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.

ESA, Telesat, and Amarisoft Achieve First 5G 3GPP NTN Link Over LEO

ESA, Telesat, and Amarisoft Achieve First 5G 3GPP NTN Link Over LEO
ESA, Telesat, and Amarisoft have successfully demonstrated the world’s first 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) link over a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite. Using 3GPP Release 17 standards, the collaboration marks a major step in integrating terrestrial and satellite systems for seamless global connectivity. This milestone paves the way for direct-to-device communication, bridging digital divides and enabling innovative applications across industries.

VEON and Starlink Partner to Bring Direct-to-Cell Satellite Connectivity to Ukraine

VEON and Starlink Partner to Bring Direct-to-Cell Satellite Connectivity to Ukraine
VEON and Starlink are joining forces to introduce direct-to-cell satellite connectivity to Kyivstar users in Ukraine. Launching in late 2025, this collaboration brings SMS and OTT messaging capabilities to underserved regions, with voice and data services to follow. The initiative enhances Ukraine's connectivity resilience, leveraging Starlink's advanced satellite technology and Kyivstar’s extensive telecom network.

Private Networks for Post-Hurricane Recovery: A Case Study

Cumucore Restores Critical Connectivity for Western North Carolina
Cumucore’s deployment of a private 5G network in post-hurricane North Carolina highlights the role of advanced connectivity solutions in disaster recovery. By leveraging satellite backhaul, CBRS, and innovative collaborations, the team restored communication in disconnected regions, supporting emergency responders and affected communities. Learn how private networks are transforming disaster response with flexibility, reliability, and user-focused design.

Cumucore Restores Critical Connectivity for Western North Carolina

Cumucore Restores Critical Connectivity for Western North Carolina

Award Category: Private Network Excellence in Public Safety

Winner: Cumucore

Partner: Ripsim, Mosolabs, Starlink


When Hurricane Helene struck Western North Carolina, it left behind severe physical destruction and a critical communication crisis, isolating communities from essential resources and emergency services. In response, Cumucore, in collaboration with Ripsim, Mosolabs, and Starlink, deployed a resilient and scalable private mobile network that rapidly restored essential connectivity where it was needed most. This innovative deployment earned Cumucore the 2024 TeckNexus "Private Network Excellence in Public Safety" award, recognizing their transformative use of private network technology to enhance disaster response and ensure reliable communication for affected areas during emergencies.

Telesat Signs US$39 Million Contract with SatixFy to Develop and Deliver Landing Station Baseband Units for Telesat Lightspeed Network

Satellites as Cell Towers: Redefining Mobile Communication | TeckNexus
Telesat, a leading satellite operator, has partnered with SatixFy to develop and deliver Landing Station Baseband Units for its upcoming Lightspeed Network. These units will enable high-speed communication between Telesat's Low Earth Orbit satellites and ground stations. The Lightspeed Network aims to provide global, high-speed, and low-latency broadband internet. The total agreement is valued at $39 million, with deliveries expected over 28 months. This partnership strengthens both companies' positions in the satellite communication industry.

Apple Invests $1.1 Billion in Satellite Expansion to Enhance iPhone Connectivity

Apple Invests $1.1 Billion in Satellite Expansion to Enhance iPhone Connectivity
Apple is set to invest $1.1 billion in expanding satellite connectivity for iPhones through Globalstar, aiming to develop a new satellite constellation that enhances emergency services and connects users in remote locations. This expansion, including new satellites and infrastructure, highlights Apple’s commitment to uninterrupted mobile services, even in cellular dead zones.

AST SpaceMobile Wins U.S. SDA Contract for Space-Based Broadband

AT&T and AST SpaceMobile Partner to Expand Satellite Connectivity
AST SpaceMobile, the innovator of space-based cellular broadband, has been awarded an initial contract with the U.S. Space Development Agency under the HALO program. This agreement opens doors for AST SpaceMobile to demonstrate its space-based communication technology in government applications, enhancing both national security and commercial connectivity.

SCWS Saudi Arabia 2024

SCWS Saudi Arabia 2024
Event Start Date: 19th Nov, 2024
Event End Date: 20th Nov, 2024
Location: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh
Exclusive 20% discount with "SCWSMENA" discount code

5G NR Transparent NTN: Deployment Aspect and Challenges

5G NR Transparent NTN: Deployment Aspect and Challenges
This article explores the deployment of 5G NR Transparent Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), detailing the architecture's advantages and challenges. It highlights how this "bent-pipe" NTN approach integrates ground-based gNodeB components with NGSO satellite constellations to expand global connectivity. Key challenges like moving beam management, interference mitigation, and latency are discussed, underscoring the potential and complexities in achieving seamless satellite-based mobile communication.

WSPD enhances situational awareness during six day city-wide festival with Dejero mission-critical connectivity

WSPD enhances situational awareness during six day city-wide festival with Dejero
Dejero, an innovator in mission-critical connectivity solutions proven to deliver real-time data and high-quality live video over IP for situational awareness, recently supplied its GateWay network aggregation device to Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) for critical connectivity during the International Black Theatre Festival (IBTF). Powered by Dejero Smart Blending Technology™, GateWay is certified by multiple nationwide US wireless communications networks built for priority-use of first responders and the public safety community. Smart Blending Technology combines connectivity from diverse cellular and other IP network providers, including LEO, MEO and GEO satellites creating a virtual ‘network of networks’ to provide access to a far greater coverage area than any single provider can deliver. Easily transported, GateWay can be set up in a matter of minutes, making it ideal for on-location events.

Liquid and Globalstar Partner to Expand 5G Private Networks Across Africa and the Middle East

Private Network Excellence in Mining
Liquid Intelligent Technologies partners with Globalstar to deliver advanced 5G Private Networks across Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf. By leveraging Globalstar’s n53 spectrum and Liquid's fiber and satellite networks, industries such as mining, telecommunications, and manufacturing will gain access to high-speed, scalable, and secure wireless solutions. This partnership will support AI, IoT, and automation, transforming connectivity in remote and high-value sectors.

Hughes and Boost Mobile Enhance U.S. Navy Tactical Edge with Multi-Transport 5G Network

Hughes and Boost Mobile Enhance U.S. Navy Tactical Edge with Multi-Transport 5G Network
Hughes and Boost Mobile, subsidiaries of EchoStar, demonstrated cutting-edge multi-transport network management for the U.S. Navy, enhancing tactical edge communication through resilient satellite and 5G orchestration. The trial successfully integrated Hughes’ Smart Network Edge with Boost Mobile’s Open RAN 5G networks, providing secure, flexible communications in contested environments. This supports the DoD’s PACE initiative and shows the potential of Private 5G in defense operations.

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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