goTenna Teams Up with Blockstream Satellite to Make Sending Bitcoin Without Internet Connection Easier

Jan 11, 2021

About goTenna

goTenna enables public sector access to resilient and scalable mobile mesh networking technology that promotes interoperability, situational awareness, and operator safety. As the leading off-grid connectivity provider for over 300 military, law enforcement, and public safety agencies around the globe, goTenna enables mobile, long-range connectivity without cellular, Wi-Fi, or satellite service. goTenna’s low-signature technology augments traditional communication networks and assures fail-safe communications through the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) and non-TAK platforms. goTenna is backed by investors, including Union Square Ventures, Founders Fund, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Vanedge Capital, ONE9, Moore Capital, Comcast Ventures, MentorTech Ventures, Walden Venture Capital, and Anchor Capital. For more information, visit gotenna.com.

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According to the recent Magical Crypto Conference on Saturday in New York City, Blockstream Satellite and GoTenna are incorporating their technologies in order to allow people to send bitcoin transactions with technologies used onboard without direct internet connections. 

GoTenna has teamed up with Blockstream Satellite, in order to make sending bitcoin transactions without an internet connection a little simpler, thus making it simple for users around the world to use BTC.

Blockstream Satellite is mainly a network of a satellite which allows users across the planet to download a bitcoin full node, the most secure platform to the bitcoin network, without any internet connection. Until they possess a satellite receiver with Blockstream Satellite's specific software installed.

GoTenna is a startup looking for technology which enables users to connect with others without the internet, i.e. to send text messages to others. Here, they have developed their own "mesh network" for sending messages. The only restriction is that the user has to connect to someone living nearby, within a mile, to send a transaction. 

From this, we can say that one can do a BTC transaction without an internet connection.  The GoTenna device connects to a bitcoin wallet on Android phone, which they use to send bitcoin transactions without an internet connection. The only limitation here is that they have to connect to the other GoTenna user which has an internet connection.

GoTenna said in a Statement,

“What this means for users is that they will be able to receive blockchain data via a satellite and send signed bitcoin transactions out via the GoTenna Mesh network without a direct internet connection.”

The latest merger is done as a part of a larger effort to make it easier for people to send offline transactions if they need too. 

Richard Myers, GoTenna decentralized applications engineer said, 

“The need for this technology might not be in New York City, but other parts of the world. It could be useful there instead of centralized internet providers.” Blockstream satellite will allow users to do transactions using high-frequency radio, even though it requires "more specialized knowledge."

Apart from this, some of the other cryptocurrencies allow users to do the transaction without any internet connection. This includes Dash Text and CoinText which allows users to send and receive cryptocurrencies with just an SMS.

— Crypto Ground