Nordic Semiconductor launches nRF9151 SMA Development Kit

Nordic Semiconductor launched the nRF9151 System Monitoring Agent (SMA) Development Kit and released modem firmware that added Non‑Terrestrial Network support for Narrowband Internet of Things (IoT), aimed at RF engineers developing cellular IoT, DECT NR+, and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) applications.

The PR described the DK as intended for demanding RF evaluation and testing; it listed typical use cases including remote locations with weak cellular signals, smart buildings with dense node counts, and industrial environments subject to RF shadowing.

The DK replaced internal antennas with SMA connectors to permit direct connection to external antennas or laboratory equipment for precise RF characterization. The firmware added NB‑IoT NTN (3GPP rel 17) support and also supported terrestrial LTE‑M, NB‑IoT, and GNSS.

The DK included Taoglas LTE/NTN/NR+ and Kyocera GNSS antennas, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, and trial data from Deutsche Telekom, Onomondo, and Monogoto to enable immediate terrestrial and satellite connectivity; the PR noted the DK was supported by the National Resilience Framework (NRF) Connect Software Development Kit (SDK). The nRF9151 SMA DK is available now through Nordic's distribution partners, and the alpha modem firmware can be downloaded for free.

“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,” Kristian Sæther, Senior Product Director Long-Range at Nordic Semiconductor, said. “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.”

Nordic said this marked its first step toward enabling direct-to-satellite communication.