WiSig Advances 5G NTN Hardware Push with Release 19 Modem and Koala-Tag Production
WiSig Networks has unveiled a 3GPP Release 19 5G satellite modem platform and confirmed its Koala-Tag satellite messaging device has entered production, strengthening India’s domestic NTN hardware ecosystem.
The announcements were made at India Mobile Congress 2026, where the IIT Hyderabad-incubated company showed its 5G NR-NTN user equipment baseband platform publicly for the first time. Customer shipments are expected to begin in 2027.
The modem platform integrates Layer 1, Layer 2 and Layer 3 functions based on 3GPP Release 19 specifications. It supports FR1-NTN and FR2-NTN operation, including bandwidths of up to 200MHz in FR2-NTN, and can be paired with suitable radio front ends and antennas for L-, S-, Ku- and Ka-band satellite applications.
Target use cases include remote mobile-network backhaul, rural broadband, maritime connectivity and industrial communications over both GEO and LEO satellite systems. WiSig said the platform is intended to help operators, device makers, antenna companies and system integrators bring more standards-based NTN products to market.
The company also confirmed that Koala-Tag, its satellite messaging device, has moved into production. The device pairs with a smartphone over Bluetooth through the Koala-Talk app, enabling users to send text messages, short voice clips and SOS alerts via satellite.
Koala-Tag is built around WiSig’s broader Koala family, which includes a 3GPP Release 17 NB-IoT NTN chip and communications module. The product is aimed at low-power messaging and IoT applications, including fishing and coastal communities, remote workforces, disaster response, logistics, utilities, industrial monitoring and outdoor safety.
Commercial availability will depend on operator networks, coverage and country authorisations. WiSig’s work with Viasat on testing its 5G NB-NTN chipset, announced earlier this year, provides part of the technical foundation for moving the Koala platform toward customer deployment.