Norway’s Nordic Semiconductor has launched a development kit for RF engineers working on cellular IoT, Dect NR+ and non-terrestrial network (NTN) applications.

The nRF9151 SMA development kit has been released alongside modem firmware that adds NTN (satellite) support to the nRF9151 module, marking Nordic’s first step towards enabling direct-to-satellite communications.

The kit is designed for demanding RF evaluation. It replaces internal antennas with SMA connectors, allowing engineers to connect high-performance external antennas or lab equipment directly for precise characterisation. This makes it suitable for developing and evaluating cellular IoT, Dect NR+ and NTN designs where optimised RF performance is critical. Typical use cases are in remote locations with weak cellular signals, smart buildings with dense node counts or industrial environments subject to RF shadowing.

The modem firmware enables direct-to-satellite IoT communication by adding support for NB-IoT NTN (3GPP rel 17). The firmware also supports terrestrial LTE-M and NB-IoT networks, as well as GNSS, making it usable for the development and evaluation of hybrid connectivity products.

“As engineers push the boundaries of wireless connectivity with satellite IoT and Dect NR+, they need development tools that offer flexible and precise RF performance,” said Kristian Sæther, senior product director at Nordic Semiconductor (www.nordicsemi.com). “The nRF9151 SMA DK provides exactly that, giving RF experts the granular control needed to validate their most ambitious designs, especially for the challenging RF environment of direct-to-satellite communication.”

The kit provides RF flexibility with SMA connectors for external antennas and direct connection to lab equipment, enabling precise performance validation and accurate power measurements. It is also optimised for the latest standards, offering a platform for Dect NR+ and NTN development to improve link performance.

The kit includes everything needed to prototype immediately, including Taoglas (LTE, NTN and NR+) and Kyocera (GNSS) antennas, along with IoT SIM cards and trial data for instant terrestrial and satellite connectivity from Deutsche Telekom, Onomondo and Monogoto.

It is supported by Nordic’s unified and scalable nRF Connect SDK (www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-software/nRF-Connect-SDK), offering a complete development environment for any application.

The kit (www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF9151-SMA-DK) is available now through Nordic’s distribution partners. The alpha modem firmware can be downloaded for free at www.nordicsemi.com/Products/Development-hardware/nRF9151-SMA-DK/Download?lang=en#infotabs.