# Soracom Air for Satellite

NB-IoT NTN satellite connectivity.

Soracom's planNT1 enables IoT devices to connect to Skylo's NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) satellite network using NB-IoT (NTN R17). Built on Soracom’s Connectivity Management Platform, planNT1 delivers satellite-based coverage to regions that traditional terrestrial networks cannot reach, including rural, remote, or maritime environments.

![Soracom Air for satellite architecture diagram](https://docs.soracom.io/_astro/satellite.A01t_xip_Z140oGD.svg)

## Features

- **Satellite-based NB-IoT (NTN R17)** connectivity via Skylo.

- **OTA (Over-the-Air) provisioning** to plan01s and plan-US IoT SIM cards using Soracom’s [Subscription Containers](https://docs.soracom.io/en/services/air/subscription-containers) feature.

- Operates on standardized NB-IoT bands (availability depends on regional satellite coverage):

  - Band 255 (1525–1660.5 MHz) – UK, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil.
  - Band 256 (1980–2200 MHz) – Europe.
  - Band 23 (2000–2200 MHz) – North America (US, Canada).

- Designed for **low-power**, **low-bandwidth applications**.

## Coverage

planNT1 provides both satellite and cellular coverage.

### Satellite Coverage

Satellite coverage via Skylo is available in:

- The **United States**, **Brazil**, and **Canada**.
- **Multiple EU countries** and the **United Kingdom**.
- **Australia** and **New Zealand**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Additional countries will be added as satellite coverage becomes available. Refer to [Skylo’s coverage map](https://www.skylo.tech/resources/geographical-coverage) or [contact us](https://www.soracom.io/contact/) for current regional availability.

### Cellular Coverage

planNT1 also includes 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, LTE Cat-M1, and NB-IoT cellular connectivity in over 90 countries. For a full list of supported countries and carriers, refer to the [Supported Carriers](https://docs.soracom.io/en/coverage) page.

## Device Requirements

Devices must be certified for use with the Skylo network. Soracom has independently validated the following modules:

| Manufacturer | Module |
| - | - |
| Murata | 1SC (using NTN compatible firmware) |
| Quectel | BG770A-SN BG95-S5 CC660D-LS |

> [!WARNING]
>
> Please refer to the [Skylo certified devices list](https://www.skylo.tech/certified-devices) for more information on certified devices.

## Limitations

When using planNT1, please keep the following limitations in mind:

> [!NOTE]
>
> Connection-oriented or synchronous protocols, such as TCP, HTTP, and MQTT, should be avoided when using a satellite connection. Timeouts and retransmissions may occur due to these protocols being unoptimized for the high latency of satellite communications, which can result in communication failures and unexpected high data charges. For these reasons, Soracom recommends only using UDP traffic over satellite.

- When communicating via satellite, the maximum UDP payload size is 1200 bytes.
- When using planNT1 with a [Virtual Private Gateway](https://docs.soracom.io/en/services/vpg), satellite connectivity is only supported if the VPG [Rendezvous Point](https://docs.soracom.io/en/services/air/rendezvous-points) is configured as Frankfurt.
- SMS is not supported over satellite connections.
- Unlike other Soracom plans, planNT1 will never be activated automatically for fallback. The planNT1 IMSI must be selected manually by the user or explicitly configured in device settings.