Terrestar, Canada’s only domestically headquartered and controlled mobile satellite service operator, has launched a hybrid IoT connectivity service built on an open, standards-based platform.

The service is the first Canadian-controlled hybrid satellite-cellular IoT platform to operate on open international standards, enabling seamless switching between cellular and satellite networks and ensuring uninterrupted connectivity across urban, rural, remote and northern regions.

The launch represents a structural shift for the satellite industry, moving away from closed, proprietary systems that limited choice, raised costs and constrained innovation, towards an open architecture that promotes interoperability, competition and long-term innovation. Critically for Canadian sovereignty, it reduces dependence on dominant global players.

The platform applies an open-standards approach to satellite connectivity, aligning with international 3GPP non-terrestrial network (NTN) standards and ensuring interoperability with Canada’s terrestrial telecoms networks and the global ecosystem.

“This is a watershed moment for critical satellite infrastructure in Canada,” said André Tremblay, executive chairman of Terrestar. “We’ve lived this transformation before in mobile telecom. Open standards are what turned basic phones into the global, affordable, innovative ecosystem we rely on today. That same shift is now happening in satellite, and Terrestar wants to make sure Canada doesn’t miss the boat.”

Many of the industries vital to Canada’s national interests – energy, critical minerals, forestry, transportation corridors and wildfire prevention – operate primarily outside major urban centres, far beyond the reach of cellular coverage. These sectors depend on continuous monitoring, safety systems and asset tracking, meaning the productivity gains afforded by digital transformation cannot be fully realised until advanced connectivity is made available to them.

Over 32 weeks of real-world testing, Lubex validated Terrestar’s hybrid IoT connectivity in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, a notoriously challenging region for connectivity. Using Terrestar’s SIM powered offering, the industrial lubricant specialist was able to monitor equipment continuously even where traditional cellular networks were unavailable. This reduced nonessential trips, lowered operating costs, and enabled both preventive and oil condition-based maintenance.

“This technology has fundamentally improved how we operate in remote environments by boosting reliability, efficiency and cost control,” said Michel Lepitre, president of Lubex (www.lubex.ca). “It’s a genuine game changer for our business.”

The hybrid IoT launch represents a practical first step towards direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity in Canada. By bringing standards-based satellite-cellular integration into commercial operation, Terrestar is validating the same network architecture, spectrum and ecosystem partnerships that will underpin future D2D services.

Delivered over Canadian-licenced spectrum and operated from Canada, the hybrid IoT service reinforces national connectivity resilience and supports operations in regions critical to Canada’s economic security, environmental monitoring and public safety, including northern areas.

Terrestar (terrestarsolutions.ca) says it is the only Canadian-controlled mobile satellite operator engaged in the race to bring D2D satellite services to smartphones and IoT devices and make anywhere-in-Canada communications a reality.

Thanks to the Echostar T1 satellite, its ground network infrastructure and 40MHz of S-band mobile-satellite spectrum, Terrestar connects Canadians from almost anywhere in the country, even in Canada’s most remote regions, through its Strigo MSS mobile-satellite service. The Strigo service also supports non-profit and First Nations organisations.