Image: Lacuna Space (centre right) and dstelecom (right) announce collaboration at The Things Conference 2024, Amsterdam.
OXFORD, England, Oct. 8, 2024 – Despite global advancements in connectivity, many remote areas in Portugal are still left underserved. Now, thanks to collaboration between Lacuna Space, a leader in satellite Internet of Things (IoT), and dstelecom, the leading Portuguese neutral fibre optic network, these regions are on the brink of a technological transformation.
Under an agreement signed at The Things Conference, a leading event for IoT innovations held in Amsterdam, Lacuna Space and dstelecom will jointly market and promote IoT services in Portugal. As part of this initiative, dstelecom, member of the New Space Portugal project funded by RRF, will be responsible for delivering an IoT payload on three satellites. The IoT payload, supplied by Lacuna Space, with proven technology, will ensure an effective commercial solution. On these three satellites, the gateway’s capacity will be shared by both dstelecom and Lacuna, benefiting both companies, by enhancing global IoT connectivity and reaching previously unreachable areas in Portugal.
This partnership marks the beginning of a strategic relationship, through which Lacuna Space and dstelecom intend to support the delivery of a range of IoT applications. From monitoring the Atlantic ocean to improving remote asset management, Lacuna Space and dstelecom are set to make a significant impact on Portugal’s technological landscape.
Since its establishment in 2008, dstelecom has seen rapid growth in subscribers as it extends fibre networks to address remote villages in Portugal, currently covering 900,000 homes in more than 145 municipalities. Despite this impressive expansion, many devices and equipment are just out of reach of the economic deployment of fibre. The joint satellite network of both dstelecom and Lacuna will help bridge this gap, bringing essential connectivity to even the most remote regions, both in land and in the ocean. This collaboration not only addresses the immediate need for connectivity in Portugal’s isolated areas but also paves the way for future innovations.
This is not dstelecom’s first foray into satellite technology. In 2024, dstelecom launched an IoT payload, fully developed in house, which is currently operating in the second ever launched Portuguese mission, the MH-1 satellite. However, at a commercial scale, it was critical to pick a partner with proven technology. Ricardo Salgado, dstelecom CEO said “at dstelecom, we built and managed the first Open Access FTTH Network in Portugal. We aspire to provide connectivity to people everywhere: by land, by air, by sea, and now, by space. In 2024, we launched an IoT payload, entirely developed in-house, currently operating in the second-ever Portuguese mission, the MH-1 satellite. It’s time to take the next step. Partnering with Lacuna Space is the natural move for this evolution. Lacuna Space remains a crucial innovator with a proven successful track record in commercial operations. Their expertise will enable us to reach commercial operations quickly. We are very excited about this partnership.”
Reflecting on Lacuna Space’s journey since their 2019 presentation at The Things Conference – where they first introduced the concept of launching satellite gateways on collaborative missions, to extend its service through the ‘Lacuna Network,’ Rob Spurrett, CEO of Lacuna Space commented on the challenges and progress they have made. He explained, “The cost of capital investment is high in space missions, so it is critical to form partnerships to spread those costs, and to bring in local operators with an existing user base, so we can continue to keep subscriber costs on a par with terrestrial services. It has taken a long time to bring these Network partnerships to fruition, but we have signed several recently with more in the pipeline.”
To explore how satellite IoT services can transform your operations in Portugal or to discuss the opportunity of operating a Lacuna Network gateway on your satellite, connect with us at: https://lacuna-space.com/contact/.
About Lacuna Space Ltd.
Lacuna Space, a UK and Dutch entity, headquartered in Oxford UK, is recognized as the leader in scalable direct-to-satellite IoT solutions based on the open and interoperable LoRaWAN® standard. The Lacuna Network enables multiple constellations of Lacuna and third-party satellites to meld together, forming the most robust and field-proven IoT service for our customers. Operating a wholesale model, Lacuna empowers service providers and systems integrators to extend the limited coverage footprint of LoRaWAN® networks around the globe with ubiquitous low-power, low-cost connectivity. Learn more at https://lacuna.space/.
About dstelecom
Founded in 2008, dstelecom’s mission is to eliminate geographical barriers and ensure that all Portuguese citizens—whether on the coast or in the interior—have the same opportunity to connect with the world through the most modern communication networks. To achieve this, dstelecom built, operates, and maintains the first and largest multi-operator fibre optic network in Europe, specifically in areas of Portugal where digital access is most limited.
Today, its digital highway spans over 145 municipalities across the country, with all telecommunications operators in Portugal offering their services to end consumers via this fibre optic network.
By the end of 2023, dstelecom had reached coverage of over 800,000 homes.