and NITI Aayogs plan of bringing indigenous IoT connectivity to India’s core sectors. Examples of where this technology has already been tested successfully include, Indian Railways, fishing vessels, and enabling connected vehicles across India.

A small, smart, incredibly rugged box, the Skylo ‘User Terminal’ interfaces with sensors and transmits data to the Skylo Network and into peoples hands. The accompanying Data Platform provides an immersive, visual, experience for industry-specific applications on mobile or desktop. Itgives users the ability to take immediate and appropriate action, no matter where they are. This new digital machine connectivity layer will serve as a complement to smartphone-centric mobile & Wi-Fi networks, and covers India’s full geography to bring online new applications for the first time.