It participates in a pilot project that combines 5G and satellite

NOS participated in the pilot project combining 5G and satellite, in partnership with CAPTEMP and FOSSA Satellite, which guarantees connectivity in the most remote maritime routes, without terrestrial mobile network coverage, was announced this Thursday. “Developed within the scope of NOS's 5G TestBed, the solution was tested to ensure the continuous monitoring of refrigerated containers during maritime transport,” NOS stated in a press release. According to the operator, “the maritime transport of goods with thermal control requirements, such as pharmaceutical products, faces a critical challenge: the absence of terrestrial mobile network coverage at sea prevents the continuous monitoring of essential parameters, such as temperature, humidity, and alarm states. Any failure in the cold chain can represent risks to public health, as well as significant waste and economic losses.” To face this challenge, a hybrid solution was developed, combining 5G and satellite networks, “with automatic switching between the two technologies according to the availability of coverage.” This solution “was tested during a maritime journey between Lisbon and Funchal, aboard a GS Lines ship.” In coastal and port areas, “the CAPTEMP monitoring devices used the 5G network (with energy benefits and high reliability),” adds NOS. At sea, “when terrestrial coverage ceased to exist, the system automatically switched to non-terrestrial communications through the FOSSA Satellite nanosatellite constellation.” The data collected by the CAPTEMP devices is forwarded to their central platform, where it is stored, analyzed, and made available to users. Thus, “it is possible to monitor parameters such as temperature and identify deviations in a timely manner, as well as maintain the history of each journey for auditing and traceability purposes.” In summary, this solution contributes to preserving the integrity of the transported products and reducing waste associated with potential cold chain failures. “By combining our 5G mobile network with satellite connectivity, we manage to extend the reach of our infrastructure beyond areas with terrestrial coverage and reinforce the resilience of communications,” states Jorge Graça, the CTO of NOS, quoted in a press release. This project “demonstrates, in a concrete way, how the integration of these two technologies can meet the real needs of different sectors, whether it is the transport of sensitive goods or mission-critical ones,” concludes. “We are extremely proud of the success of this demonstration of our satellite IoT connectivity in a real and particularly demanding maritime environment,” says Julián Fernández, the CEO of FOSSA. This project “proves that our satellite constellation can complement terrestrial 5G networks in an integrated way, allowing for the continuous and reliable monitoring of critical assets, even in the most remote locations” and, furthermore, “represents an important commercial milestone for FOSSA,” states the manager. “We view this result as the beginning of a new phase of commercial growth for our constellation and the growing adoption of our satellite IoT services worldwide,” concludes the CEO.