Viasat and Space42 are joining forces to pool satellite spectrum in a strategic move aimed at enabling direct-to-device (D2D) communications on a global scale. This collaboration signals a pivotal shift in how spectrum resources are being utilized to drive next-generation connectivity.
The partnership reflects a broader trend reshaping the satellite sector: the fusion of ground and space networks to extend data services beyond traditional infrastructure boundaries. As telecom operators and satellite providers converge, spectrum becomes a critical lever for competitive advantage and technological progress.
Demand for seamless connectivity—across cities, oceans, and remote regions—continues to accelerate. D2D technology stands at the heart of that push, eliminating the need for ground-based towers or gateways. Through this spectrum alliance, Viasat and Space42 position themselves at the forefront of delivering always-on, device-native satellite connections.
Known for delivering high-capacity satellite broadband across commercial, government, and defense sectors, Viasat stands as a benchmark in modern satellite communications. The company operates a fleet of satellites including the ViaSat-2 and the first in the ViaSat-3 constellation, with ambitions to blanket the globe in high-speed data coverage.
Viasat’s technology integrates advanced payload designs with dynamic beam-shaping capabilities. These features enable agile bandwidth allocation—key for addressing real-time demand across continents. Following its $7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat in 2023, Viasat now commands one of the world’s most comprehensive satellite fleets, combining Ka-, L-, and S-band spectrum assets.
This strategic expansion widened Viasat’s service footprint from fixed broadband to mobile and maritime connectivity. More significantly, it created an attractive platform for spectrum pooling initiatives like the one with Space42, aligning complementary technological and regulatory strengths.
Emerging rapidly from contractor to front-line innovator, Space42 Technologies has focused its efforts on scalable satellite infrastructure and adaptive communication protocols. Headquartered in a tech-forward innovation cluster, Space42 has developed proprietary systems designed for compact satellite buses and edge-network processing in orbit.
Its expertise spans low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation design, modular payload integration, and the assembly of data relay networks that persistently bridge space assets with terrestrial endpoints. This makes Space42 a natural fit for tackling the technical demands of direct-to-device satellite services, where latency, signal strength, and orbital logistics converge.
Both Viasat and Space42 use their LinkedIn platforms as open channels for updates, thought leadership, and industry engagement. Executives from both firms actively contribute posts detailing the evolving goals of the partnership, behind-the-scenes milestones, and upcoming launches.
Curious how the partnership will evolve in practice? Follow Viasat and Space42 Technologies on LinkedIn for real-time insights and technical deep dives from the teams shaping this multispectral D2D leap.
Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity eliminates the dependency on terrestrial cell towers by enabling standard mobile phones to communicate directly with satellites orbiting above. No need for specialized terminals, external antennas, or proprietary user equipment—just the smartphone already in your pocket. This architecture forms a seamless bridge between space-based infrastructure and everyday mobile use.
Unlike traditional satellite communication systems that rely on intermediary hubs or gateway stations, D2D connectivity cuts out the middle layer. The satellite receives a signal from a mobile user and returns it directly, enabling real-time interaction regardless of ground coverage limitations. The result: end-to-end communication with a global footprint.
Traditional mobile networks leave large swaths of land—especially in developing nations, mountainous areas, deserts, and islands—completely uncovered. In fact, according to GSMA’s Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2023, nearly 40% of the global population lives in areas with no internet connection or very limited access. D2D bypasses these coverage gaps.
The ability for a smartphone to link directly to a satellite also becomes critical in post-disaster scenarios where floods, earthquakes, or wildfires may have destroyed ground infrastructure. When cellular towers are down, D2D connectivity keeps emergency responders in communication and enables affected populations to access vital services.
This isn’t an edge case solution; it’s a fail-safe infrastructure layer that makes networks more resilient and inclusive. From emergency alerts to voice calls and data exchange, D2D delivers continuity where conventional networks cannot.
The U.N. Broadband Commission calls for universal connectivity by 2030. D2D is a foundational pillar in achieving this ambition. It does not rely on build-outs of fiber, cell towers, or microwave backhaul in difficult terrain or conflict zones. Instead, it scales instantly with orbital infrastructure.
By integrating D2D into existing mobile ecosystems, operators can offer satellite-grade reliability to users in agriculture-dominated regions, tribal communities, or remote industries such as oil, gas, and mining. The end goal isn’t niche expansion—it’s full digital inclusion.
Something to consider: how different would mobile communication be if geography no longer limited access? That’s no longer theoretical. With direct-to-device technology and strategic initiatives like Viasat and Space42’s spectrum collaboration, the limitations of terrestrial reach begin to dissolve.
Spectrum sharing refers to the coordinated use of frequency bands by multiple operators, enabling higher utilization of limited spectral resources. Instead of exclusive rights over a specific range, providers access the same spectrum under agreed rules or dynamic conditions. This model boosts performance, reduces interference, and lowers the cost barrier to wider connectivity.
