A test vehicle successfully transmitted voice messages via low-Earth orbit satellites.
Toyota Motor demonstrated satellite-based voice messaging from inside a connected vehicle during the Telekom Satellite Day 2026 event. The test relied on the Iridium NTN Direct service, connecting the car directly through low-Earth orbit satellites.
The test vehicle carried a Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 development board alongside a Deutsche Telekom IoT SIM card. The transmission sent the message "testing, testing, one, two, freeway" through the Iridium satellite constellation using standards-based NB-IoT technology.
Audio processing relied on Fraunhofer's AI-based NESC Voice Codec, which operates at bitrates of 1 kb/s or less. Manfred Lutzky, Head of the Communications Audio Department at Fraunhofer IIS, stated that the codec enables intelligible voice services at scale across remote regions.
The successful trial followed a technical integration and roaming agreement between Deutsche Telekom IoT and Iridium. Commercial availability for Iridium NTN Direct is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.
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