WASHINGTON — Mobile satellite service (MSS) operators Viasat and Space42 are exploring shared multi-orbit infrastructure to enhance and expand their direct-to-device connectivity services worldwide.
The companies announced an agreement March 11 to collaborate on satellites that would pool their L- and S-band spectrum, enabling global roaming among regional mobile network operators for subscribers outside cellular coverage.
“Ultimately, the question whether we build this on our own or [outsource] to a prime to do it, or a mix of the two, is TBD at the moment,” said Karim Sabbagh, CEO of United Arab Emirates-based Space42 during the Satellite Conference here.
“There are conversations with industry to be able to do that.”
Sabbagh told SpaceNews that both companies are co-funding initial prototyping.
“Within three months we will clarify what is coming next,” he added, declining to provide specifics.
In a statement, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg described the agreement as “an important further step in our capital efficient growth strategy to build a powerful ecosystem of partners dedicated to future innovation in space based on open 5G standards and scalable architecture.”
Both companies are members of the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), which promotes shared and open standards among MSS operators, as emerging direct-to-device players like Lynk Global develop constellations using terrestrial partners’ cellular spectrum to connect devices.
The agreement follows a similar, open-ended partnership Viasat recently announced with the European Space Agency, aimed at accelerating direct-to-device connectivity using MSS spectrum across Europe.
Viasat cited research from Analysys Mason, projecting the satellite segment of the direct-to-device market could reach $50 billion by 2032.