Terrestar Launches Hybrid IoT Service on New Standards‑Based Open Network Platform, Marking a Turning Point for Satellite Connectivity in Canada

MONTRÉAL, Feb. 5, 2026 /CNW/ – Terrestar Solutions Inc., Canada’s only domestically headquartered and controlled mobile satellite service operator, today announced the launch of its Hybrid IoT connectivity service built on an open, standards-based platform.

The new 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, toward an open architecture that promotes interoperability, competition, and long-term innovation. Critically for Canadian sovereignty, it reduces dependence on dominant global players.

Terrestar’s Hybrid IoT platform applies an open-standards approach to satellite connectivity, aligning with international 3GPP non-terrestrial network (NTN) standards and ensuring full interoperability with Canada’s terrestrial telecom 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.”

Purpose built for Canada

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 that the productivity gains afforded by digital transformation cannot be fully realized 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 solution, the industrial lubricant specialist was able to continuously monitor equipment even where traditional cellular networks were unavailable. The solution 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. It’s a genuine game changer for our business,” said Michel Lepitre, President of LUBEX.

A foundation for sovereign, Canadian-controlled connectivity

The Hybrid IoT launch represents a practical first step toward direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity in Canada. By bringing standards-based satellite–cellular integration into commercial operation today, 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, Terrestar’s 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.

About Terrestar Solutions Inc.

Terrestar Solutions Inc. is the only Canadian-controlled mobile satellite operator engaged in the race to bring direct-to-device satellite services to smartphones and IoT devices and make anywhere-in-Canada communication a reality. Terrestar is committed to nurturing the ever-evolving, standards-based and open network ecosystem, enabling Mobile Network Operators to deliver ubiquitous communication services. Thanks to the Echostar T1 satellite, its ground network infrastructure and 40 MHz 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 Mobile-Satellite Service (MSS). The Strigo service also supports non-profit and First Nations organizations, a testament to the Company’s powerful sense of responsibility toward the welfare and progress of the communities it serves. For more information, visit terrestarsolutions.ca or follow them on LinkedIn.

SOURCE Terrestar Solutions Inc.