Upstart ASX listed satellite communications company Sky and Space Global has been setting a breakneck pace, recently signing binding MOU’s with five large telcos around the globe.
The news comes after the Perth listed company also locked down a $500,000 Polish R&D grant to boost its coffers as the miniature satellite technology company enters a critical phase of its relatively young life.
The new MoUs act as pre-cursors to the negotiation of more definitive revenue generating agreements and include a commitment by each company for a minimum number of devices and/or services used.
The R&D grant will help fund a full scale industrial research project into the innovation of machine to machine devices and smart grids via its nano-satellite constellation.
Sky and Space’s proposed network of up to 200 miniature satellites are poised to start launching into orbit from next year. The network will provide affordable satellite mobile phone calls, text messaging and data services for remote and regional areas around the globe that are currently underserviced by the cellular players.
The R&D project is aimed at providing network operators in remote locations in Africa and South America, where conventional connectivity services are limited and very costly, with easier access to telecommunications connectivity.
This will be carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Electronics at Poland’s Wroclaw University of Technology.
Meanwhile, Sky and Space has signed a binding MoU with globally focussed “internet of things” engineering firm Penteon to explore how the company’s connectivity platform can be incorporated into Penteon’s current projects on industrial sensing solutions for locomotives, rail cars and track-side equipment.
Penteon is focused on the design and manufacture of hardware, software and intelligent data analytics for Smart City, transportation and Smart Government IoT application.
The company has also signed an agreement with Indian technology services company Unizen Technologies that uses satellite connectivity to provide managed services for internet of things applications.
Both parties will explore how Unizen Technologies can use Sky and Space’s proprietary terminals as a backhaul, following Unizen’s recent Nigerian contract win for the tracking of cattle.
Other binding MoUs were reached with Jamaica’s Surge Telecom, which marks the company’s third agreement with a Caribbean operator, Brazilian satellite telecommunications solutions company Briskcom and Canadian data acquisition company SkyX.
Under the terms of each MoU agreement, the company and its respective partner will continue to test, discuss and collaborate on how its proprietary Sky and Space nano-satellite IP can be incorporated into current and future projects to improve the reliability and accessibility of the service.
Managing Director Meir Moalem said: “All of the binding agreements signed recently include commercial terms and will be transformed to full commercial contracts … 2019 is going to be a transformational year for Sky and Space Global with the first Pearls set to launch and start delivering commercial services to our growing list of customers.”
By Matt Birney
