- Tech News & Insight
- February 27, 2025
- News Feed
MediaTek is showcasing wireless evolution towards 6G, including hybrid computing, a live LEO broadband NR-NTN trial, and SBFD.
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Satellite & NTN
Satellite and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) extend connectivity beyond the reach of ground-based infrastructure, using low-earth-orbit constellations, geostationary satellites, and high-altitude platforms. A major shift is the integration of satellite directly into cellular standards, enabling direct-to-device services that let ordinary phones connect via satellite where there is no terrestrial coverage. NTN is increasingly viewed not as a competitor to mobile networks but as a complement — filling coverage gaps, adding resilience, and supporting IoT and emergency communications. For operators and enterprises, satellite partnerships and spectrum are becoming strategic. This channel covers satellite and NTN developments — constellations, direct-to-device, standards integration, and operator partnerships — with analysis of how non-terrestrial connectivity is moving from niche to a mainstream layer of the connectivity landscape, and where the business case genuinely holds.
- Tech News & Insight
- February 24, 2025
- News Feed
In 2025, the mobile industry is set to surpass 1 billion IoT connections while advancing 5G standalone, AI, quantum security, and mobile identity services. At MWC25 Barcelona, GSMA experts will discuss eSIM standardization, network APIs, private 5G, and AI-powered security. Discover how non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and post-quantum cryptography will shape telecom's future.
- Tech News & Insight
- February 24, 2025
- News Feed
A new GSMA Intelligence report reveals that mobile technologies and 5G will contribute $11 trillion to global GDP by 2030, transforming key industries like manufacturing, financial services, automotive, and aviation. As Connected Industries at MWC25 showcases AI-driven automation, IoT advancements, and smart city infrastructures, experts highlight why collaboration between policymakers, network operators, and enterprises is crucial to unlocking the full potential of digital transformation.
- Tech News & Insight
- February 3, 2025
- Hema Kadia
Vodafone has completed the world's first satellite-based video call using a standard 4G or 5G smartphone—no special hardware required. This milestone, achieved with AST SpaceMobile, demonstrates the power of direct-to-smartphone satellite connectivity. By 2026, Vodafone plans to roll out this service commercially across Europe, bridging mobile coverage gaps in rural and remote regions. Learn how this technology is set to redefine mobile broadband and global communication.
- News
- January 27, 2025
- Hema Kadia
Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite services are revolutionizing connectivity but face significant spectrum challenges. The Summit Ridge whitepaper explores how leveraging the 2 GHz band, innovative partnerships, and regulatory shifts can unlock the potential of D2D services worldwide.
- Article & Insights
- January 21, 2025
- Rajiv Gupta
Learn about regenerative non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) and their role in advancing global connectivity. This article explores the differences between partial and fully regenerative architectures, key handover mechanisms, and the challenges and opportunities associated with satellite-based mobile connectivity.
- Tech News & Insight
- January 20, 2025
- Hema Kadia
India’s new satellite spectrum allocation policy could reshape the telecom sector, attracting global players like Starlink and Amazon Kuiper while sparking competition with Reliance Jio. The administrative allocation model, which aligns with global trends, aims to expand connectivity in underserved regions. However, concerns about a level playing field and the limitations of satellite technology highlight the evolving challenges for India’s telecom ecosystem.
- News
- January 15, 2025
- Hema Kadia
Direct-to-cell SATCOM technology is not a disruptor to telecom operators but a complementary tool. By addressing connectivity gaps in remote regions and during emergencies, SATCOM enhances existing 4G and 5G networks without competing with their core business models.
- News
- January 14, 2025
- Susie
Dejero, a leader in resilient connectivity solutions, and RGB Spectrum, a pioneer in mission-critical, real-time video solutions, are set to announce their new partnership at AFCEA West 2025. The companies will unveil their latest innovation, the IPX Flyaway Kit, a command center’s display and connectivity infrastructure in a box, at booth #753 from January 28-30 at the San Diego Convention Center.
- News
- January 6, 2025
- News Feed
The United States Navy has put Rivada under contract to develop and deliver Virtual Network Operator capabilities over Rivada's Outernet constellation.
- News
- January 6, 2025
- News Feed
Viasat and Skylo have shared messages from a mobile device over satellite for the first time in the Kingdom.
- News
- January 2, 2025
- Hema Kadia
India's telecom industry is advancing rapidly, driven by 5G expansion, AI-powered innovations, and the ambitious Bharat 6G Vision. With 460,592 5G BTS sites deployed and 125 million users already connected, the sector is set to lead global telecom innovation. However, challenges like regulatory disparities and spectrum allocation need urgent attention to sustain this growth and realize its full potential.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN)?
NTN refers to connectivity delivered via satellites, high-altitude platforms, or other non-ground-based infrastructure, working alongside, not instead of, traditional cell towers to extend coverage to places terrestrial networks don’t reach. The concept has been formally incorporated into 3GPP’s mobile network standards specifically to ensure satellite-based connectivity can integrate technically with standard cellular networks, rather than existing as a completely separate, incompatible system. This standardization matters because it means NTN connectivity can, in principle, work seamlessly alongside regular cellular service, allowing a device to fall back to satellite coverage automatically when terrestrial signal isn’t available, rather than requiring users to manually switch between two entirely separate systems.
What are the different types of NTN?
