TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwan-based fabless semiconductor company announced late Wednesday (Aug. 19) it has successfully carried out the world's first field test using a communication satellite, without an obvious propagation delay.

It breaks new ground for truly global Internet of Things (IoT) coverage regardless of geographical challenges. Propagation delay is the time it takes for the signal to travel from the sender to the receiver.

The test was run in collaboration with the U.K.-based world leader in mobile satellite communications, Inmarsat. The two companies said the result breaks the boundaries of advanced IoT 5G satellite communications.

MediaTek said the field trial was conducted at Fucino Space Centre in northern Italy, which was developed by Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry. The test device was built with MediaTek’s satellite-enabled NB-IoT chipset, and was run with Inmarsat's communications satellite, Alphasat L-band, in geostationary orbit, which is 35,786km above sea level.

“MediaTek’s collaboration with Inmarsat will accelerate industry efforts to converge cellular and satellite networks in the 5G era,” said Dr. Hwang Ho-Chi (黃合淇), MediaTek General Manager of Communication System Design.

The achievement is believed to establish 5G standards and create new uses and services. It could also provide proof of the feasibility of new global standards and open the market to using a single device to connect both satellite and cellular networks, the company statement reads.

Media previously reported that MediaTek leads its South Korean rival Samsung in the research and development of 6G technology. The company started 6G research at its center in Finland, in collaboration with several institutions and academies.

Technews commented the successful test run gives MediaTek a global leading position in IoT 5G satellite communications and paves the way for the development of 6G and beyond.