Hubble Network establishes first Bluetooth connection with satellites

Two satellites successfully launched in March 2024 received signals from a 3.5 mm Bluetooth chip more than 600 kilometres away. The unprecedented feat was achieved by the company Hubble Network, which describes the milestone as a fundamental advance for traditional networks that often face difficulties with insufficient coverage, complex integrations, high battery power consumption and prohibitive costs.

In Hubble Network’s view, this new technology will give any device with Bluetooth technology the ability to connect directly to the company’s satellite network without relying on cellular networks, potentially revolutionising the Internet of Things (IoT) universe. According to the company, the battery power consumption of this solution will be 20 times lower, and operating costs will be 50 times lower. These features are expected to transform various sectors, connecting more than a billion devices worldwide and opening up new possibilities for innovation and efficiency.

‘Our mission to build the world’s first truly global, cost-effective and energy-efficient network has taken a significant leap forward with this technological breakthrough. By demonstrating that we can send signals directly from Bluetooth chips and receive them in space more than 600 km away, we have refuted thousands of sceptics who claimed that what we were attempting was impossible,’ says Alex Haro, co-founder and CEO of Hubble Network.

Hubble Network is already working on pilot projects with customers in various sectors, such as consumer items, construction and infrastructure, supply chain and logistics, agriculture, oil and gas and defence. The aim is to evaluate the potential in the area of remote monitoring, asset tracking and many other unexplored possibilities based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

The new approach allows Bluetooth-enabled devices to be adapted to transmit data to the Hubble Network without any hardware modifications. ‘With nearly five billion Bluetooth devices sold annually, our network has the potential to significantly impact multiple fields by making global connectivity accessible, low-energy and economically viable,’ says Ben Wild, co-founder and CTO Hubble Network.

The company intends to further expand its satellite network to increase the capacity and frequency of overflights and thus create a secure network that is not only global, but also economical and efficient in terms of battery power consumption.

History of the Hubble Network

Hubble Network was founded by a team of experts in wireless communications, space applications and Industrial IoT. It was born as a space technology start-up that aims to build a global network of satellites for Internet of Things (IoT) devices using Bluetooth technology.

Last year, it received a Series A funding round worth $20 million. The company sees immense potential in the IoT, with the ability to transform and improve the efficiency of various sectors of activity and improve people’s daily lives. However, despite its possibilities, current terrestrial and satellite networks have limited the exploitation of this potential.

Hubble Network’s solution, meanwhile, promises to operate a simple software framework so that any Bluetooth device can connect directly to the company’s satellite network, ushering in a new era of connectivity and a truly connected world, ranging from smart cities and industrial automation to healthcare and agriculture, with no limits to innovation.

The Hubble Network has also patented an antenna that can be launched on a small satellite, acting as a magnifying glass and allowing Bluetooth chips to be used to communicate with Hubble satellites, according to the TechCrunch website. ‘It’s essentially a huge magnifying glass on the surface of the Earth, capable of detecting these very weak radio signals emitted by Bluetooth chips,’ explains Haro. As a result, radio signals can be detected up to a thousand kilometres away, or almost 10 orders of magnitude more than can be detected by a Bluetooth chip in terrestrial networks.