Quectel BG95-S5 5G NTN + LTE IoT module can seamlessly connect across satellite and cellular networks

The Quectel BG95-S5 is a “multi-mode” 5G NTN satellite + LTE IoT communication module designed for seamless connectivity in remote areas. It supports 3GPP Release 17 IoT-NTN (S and L band frequencies) and offers fallback options with LTE Cat M1, Cat NB2, eGPRS, and integrated GNSS. These features make the module suitable for asset management, wireless POS, heavy industry, and wearables applications.

In January this year, Quectel announced their CC660D-LS IoT NTN module in partnership with Skylo which focuses solely on NTN connectivity, whereas the “multi-mode” BG95-S5 seamlessly switches between different connectivity technologies (NTN, LTE Cat M1, Cat NB2, eGPRS).

Quectel BG95-S5 IoT-NTN satellite module specifications:

• Module Type – NTN satellite communication module
• Compliance – Supports 3GPP Rel-17 IoT-NTN/ LTE Cat M1/ Cat NB2/ EGPRS module with Ultra-low power consumption
• Frequency Bands
  • IoT-NTN
    • S-Band – B23/ B256
    • L- Band – B255 (Under development/ planning)
  • LTE-FDD
    • Cat M1 – B1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 8/ 12/ 13/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 66/ 85
    • Cat NB2 – B1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 8/ 12/ 13/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 25/ 28/ 66/ 71/ 85
  • EGPRS – GSM 850/ EGSM 900/ DCS 1800/ PCS 1900
  • GNSS – GNSS GPS/ GLONASS/ BeiDou/ Galileo/ QZSS
• Data Transmission Speeds in kbps
  • IoT-NTN Data Rate – TBD
  • LTE-M Data Rate –  Max. 588 kbps (DL)/ Max. 1119 kbps (UL) for Cat M1
  • NB-IoT Data Rate
    • Cat NB2 – Max. 127 kbps (DL)/ Max. 158.5 kbps (UL)
    • Cat NB1 – Max. 32 kbps (DL)/ Max. 70 kbps (UL)
  • EDGE Data Rate – Max. 296 (DL) Max. 236.8 (UL)
  • GPRS Data Rate – Max. 107 (DL) Max. 85.6 (UL)
• Interfaces – 1 x (U)SIM,  3 x UARTS, 1 x USB, 1 x PCM, 1 x I2C, 2 x Antenna, 9 x GPIO, 2 x GRFC(Under development)
• SMS
  • Point-to-point MO/MT
  • SMS Cell Broadcast
  • Text and PDU Mode
• Software Features
  • Protocols – PPP/ TCP/ UDP/ SSL/ TLS/ FTP(S)/ HTTP(S)/ NITZ/ NTP/PING/ MQTT/ LwM2M/ CoAP/ IPv6
  • USB Serial Driver – Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11, Linux 2.6–5.15, Android 4.x–12.x
  • GNSS/RIL Driver – Android 4.x–12.x
• Certification
  • Satellite – Skylo
  • Regulatory
    • Europe: CE (Under development/ planning)
    • North America: FCC (Under development/ planning)
    • Canada: IC (Under development/ planning)
    • South Korea: KC (Under development/ planning)
    • Australia, New Zealand: RCM (Under development/ planning)
  • Carrier – AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (Under development/ planning)
• Electrical Characteristics
  • Supply Voltage Range – 3.3–4.3 V, typical 3.8 V
  • GPIO Voltage – 1.8V
  • Maximum Output Power – 23 dBm Power Class 3
  • Power Consumption – TBD
• Other Features
  • DFOTA(Supported)
  • SoftSIM(Under development)
• Package – LGA
• Temperature Range
  • Operating Temperature: -35 °C to +75 °C
  • Extended Temperature: -40 °C to +85 °C
• Dimensions – 23.6 × 19.9 × 2.2mm (The CC660D-LS measures 17.7 × 15.8 × 2.0 mm)

The BG95-S5 module supports satellite communication in both L-band (B255) and S-band (B256/23), making it versatile for various applications. The S-band is ideal for GPS navigation, weather radar, and air traffic control, while the L-band enables broader satellite communication, particularly for IoT applications.

At the time of writing, the module is not compatible with Skylo’s NTN network, but the company mentions that certification procedures are underway. If you need Skylo NTN compatibility now, consider modules like the Blues Starnote,  Qualcomm 212S, or 9205S. For cellular IoT projects, Blues also recently announced the cost-effective Blues Notecard XP, which is a cost-down version of Notecard Cellular.

The company has not released any pricing information for the module, but more information can be found on the press release and the product page.

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