SpaceX SWARM and Particle LTE from space

Connectivity
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Recently SWARM announced they are discontinuing development of their VHF product. Service will continue for many years but its a dead product.

As a SpaceX subsidy they are now focusing on LTE from Starlink Satellites and are actively developing a new drop in version of the M138 Modem for use with this service.

What I want to know. Has Particle talked with SpaceX? Getting Boron compatible with this upcoming service would be a game changer for what Particle is trying to accomplish. Is the current hardware going to be compatible? Do we need a new modem? IoT anywhere would be HUGE for our applications in wildlife control and is something we could certainly pay extra for the service.

I know all this is bleeding edge just getting the discussion going and seeing what others think. It took far too long for particle to get Verizon service so lets be quicker on this one!

SWARM Newsletter

Hello!

Swarm has been planning for the future of both its VHF and Direct to Cell networks and it is a priority for us to keep customers informed on our product roadmap.

To ensure the highest performance possible for its VHF deployments now and into the future, Swarm is halting net new sales of its VHF ground hardware products. This will also enable our teams to focus on continued support for our VHF customers while we develop improved capabilities.

Swarm is continuing to support its VHF service and customers. We most recently launched on a Transporter-8 mission (June 2023), currently have a manifested launch for 2024, and continually evaluate additional mission opportunities for the VHF network.

SpaceX’s Direct to Cell network will also provide an exciting future IoT offering, which will provide higher bandwidth, lower latency connectivity to COTS IoT devices. Swarm also plans to offer a future LTE version of the M138 modem that is compatible with the Direct to Cell network — supporting the same form factor, command set, and Hive/API interfaces that customers have used with our VHF product. You can review our FAQs on these changes here.

We’re incredibly excited to continue serving VHF customer deployments and for the new IoT applications that will be made possible by the Direct to Cell network! If you’re interested in receiving updates on our future plans for the drop-in modem and the next generation of IoT connectivity, please feel free to sign up for updates here.

Thanks,
The Swarm Team

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Hey @MargoJack, great question!

We had been evaluating SWARM intermittently (once a year we'd give it a whirl to see if the quality of service had improved) but felt like the density of satellites was not sufficient to deliver a service we could stand behind. Our expectation was that the satellite density would at some point achieve critical mass and we'd start to more seriously evaluate it.

Now the industry direction has shifted towards LTE over satellite, which is a super positive change — and perhaps means that satellite over Particle may become feasible on a shorter timeframe.

We're just starting to poke around at this, but in the meantime I'd love to invite feedback on the topic from the community. Specifically, thoughts on the following:

  1. Would you use satellite networking if it were offered? Would that still be true if it cost more and consumed more power than terrestrial LTE? What are the use cases where you would find it beneficial?
  2. For anyone who may have access to samples of modules with LTE-over-satellite — what has your experience been? Does it meet your needs? If not, where are the gaps?

We will, of course, be doing our own research — but it's always helpful to hear from others who are poking around at the bleeding edge to help inform our direction.

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