Telus, TerreStar and Skylo demo first two-way phone-to-satellite communication in Canada

MONTREAL – Telus, Montreal-based TerreStar Solutions (operating as Strigo) and U.S.-based Skylo announced Wednesday they have successfully used satellite connectivity to conduct voice calls and send text messages between smartphones as well as connect to IoT devices. The trial in October combined non-terrestrial network (NTN) service provider Skylo’s software-defined network connectivity platform, TerreStar’s mobile satellite spectrum and service platform that covers most of Canada, and Telus’s network-building expertise, according to a press release. The trial was successful in making direct connections using TerreStar’s existing Echostar T1 geostationary satellite, the release says. “This is a bold step toward a future without mobile...