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Mavenir, a cloud-native network infrastructure provider, has announced that it has been selected by Iridium Communications, a provider of global voice and data satellite communications, to deploy the core network for Iridium’s Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN). This deployment will support the development of 3GPP-based Direct-to-Device (D2D) services.
The deployment aligns with Iridium’s broader strategy to enable 3GPP standards-based NTN capabilities using its existing satellite infrastructure, while also preparing for future D2D use cases.
According to Ashok Khuntia, President of Core Networks at Mavenir,“This collaboration with Iridium is a strategic milestone in our goal to enable connectivity across both terrestrial and non-terrestrial domains. Hosting our Converged Packet Core on AWS supports Iridium’s ability to deliver global NB-IoT services today, while also showcasing the adaptability of cloud-native core network solutions for satellite-driven applications.”
The solution provided by Mavenir includes a comprehensive suite of core network functions designed to support efficient and reliable connectivity. These functions comprise the Converged Session Management Function, Converged User Plane Function, Policy Control, Subscriber Management, Network Exposure Function, and various messaging services. Together, they form a robust and flexible core network architecture capable of supporting both current and future requirements in non-terrestrial and hybrid network environments.
These functions are supported by a centralised operations and analytics platform and are designed to operate with high availability and geo-redundancy across multiple AWS regions.
Tim Last, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Iridium, stated,“As we prepare for the launch of Iridium NTN Direct, our partnership with Mavenir provides the foundation required for a reliable and standards-based service. Whether supporting IoT or future D2D applications, Iridium NTN Direct will be positioned to serve mobile network operators, chipset manufacturers, and end-users globally.”
The deployment is designed to integrate with Iridium’s existing provisioning and billing systems. It supports NB-IoT traffic delivery over multiple interfaces, including IP, UDP, TCP, and Non-IP Data Delivery (NIDD). Additionally, the infrastructure allows for a future evolution towards 5G NR-based D2D services, providing a pathway for low-disruption migration using the same backend systems.
This development adds to Mavenir’s NTN portfolio and reflects its ongoing work to support satellite operators with standards-compliant, cloud-native core network solutions tailored for non-terrestrial deployments.