OQ Technologies in July put its first commercial 5G internet of things . The aim is to create a constellation of 60 shoebox-sized satellites to provide pole-to-pole 5G coverage dedicated to machine to machine (M2M) and internet of things (IoT) communication.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has now granted a first patent for a so-called wake-up power-saving technology, which allows OQ’s terminal IoT devices to communicate with the satellite only when needed.

Through this function, the company aims to achieve a 10-year battery life goal.

“We have been leading the way for satellite-based 5G communications since we created the world’s first universal plug and play IoT device that can provide connectivity using LEO [low Earth orbit, editor’s note] satellite infrastructure,” said founder and CEO Omar Qaise. “This is yet another important milestone for us.”

The company has five further patent applications pending, including frequency synchronisation, timing synchronisation, IoT device localisation, inter-satellite link technology, and a satellite system design and network architecture for cellular IoT communication between satellites and ground stations.

“This and the pending patents will give us an edge over competitors and security to our intellectual property,” said Qaise about the first patent being granted.

OQ Technologies has also developed technology that allows it to use cheaper standard mobile chips for its satellite connectivity at a fraction of the cost of satellite chips.

Since its July launch, OQ Technologies has offered 5G IoT services for applications in environmental monitoring and agriculture, logistics, the maritime sector, smart metering, mining, and oil and gas.

Last year, the startup to work with government satellite GovSat on defence services. GovSat is a public-private partnership between the Luxembourg government and satellite operator SES, providing satellite capabilities to allied countries and organisations as well as selling capacity commercially.