Focus: Telecom

French startup Constellation Technologies & Operations has raised 9.3 million euros ($10 million) to move forward on its plans for a satellite broadband constellation in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).  […]

In late August, Verizon was the latest big name telco to team up with a satellite player for direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity. Verizon announced a deal with Skylo to launch a […]

Korea Telecom (KT), one of the largest telcos in Asia, has concluded a successful 5G NTN (non-terrestrial network) trial that brings satellite more into the mainstream in South Korea and […]

DirecTV is acquiring EchoStar‘s video distribution business, including Dish TV and Sling TV. EchoStar said this move refocuses the company’s portfolio on wireless and satellite connectivity markets.  The deal brings […]

Iridium announced more details about its direct-to-device ambitions, announcing a service called Iridium NTN Direct that will connect people and things to Iridium’s network using 3GPP standards.  Iridium announced Wednesday […]

PARIS — The direct-to-device (D2D) market has been the subject of excitement and hype in the satellite industry in the past few years, with the promise of expanding satellite’s market share […]

SoftBank and Intelsat are teaming up to develop and launch a “Ubiquitous Network” concept that uses 5G connections between terrestrial and mobile and satellite communications networks. The companies announced Tuesday […]

PARIS — The satellite industry is undergoing massive change as many of the largest satellite operators consolidate to deal with competition from SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.  During the operator panel in […]

AST SpaceMobile confirmed the milestone launch of its first five commercial satellites on Thursday morning. These satellites will start service for the company’s cellular broadband network in space.  SpaceX launched […]

T-Mobile reported Wednesday that it successfully sent a wireless emergency alert via Starlink satellites, testing a capability that will provide emergency warnings to the public outside of cell service.  T-Mobile […]

Verizon is the latest big name telco to accelerate its reach into the satellite arena. It has teamed up with Skylo to launch a commercial direct-to-device messaging service for Verizon […]

The 3GPP mobile standards organization has approved an Intelsat-led Ku-band project for standardization. Intelsat led the effort with support from 35 companies and 3GPP community members, including other satellite operators, […]

EchoStar Corporation has opened a new Open RAN (O-RAN) testing and evaluation lab at the company’s data center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The the Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment […]

Comcast Business signed a deal with SpaceX to provide for Starlink connectivity to its enterprise customers. The collaboration announced June 21 brings satellites to the Comcast Business managed connectivity portfolio.  […]

Apple is expanding the capabilities of its satellite messaging on the iPhone. The new iOS 18 update will broaden the availability beyond emergency messaging, and Messages via satellite will be […]

Wireless communication technology companies Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) and Viavi Solutions signed an expansion of their joint wireless lab test solutions partnership. The two companies announced Wednesday that the partnership […]

The relationship between satellite operators and telcos can at times seem like a troubled marriage — “It is difficult to live together. But it’s more difficult to live alone,” Jean-Luc […]

GSMA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are starting a 15 million euro ($16 million) million challenge, Non-Terrestrial Network (TN-NTN) Community, and other initiatives to foster innovation between terrestrial and […]

A group of satellite operators debuted a new industry organization on Friday — the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), focused on promoting the direct-to-device (D2D) ecosystem. Its founding members are […]

AT&T, Google, and Vodafone have made a strategic investment in AST SpaceMobile to support the commercial roll-out of AST SpaceMobile’s network. Both AT&T and Google are new investors for the […]

Lynk Global has started initial satellite-to-cell service in Papua New Guinea with the country’s state-owned telecoms company Telikom Limited.  The initial service will begin with SMS and is expected to […]

Canadian internet service provider Mage Networks signed an MoU with Telesat for its Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services, to expand broadband access in Canada. Mage Networks is based […]

Iridium is taking a new approach to the direct-to-device (D2D) market after its deal with Qualcomm ended, announcing “Project Stardust” on Wednesday — an upcoming 3GPP compliant D2D service for […]

Some of the biggest names in Japanese communications will team up with Amazon to use its Project Kuiper Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity services. NTT, NTT DOCOMO, NTT Com, and […]

Viasat is launching direct-to-device satellite service with Skylo and Ligado’s SkyTerra satellite network. Thursday marked an official announcement from Viasat after a non-binding MoU in March.  Skylo has a tech […]

Amazon’s Project Kuiper takes a step forward after successful tests bring the constellation closer to a commercial reality. Amazon announced Thursday that Project Kuiper has validated all systems and subsystems […]

Qualcomm is ending its direct-to-device relationship with Iridium because smartphone manufacturers are not adopting the satellite-compatible chips. Analysts say the price and the lack of technology standards were contributing factors.  […]

Avanti Communications is revamping its strategy to become more of a multi-orbit operator for the first time. The company is in talks with a leading Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) operator to […]

Lynk has initiated satellite-to-cell phone services in the Solomon Islands with its regional mobile operator partner Solomon Islands Limited (Bmobile), which is using Lynk’s “cell-towers-in-space” to connect its customers with […]

Telus, TerreStar Solutions and Skylo have conducted a successful trial to bring direct satellite connectivity to customers in Canada. The three companies announced details of the trial in Canada on […]