Microsoft lets Mangata put AI at edge via satellite

  • December 27, 2023
  • Steve Rogerson

Mangata Networks, an Arizona-based satellite-enabled connectivity and intelligent edge computing firm, is working with Microsoft to develop an AI-enabled edge cloud product connected via satellite.

The partnership represents a long-term commitment between Mangata and Microsoft, marking the beginning of what they hope will be a sustained collaborative journey aimed at continuously advancing cloud technology through innovative satellite connectivity.

Mangata will provide seamless connectivity and intelligent cloud computing services around the globe, bringing the benefits of Azure innovation anywhere in the world.

The network is powered by a multi-orbit constellation of HEO (highly elliptical orbit) and MEO (medium Earth orbit) satellites and a terrestrial network of edge data centres.

The Mangata and Microsoft offering using Azure will be made available through the Azure Marketplace (azuremarketplace.microsoft.com), offering end-to-end application-level service level agreements (SLAs) with bundled connectivity. This approach ensures a seamless experience for users seeking integrated products and services.

“We are thrilled to develop this transformative product in strategic collaboration with Microsoft, further enriching the Microsoft commercial marketplace ecosystem,” said Brian Holz, CEO of Mangata Networks. “Microsoft’s direct sales channels will play a crucial role in scaling our innovations to enterprises globally. Our offering is not just a product but an all-encompassing network, infrastructure, platform and software service. With capacity bundled into the service, we provide a seamless, integrated SLA that simplifies the adoption of our services for customers. This is more than a partnership; it is a long-term alliance set to redefine how enterprises leverage the cloud and intelligent edge compute.”

A core element of the partnership is a commitment to innovation, where Mangata will collaborate with Microsoft on an integrated edge-to-space-to-cloud product roadmap.

Leveraging Microsoft’s generative AI and data analytics capabilities, Mangata will, in collaboration with Microsoft, try to re-imagine the product innovation lifecycle. These efforts will include integrating AI capabilities end to end, from customer and partner feedback and requirements definition through to how they roadmap, create, code, test, deploy, run and support customer needs. This initiative will result in delivering Azure adaptive cloud options, designed to address complex business problems at the edge, enabling and accelerating user outcomes in culturally sensitive ways.

Mangata’s managed service will extend the geographical reach and functionality of Azure adaptive cloud. These collaborations will deliver an array of features, including AI-enhanced network routing at the edge, remote bandwidth optimisation, workload management, real-time data processing, digital twin support, satellite backhaul management, end-to-end cloud-edge IoT applications, 5G integration standardisation, and multivendor sub-system integration, for example ORAN and RAN-based equipment.

Microsoft will position Mangata as an independent software vendor (ISV) on the Azure platform. This will empower Mangata’s growth trajectory, with Microsoft providing support in terms of technology, resources, engineering and go-to-market backing.

With edge compute and data management capabilities, users can process data where they are created, reducing latency and time to insight by hosting analytics and AI-inferencing at the edge. Valuable data, previously discarded due to lack of available bandwidth, can now be sent to cloud services such as Microsoft Fabric – an end-to-end, unified analytics platform that brings together data and analytics tools – where they can be used to train and retrain AI models to yield deeper operational insights.

For regulated organisations and governments, and for geographies with strict data sovereignty rules, applications can process sensitive data at the edge, keeping them within national or regional boundaries and only sending what are allowed to the public cloud.

“In collaboration with Mangata, we look forward to delivering an end-to-end cloud and edge platform to enterprise and government customers,” said Mitra Azizirad, chief operating officer for Microsoft’s strategic missions and technologies. “This platform will enable business and mission critical applications anywhere with committed availability through satellite connectivity. Mangata will leverage Microsoft’s portfolio of Microsoft Azure Space and Azure for Operators to run their satellites’ constellation and edge platform. This collaboration is key for our continued commitment to empower our customers with intelligent, secure and resilient technology.”

This collaboration is set to address critical problems on a global scale related to sovereign state requirements, enterprise innovation, maritime and digital ocean transformation, data gravity, and telecommunications access and capacity needs. Mangata’s mission to empower the exchange of knowledge through global connectivity and to revolutionise access to the digital economy aligns with the Airband Initiative, a collaboration between Microsoft and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) focused on closing the global digital divide by bringing internet access to all.

The pilot phase in user trial networks is scheduled to start midway through 2024, ahead of Mangata’s planned constellation launch.

This initiative is poised to change the way businesses and governments worldwide harness the power of edge cloud connectivity through satellite technology. Together, Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) and Mangata will create a platform for reliable, scalable and robust IoT and scada applications at the edge, all connected to and managed by Azure. The collaboration marks a step towards a more connected, intelligent and accessible future. It is seen as a starting point for a long-term relationship between Mangata and Microsoft.

Founded in February 2020, Mangata (www.mangatanetworks.com) has operations in the USA, UK, Singapore and South Korea.