en.Wedoany.com Reported - Colombia's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology tested a direct-to-device satellite emergency SMS function in the rural Sumapaz area of Bogotá. Using Skylo's Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) and Viasat satellites, a distress text message was successfully sent from Los Tunjos Lagoon, an area without terrestrial network coverage.
Sumapaz is a rural area of Bogotá without terrestrial mobile network coverage. The test used an Android smartphone to send a distress SMS from Los Tunjos Lagoon to an international emergency coordination center via Skylo's Non-Terrestrial Network and Viasat satellites; the center subsequently contacted Bogotá's C4 emergency center.
Participating entities in the test included the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, the National Spectrum Agency (ANE), the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC), the Bogotá District ICT Ministry, Bogotá C4, Skylo Technologies, and Viasat. Officials stated that the service is still in a pilot phase and is not yet available to the public.
Mindel de la Torre, Skylo's Global Director of Regulatory Affairs, stated that Skylo is proud to work with the Colombian government and partners to bring direct-to-device services to communities across the country. The company's network connects smartphones, wearables, and industrial devices directly via satellite, extending mobile coverage to wherever people live and work. This becomes possible when satellites are integrated with mobile networks.
Skylo Technologies is a company providing standards-based Non-Terrestrial Network services, headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company's business focuses on directly connecting smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices via satellite. Its network model employs cloud-native NTN vRAN, base station, and core software, operating over the capacity of its satellite partners. Skylo's primary satellite partner is Viasat. Skylo was founded by Parthsarathi Trivedi, Co-founder and CEO; Dr. Andrew Nuttall, Co-founder and CTO; Tarun Gupta, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer; and Dr. Andrew Kalman, Co-founder and Chief Hub Architect. In terms of funding, Skylo announced the completion of a $30 million funding round in February 2025, led by NGP Capital, with participation from Westly Group and existing investors. The company's notable investors include Intel Capital, Innovation Endeavors, BMW i Ventures, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Next47, Seraphim Space, NGP Capital, and Westly Group.
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