On-air trials underway: Iridium NTN direct prepares to enter beta as testing continues

Iridium Communications, a leading provider of global voice, data, and PNT satellite services, today announced successful on-air testing of Iridium NTN Direct℠, including two-way message transmission over its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. This milestone marks a significant step forward as Iridium prepares for beta testing and commercial service of Iridium NTN Direct in 2026.

Iridium NTN Direct is being developed as the world’s first truly global, standards-based NB-IoT and direct-to-device (D2D) non-terrestrial network (NTN) service. With Iridium NTN Direct, mobile network operators (MNOs) can extend coverage beyond terrestrial networks, while chipset makers and device manufacturers can integrate standardized satellite capability into their products to support this expanded reach.

“Iridium NTN Direct is no longer a concept, it’s on the air, sending messages, and now being rigorously tested to meet our elite performance standards,” said Matt Desch, CEO of Iridium. “This milestone reinforces why mobile network operators and chipset makers are engaging with Iridium. We offer a low-risk, globally coordinated, and operational network designed to complement what they do, not compete with what they do.”

The successful testing is leveraging new 5G waveform algorithms implemented on Iridium’s software-defined satellites, supporting the NB-IoT standards-based protocol defined by 3GPP. Activated via software update to the Iridium constellation, the first mobile-originated messages were transmitted using the low power nRF9151 LTE-M/NB-IoT/NTN module from Nordic Semiconductor, a global leader in low power wireless connectivity solutions, reflecting Iridium’s previously announced collaboration.

“This successful test proves that global connectivity is no longer limited by infrastructure – we can now deploy battery-powered connected devices anywhere, using a standard, low-power module such as Nordic’s nRF9151,” said Oyvind Birkenes, EVP Long-Range BU at Nordic Semiconductor. “Our roadmap is fully aligned with Iridium’s 2026 plans, and we are committed to accelerating mass-market adoption of standards-based, space-enabled IoT for everyone.”

Iridium NTN Direct is designed for a broad set of use cases in both consumer and industrial markets, including emergency and safety messaging, asset tracking, automotive and transportation monitoring, utilities, logistics, agriculture, and remote infrastructure maintenance. For MNOs, the service represents an incremental opportunity to eliminate coverage gaps, enhance subscriber retention, and unlock new revenue streams without the need to build or maintain additional terrestrial infrastructure. For chipset makers and OEMs, it enables a single, standards-based hardware platform capable of supporting global connectivity across both terrestrial and satellite networks.

Unlike regional or cellular spectrum-based satellite solutions, Iridium NTN Direct is designed to deliver 100% global coverage, leveraging the existing constellation that already supports mission-critical communications worldwide. This approach reduces technical, regulatory, and commercial barriers for partners, accelerating time to market.

Iridium plans to continue expanding on-air testing and partner integrations in the months ahead as it advances towards commercial availability of Iridium NTN Direct in 2026.