By creating a cooperative framework, spectrum sharing reduces redundancy and allows for more agile use of the radio frequency environment. In dense markets or remote regions with sporadic demand spikes, this flexibility ensures that spectrum doesn't sit unused while users face latency or congestion elsewhere.
Viasat and Space42 target a joint operating approach by pooling their respective licensed spectrum. This inter-operator access creates a shared spectrum pool that both parties can use to support direct-to-device (D2D) networks across multiple geographies. The collaboration sidesteps duplicative satellite deployment and allows wider footprint coverage without more orbital congestion.
Both companies also explore the deployment of dynamic spectrum access (DSA) technologies. These enable real-time evaluation of frequency usage—automatically allocating bandwidth where demand peaks and scaling back in underutilized zones. By managing radio resources programmatically, Viasat and Space42 can maximize throughput while staying compliant with international coordination requirements.
DSA also allows their systems to coexist with terrestrial networks, transitioning seamlessly between satellite and mobile connectivity. Large-scale integration with mobile network operators becomes not just viable, but operationally efficient.
The Viasat-Space42 arrangement reshapes the competitive dynamics of satellite communication. Rather than racing to outbid each other for spectrum rights, this model introduces cooperation as a mechanism for expansion. It signals a shift from exclusive ownership models to consortium-based access—setting a precedent for operational alliances in the D2D arena.
Expect other satellite operators to adapt, especially those with underutilized assets or region-specific licenses. By forming strategic partnerships, competitors can convert fragmented holdings into a broader service ecosystem. This approach lowers entry points into emerging markets, accelerates feature deployment, and reduces redundancy in orbital infrastructure.
How will regulators respond? The answer may determine the speed of adoption. Agencies favoring efficient spectrum use and cross-sector innovation may revise licensing frameworks to reflect the utility of cooperative models like this one.
The Viasat and Space42 collaboration hinges on an intelligent blend of satellite technologies. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites offer proximity to the planet—typically between 500 and 2,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface—which dramatically reduces latency. Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites hover at about 35,786 kilometers, maintaining a fixed position over the equator. While GEO satellites excel in broad coverage and stable broadcasting, LEO satellites drive real-time interactivity and reduce lag.
Viasat brings extensive GEO assets, while Space42 contributes a rapidly growing LEO constellation. This hybrid orbit strategy allows the joint network to balance scale with responsiveness. Devices can connect quickly via LEO pathways while tapping into GEO systems for high-throughput, non-latency-sensitive functions.
Low latency isn’t a luxury in D2D—it’s foundational. Applications like autonomous drones, emergency alerts, and satellite messaging apps demand sub-second response rates. LEO satellites orbit the Earth roughly every 90 minutes, creating a dynamic coverage mesh that shifts constantly. This dense constellation geometry ensures there’s always a nearby node to channel communication with minimal delay.
Partnering with Space42 allows Viasat to enter LEO without constructing a new constellation from scratch. Instead, the two companies interlace their assets into a synchronized bus of performance: LEO for fast response, GEO for payload heft and redundancy.
Direct-to-device services represent a leap forward in Mobile Satellite Services (MSS). Traditional MSS requires intermediate devices like satellite phones or terminals. D2D bypasses those layers. Smartphones, tablets, IoT modules—everything connects natively.
This configuration particularly benefits remote or underserved regions, where terrestrial networks fall short. The Viasat–Space42 configuration turns conventional devices into satellite-ready terminals without firmware overhauls or hardware retrofitting.
Both firms align their roadmap with the ITU’s IMT-2020 specifications for 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). The objective: fuse satellite coverage seamlessly with ground-based 5G infrastructure. Integration happens at multiple layers—core network synchronization, spectrum sharing agreements, and dynamic handover protocols.
From a user’s perspective, the transition between cellular and satellite coverage becomes invisible. A smartphone in the mountains continues streaming data over a LEO network the moment terrestrial signal drops. When the user returns to 5G coverage, the handover is automatic and lossless.
Behind the scenes, this demands adaptive signal processing, edge caching, and orchestrated resource management across orbits and towers. For telecom providers, that’s a shift from siloed networks to boundaryless connectivity.
Viasat has repeatedly demonstrated that growth doesn’t happen in isolation. Over the past decade, the company has engineered a series of targeted collaborations, mergers, and acquisitions to diversify its portfolio and deepen its technological base. The $7.3 billion acquisition of Inmarsat, finalized in 2023, brought together a massive array of orbital and spectrum assets. Earlier collaborations with firms such as Boeing, Safran, and Ligado Networks underscore a long-held strategy—join forces to multiply impact. This isn’t an opportunistic approach; it’s Viasat’s blueprint for long-term expansion in a rapidly evolving sector.
By joining forces with Space42, Viasat leans into an agility-meets-scale collaboration model. Space42 contributes lean engineering operations, rapid development cycles, and startup-style adaptability. Viasat brings decades of experience, regulatory capital, and global infrastructure. The cooperation allows both companies to deploy space assets swiftly while retaining the robustness of enterprise-backed rollout protocols. Shared expertise in RF engineering, satellite payload design, and orbital logistics creates an integrated innovation engine with a high operational tempo.
