Telefónica España and Sateliot sign 5G NTN deal in Spain

Telefónica España and Sateliot signed a collaboration agreement to apply 5G New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks (5G NR-NTN) to satellite communications, according to a Mobile World Live report published on May 1, 2026. The companies said the agreement is intended to extend mobile coverage to remote areas, maritime zones, and locations without terrestrial network coverage.

The agreement uses the 5G NR-NTN standard, which enables a hybrid architecture combining Telefónica’s terrestrial mobile networks with Sateliot’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The companies said this architecture is aimed at defense and security communications, maritime logistics and transport tracking, and monitoring for critical infrastructure, energy sites, and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. The agreement also sets a basis for future direct-to-device (D2D) connections between standard mobile phones and satellites for voice, data, and video.

The companies said they will jointly develop pilot projects to validate the connectivity in real-world critical communications scenarios. Sateliot will provide the satellite connectivity platform, while Telefónica will work on adapting 5G for defense and security use cases to support military interoperability. The collaboration follows tests in 2023 in which the companies said they validated standard roaming between terrestrial and satellite networks using a conventional SIM card.

Sateliot currently has six satellites in orbit, with the latest launched in August 2024, and plans to begin its commercial phase in 2026. The company said its roadmap includes a new satellite generation called Tritón in the first quarter of 2027. Sateliot said the Tritón satellites will weigh 150 kilograms, measure 4 meters in length, include the Excalibur payload compatible with 4G and 5G networks, and reduce the number of satellites needed for global coverage to 16 from 64 in the previous generation.