OrbitsIQ Global and AVL Launch Multi-Continent Hybrid Vehicle Connectivity Trial
OrbitsIQ Global and automotive engineering company AVL have launched a multi-continent data acquisition campaign to test hybrid terrestrial and satellite connectivity for moving vehicles, targeting the large data volumes generated by advanced vehicle sensors.
The programme will use AVL test vehicles equipped with LiDAR, radar and high-definition cameras, generating around 5–6 GB of data per hour. Trials are planned across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, including routes with varying levels of terrestrial mobile coverage. The companies aim to demonstrate near-real-time transfer of this data to cloud infrastructure while vehicles remain in motion.
At the centre of the trial is OrbitsIQ's MOVE smart-switching platform, which is designed to select between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks according to real-time availability and performance. The system supports bi-directional communications and is also intended to maintain connectivity when vehicles cross national borders, while collecting network and device performance information for subsequent analysis.
Reliable high-volume connectivity is becoming increasingly important for ADAS and automated-driving development, where test fleets can generate substantial quantities of sensor data that must otherwise be stored onboard and transferred later. Combining cellular and satellite links could allow engineering teams to retrieve data sooner from vehicles operating in remote or poorly covered regions, although the campaign will need to establish how effectively satellite capacity can handle these demanding workloads in practice.
The trials will be used to refine MOVE's network-selection algorithms and prepare the platform for wider commercial deployment. More broadly, the project reflects a growing automotive NTN opportunity beyond emergency messaging and basic vehicle connectivity, with satellite networks potentially becoming an additional transport layer for data-intensive connected and autonomous vehicle workflows.