EdgeBeam and Soracom Forge Hybrid Network to Reshape IoT Connectivity

BOSTON – April 15, 2026 – A strategic partnership announced today between EdgeBeam Wireless and IoT platform provider Soracom is set to redefine the economics and architecture of last-mile data delivery. By merging the one-to-many power of broadcast spectrum with the precision of cellular networks, the collaboration creates the first true "Hybrid Network Operator," promising to solve critical bandwidth and cost challenges for the rapidly expanding Internet of Things.

EdgeBeam Wireless, a company founded by major U.S. broadcasters including Sinclair and Nexstar, has onboarded Soracom as its first cellular partner. The move enables a unified service that leverages EdgeBeam's ATSC 3.0 broadcast network for high-volume data distribution and Soracom’s global 4G/5G cellular platform for two-way communication and control. This dual-path architecture aims to break the one-to-one bottleneck of traditional cellular networks, offering a more efficient and economical path for enterprise-grade data.

A New Breed of Network: Fusing Broadcast and Cellular

The core innovation lies in the fusion of two distinct, yet complementary, technologies. EdgeBeam utilizes the ATSC 3.0 standard, commonly known as NextGen TV, not for television but as a powerful IP-based data pipe. This allows the company to broadcast a single, large file—such as a software update or a video playlist—simultaneously to millions of devices over the air. This one-to-many model is inherently more efficient for mass data delivery than a cellular network, which must establish a separate connection for each device it serves.

Soracom provides the critical return path and precision connectivity. Its cloud-native IoT platform delivers the 4G/5G connectivity needed for devices to send back acknowledgments, request data, or transmit small packets of their own. Critically, Soracom also provides a robust network management layer and a hardware-based root of trust through its SIM technology, ensuring end-to-end security across the hybrid architecture.

"With Soracom as our cellular partner, EdgeBeam is truly delivering on the promise of a Hybrid Network Operator," said Conrad Clemson, CEO of EdgeBeam, in the initial announcement. "This partnership unlocks the potential of one-to-many data transmission powered by ATSC 3.0 alongside the one-to-one precision of Soracom’s 4G/5G connectivity."

This model distinguishes itself from other hybrid solutions, such as satellite-cellular, which primarily solve for coverage in remote areas. The EdgeBeam-Soracom offering instead targets the cost and congestion of data delivery in areas with existing coverage, creating a new paradigm for efficiency.

Slashing Costs and Boosting ROI for Enterprise IoT

For enterprises deploying connected devices at scale, the cost of data can be a significant barrier. The need to send large, frequent updates to thousands or millions of endpoints—from connected vehicles to digital billboards—can result in staggering cellular data charges.

The hybrid broadcast-cellular model directly addresses this economic pain point. By offloading the heavy lifting of large file distribution to the more economical broadcast network, companies can dramatically reduce their reliance on expensive cellular data. A single broadcast transmission can update an entire fleet of devices in a metropolitan area for a fraction of the cost of individual cellular downloads. This fundamentally changes the return-on-investment calculation for many large-scale IoT projects.

This efficiency is particularly crucial as the automotive IoT market, for example, is projected to grow to over $300 billion by 2028. The increasing complexity of vehicle software, from infotainment systems to critical ADAS functions, demands a sustainable method for deploying firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates. The traditional one-to-one cellular model is proving increasingly inadequate and expensive for these multi-gigabyte updates. The hybrid approach offers a viable, scalable alternative.

Transforming Industries from Automotive to Public Safety

The practical applications of this hybrid network span several key industries facing unique data distribution challenges.

In the automotive sector, the ability to broadcast massive software and firmware updates to vehicles parked overnight is a game-changer. It not only reduces costs for manufacturers but also enhances the customer experience by ensuring vehicles are always running the latest, most secure software without consuming the owner's data plan. Furthermore, the broadcast of enhanced GPS correction data can improve navigation accuracy from meters down to centimeters, a critical enabler for advanced driver-assistance systems and future autonomous driving.

For digital signage networks, the solution allows for the instantaneous and synchronized delivery of high-definition video content to thousands of screens across a city. This eliminates the latency and high bandwidth costs associated with updating each screen individually over a cellular or Wi-Fi connection, enabling more dynamic and responsive advertising and information systems.

Public safety stands to gain a highly resilient communication layer. During major emergencies, cellular networks often become congested or fail. A broadcast-based system can reliably deliver critical information, maps, and video feeds to first responders' devices simultaneously. The ATSC 3.0 standard's support for rich media and geotargeting means alerts can be more informative and directed precisely to the areas and personnel who need them most.

Even GNSS positioning is enhanced. By broadcasting correction data over the ATSC 3.0 signal, the network can provide a terrestrial backup to satellite signals and improve location accuracy for everything from precision agriculture and construction equipment to drone navigation.

The Strategic Play and Path to Deployment

For Soracom, a publicly-traded company with over six million connected devices on its platform, the partnership represents a strategic move into a new frontier of IoT connectivity. It positions the company as a pioneer in the emerging broadcast-cellular space, differentiating its portfolio from competitors and opening new markets that were previously cost-prohibitive.

"Every successful IoT deployment depends on affordable, technically capable connectivity that works where and when it's needed," noted Richard Halliday, Head of Americas Sales, Partnerships, and Technical Services at Soracom. “We are thrilled to partner with EdgeBeam to deliver a hybrid connectivity solution that frees customers to build a new generation of connected experiences.”

The road to nationwide implementation depends on the continued rollout of ATSC 3.0 infrastructure across the United States. EdgeBeam, backed by the nation's largest broadcasters, is leveraging existing high-power television towers to build its network, aiming for widespread coverage. However, a key challenge remains in driving the adoption of end-user devices equipped with ATSC 3.0 receiver chips. As these become more common in vehicles, IoT gateways, and other hardware, the full potential of this hybrid network will be unlocked, potentially creating a foundational new layer for data distribution in the connected world.