Iridium Moves NTN Direct Toward Beta After Successful On-Air Testing
Iridium Communications has begun live, on-air trials of Iridium NTN Direct, successfully sending and receiving two-way messages over its operational low Earth orbit constellation, marking an important milestone as the service heads toward beta and initial commercial availability in 2026.
The tests are the first real-world validation of Iridium’s vision for a global, standards-based NB-IoT and direct-to-device (D2D) Non-Terrestrial Network, built around 3GPP-defined protocols rather than proprietary satellite links. The initial mobile-originated message, “To Iridium and beyond.”, was sent using Nordic Semiconductor’s low-power nRF9151 module, signals that ordinary cellular IoT hardware can now communicate directly via satellite without redesign.
Iridium implemented new 5G waveform algorithms on its existing software-defined satellites, showing how NTN services can be rolled out rapidly on an already deployed LEO network. This reduces deployment risk for mobile network operators and device makers, while avoiding spectrum fragmentation or region-by-region rollouts.
Nordic Semiconductor’s involvement also reinforces the direction of travel for NTN IoT with standard, mass-market cellular modules extended seamlessly into space. Iridium positions NTN Direct as complementary to terrestrial networks, giving MNOs a way to close coverage gaps globally without building new infrastructure, while offering OEMs a single hardware platform that works across ground and satellite networks.
Iridium says testing will continue with partners through 2026, focusing on performance, integration, and scale ahead of beta service.