- Satellite networks: These networks use satellites in orbit around the Earth to transmit and receive signals and include geostationary and Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks
- Balloon networks: These networks use balloons that are floated high in the stratosphere to transmit and receive signals. They can be used for applications such as providing internet access in remote or hard-to-reach areas, as well as for remote sensing and scientific research.
- High-altitude platform stations (HAPS): These networks use aircraft or airships that fly at high altitudes, such as the stratosphere, to transmit and receive signals. They can be used for similar applications to balloon networks, and they also have the added advantage of mobility.
- Drone networks: These networks use drones, which are also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to transmit and receive signals. They can be used for a wide range of applications, such as providing internet access in remote or hard-to-reach areas, remote sensing, scientific research, and commercial uses like delivery and inspection.
- Stratospheric platform stations (SAPS): This network uses a platform stationed in the lower part of the stratosphere, such as a blimp, that can relay communications between ground and satellites or between ground and another SAPS.
- Laser Communications: This network uses a laser to transmit data between two points. This technology is still in development, but it has great potential to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency communications.
Is satellite internet going to make cell towers obsolete?
No. The industry consensus treats satellite and direct-to-device connectivity as a complementary layer that extends coverage to remote and underserved areas, not a replacement for dense terrestrial 5G networks in cities and suburbs where ground infrastructure remains far more efficient at handling large volumes of simultaneous users. Terrestrial cell towers can support vastly more simultaneous connections and far higher data throughput per user within a given area than current satellite technology can practically deliver, making satellite connectivity better suited for filling coverage gaps, like remote rural areas, maritime and aviation routes, or emergency situations where terrestrial infrastructure has failed.
What is direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity?
Direct-to-device, often abbreviated D2D, lets ordinary smartphones connect directly to satellites for basic connectivity, such as text messaging and, increasingly, voice or limited data service, without needing a separate, dedicated satellite terminal or specialized hardware beyond what’s already built into many recent smartphone models. This represents a significant technical advance over older satellite phone technology, which required bulky, dedicated devices. Large satellite operators, including SpaceX’s Starlink, are positioning D2D as a broader connectivity layer that could eventually extend beyond emergency and remote-area use cases into more general-purpose coverage, though this more expansive vision remains considerably further from current commercial reality than basic emergency messaging service.
Why is satellite connectivity becoming a bigger topic in telecom circles in 2026?
Large satellite operators entering the connectivity market with very large addressable market projections are raising substantial industry questions about spectrum ownership, infrastructure economics, and how traditional telecom operators and satellite providers will share or compete for the same customers going forward. SpaceX’s Starlink, for instance, has framed its total addressable market across AI, connectivity, and space-enabled infrastructure as enormous, positioning direct-to-device satellite connectivity as a potential global connectivity layer. This scale of ambition has prompted genuine strategic concern within the traditional telecom industry about longer-term competitive dynamics and what role established carriers will play as satellite capabilities continue advancing rapidly.
How does NTN fit into 6G plans?
Standards bodies are explicitly designing 6G to include seamless integration between terrestrial and satellite networks as a core capability, aiming to close coverage gaps as a fundamental design goal rather than treating satellite as a bolt-on afterthought added after the main standard is already finalized. This reflects lessons learned from how NTN support was added to 5G somewhat later in that standard’s development process, with 6G planning intended to incorporate satellite integration considerations from earlier on. The explicit goal is a future network where a device can move seamlessly between terrestrial and satellite coverage without users needing to think about which type of connectivity they’re actually using.
What’s the difference between low-earth-orbit, medium-earth-orbit, and geostationary satellites for connectivity purposes?
Low-earth-orbit, or LEO, satellites orbit much closer to Earth than older satellite generations, typically a few hundred miles up, which significantly reduces signal delay, or latency, making LEO constellations considerably more suitable for real-time applications like voice calls than earlier satellite generations were. Medium-earth-orbit satellites sit considerably farther out and are less commonly used for the consumer broadband and direct-to-device connectivity currently generating the most attention. Geostationary satellites orbit much farther from Earth, remaining fixed relative to a specific ground point, useful for certain broadcast applications but introducing meaningfully higher latency, generally making them less suitable for interactive connectivity compared to LEO constellations.
Do existing smartphones actually support satellite connectivity today, or is special hardware required?
A growing number of recent smartphone models do support some form of satellite connectivity natively, generally for specific, limited use cases like emergency messaging when no cellular signal is available, rather than full general-purpose satellite data service. This built-in support typically depends on having a relatively recent device with a modem chipset specifically designed to support satellite frequencies, meaning older devices generally cannot access these features even through a software update. As direct-to-device satellite services continue expanding beyond basic emergency messaging toward more general data and voice capability, broader satellite support is expected to become a more standard smartphone feature over time, similar to how 5G modem support gradually became standard.
What regulatory and spectrum challenges does satellite connectivity raise for traditional telecom operators?
Spectrum that terrestrial carriers have historically used exclusively may need to be shared or coordinated with satellite operators offering direct-to-device service using similar or overlapping frequencies, raising technical interference concerns and complex regulatory coordination questions that vary by country. There are also competitive and regulatory fairness questions, since satellite operators offering connectivity services may not be subject to the same licensing requirements or local infrastructure investment expectations that traditional terrestrial carriers face in a given country, potentially creating an uneven competitive playing field regulators are still actively working through. These unresolved questions are part of why traditional operators have approached large-scale satellite providers with a mix of cautious partnership interest and genuine competitive concern.
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