Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global satellite-based voice, data, aircraft surveillance, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services, along with Deutsche Telekom IoT (DT IoT), has announced the successful delivery of a voice message through Iridium NTN Direct℠ as part of a demonstration conducted with Toyota. The milestone transmission originated from a Toyota vehicle fitted with a Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 development board and a Deutsche Telekom IoT SIM, with the message carried entirely over the Iridium satellite network during Telekom Satellite Day 2026. The demonstration comes after Iridium and Deutsche Telekom IoT successfully completed their technical integration and established a global roaming agreement.
“The voice message sent over our network from a Toyota vehicle illustrates how Iridium NTN Direct will enhance consumer and commercial applications for people and assets operating outside traditional coverage areas. This demonstration is a glimpse into the future of truly global, standards-based connectivity. Now is the time to begin integrating Iridium NTN Direct.”
– Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium.
The first message sent, “testing, testing, one, two, freeway,” successfully demonstrated standards-based NB-IoT voice messaging over Iridium’s fully operational low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, and was supported by Fraunhofer’s AI-based NESC® Voice Codec. This capability will extend reliable connectivity beyond terrestrial coverage for automotive, logistics, remote utilities, smart agriculture, emergency response, and other IoT applications that need to stay connected wherever they operate. Through Iridium NTN Direct, eligible DT IoT customers using compatible standards-based NB-IoT devices will be able to roam between terrestrial networks and Iridium satellites.
“The future of connectivity does not end where terrestrial networks reach their limits. Together with strong partners such as Iridium and many others, we are connecting mobile communications and satellite to form a global IoT infrastructure that keeps vehicles, machines and people reliably accessible. The demonstration with Toyota shows how technological innovation can be turned into concrete added value for our customers.”
-Christian Schwalbe, CEO, Deutsche Telekom IoT.
“We are very pleased to support this Automotive NTN Voice PoC by providing Fraunhofer’s innovative AI-based NESC Voice Codec. NESC enables reliable, natural-sounding, and highly intelligible satellite voice services at scale by operating at bitrates of 1 kb/s or less.” He continued, “This demonstration with Iridium, Deutsche Telekom, Toyota and the other partners is a great example of cross-industry collaboration that will help to grow the satellite voice ecosystem.”
-Manfred Lutzky, Head of the Communications Audio Department at Fraunhofer IIS
With the roaming agreement now completed, Deutsche Telekom IoT customers are poised to take advantage of the commercial availability of Iridium NTN Direct in Q4 2026. Selected European customers are already testing and developing applications on the Iridium network using Deutsche Telekom’s Global SIM.
Unlike regional satellite solutions that rely on cellular spectrum or are limited by geographic availability, Iridium NTN Direct extends coverage using Iridium’s existing global L-band LEO satellite constellation. The service leverages a network already operating worldwide, giving mobile network operators, chipset manufacturers, and device makers a path to extend connectivity without building or maintaining additional terrestrial infrastructure.
For Deutsche Telekom IoT, the integration further strengthens its “network of networks” approach: combining terrestrial and non-terrestrial connectivity to provide customers with reliable IoT coverage wherever their assets operate.
Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM) operates the world’s only truly global mobile satellite communications network, providing a foundation for innovative connectivity solutions. Its services include voice, data and messaging, positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), and aircraft surveillance capabilities accessible across the globe. Powered by its satellite constellation and integrated technologies such as Aireon, the only space-based air traffic surveillance system of its kind, Iridium supports safety-critical applications across the aviation, maritime, government, industrial, and consumer sectors. The company is also a leading provider of satellite Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and is developing direct-to-device (D2D) communications using open standards to broaden access to satellite-enabled services.