Look beyond the headline, and this partnership reveals something larger. As direct-to-device services shift expectations across telecom and aerospace, legacy competitiveness gives way to collective action. Viasat and Space42’s spectrum pooling agreement exemplifies an emergent pattern: complementary players co-developing orbital infrastructure. It’s no longer about who builds first; it’s about who connects most effectively.
Joint ventures like this open the door to:
What does this create? A tighter feedback loop between strategy and R&D, where executing on expanded market access aligns with investing in technical differentiation.
Viasat and Space42 are not just chasing market share—they are redrawing the map. Whether in joint spectrum governance models, co-funded satellite deployments, or D2D standards alignment efforts, this partnership highlights a growing consensus across the sector: collaboration will outpace siloed innovation. The implications stretch beyond product delivery. They define how tomorrow’s space-tech ecosystem will operate—co-dependently, securely, and with shared IP protocols built from day one.
Direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity transforms basic access into near-ubiquitous coverage. Whether a traveler is hiking in Patagonia or sailing through the South Pacific, signal integrity holds. This reshapes the expectations from mobile users who previously faced total signal loss beyond urban grids. With D2D enabled through pooled spectrum, handheld devices maintain messaging, location updates, and content streaming without terrestrial infrastructure.
Adventure tourism companies already field requests for digital connectivity even in the remotest eco-destinations. Airlines flying transoceanic routes have begun trialing smartphones as fallback communication methods for passengers and crew. Coverage along wilderness trails, alpine passes, and desert hinterlands eliminates the need for bulky satellite phones or signal boosters.
Real-time data exchange becomes feasible in areas where traditional geostationary or terrestrial networks either underperform or don’t exist. For logistics firms operating multi-modal freight across continents, satellite-enhanced mobile devices let operators report delays or hazards instantly. Telematics systems synchronize vehicle locations across land, air, and sea—in sync with the backend, even in no-coverage zones.
Government agencies leverage this for high-priority flows: environmental researchers launch sensors into forested valleys and receive live satellite-linked climate data. Defense programs integrate mobile units that maintain full-spectrum comms amidst jamming or terrain-based signal degradation. In both civilian and classified deployments, the seamless device-to-orbit link closes latency gaps and increases operational visibility.
No infrastructure? No delay. In the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, or wildfires, response coordination relies heavily on uninterrupted communications. Spectrum pooling between Viasat and Space42 enables emergency personnel to use standard smart devices as precision tools in chaotic environments.
Disaster command centers establish satellite-linked networks within minutes. Paramedics in flooded lowlands connect to remote doctors via video. Drones scout affected zones and relay imagery over satellite paths to optimize triage routes. Community alerts transmit directly to residents’ phones, bypassing compromised cellular towers completely. Where terrestrial lifelines break, D2D satellite capability holds the network together.
The strategic spectrum pooling between Viasat and Space42 sets a precedent that expands the functional boundaries of D2D connectivity. By aligning spectrum assets and orbital resources, both companies are accelerating the transition to an interoperable satellite network architecture. This shift pushes satellite telecommunications beyond traditional use in isolated or rural contexts and into mainstream mobile network augmentation. Standard mobile devices, without specialized hardware, gain seamless access to satellite coverage — a development that telecom carriers and mobile infrastructure planners now factor into future rollouts.
The partnership confirms the central role of satellite networks in hybrid terrestrial-non terrestrial solutions. 5G and emergent 6G ecosystems rely increasingly on space-based assets to close coverage gaps and ensure network resilience. As regional fiber and tower expansions face geographic and financial barriers, stakeholders across telecom and defense sectors redirect attention toward Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellations. Expectations mount for more integrated architectures where satellite and ground-based systems operate as a unified whole.
Expanded spectrum use translates directly into wider geographical reach. The Viasat and Space42 initiative brings consistent, low-latency access to high and low latitudes, where terrain or sparse population often impedes land-based network construction. Whether traversing oceanic shipping lanes, airborne over polar routes, or stationed at remote scientific outposts, users will encounter fewer dead zones. Ubiquity becomes feasible — not a hypothetical construct.
The collaboration signals market validation for MSS (Mobile Satellite Services), triggering a domino effect across capital markets. According to Euroconsult’s 2023 satellite connectivity report, global MSS revenues are expected to grow at a 6.1% CAGR through 2032, fueled by increasing D2D capabilities. Investors are shifting focus from monolithic deployments to agile, multi-orbit startups that deliver plug-and-play infrastructure adaptable across user environments. This structural change nurtures a competitive contractor ecosystem, where avionics startups, antenna manufacturers, and satellite integrators compete for placement in a rapidly evolving supply chain.
These shifts don't merely ripple across the industry — they redirect its current.
Pooling satellite spectrum for direct-to-device services introduces new economic and technical dynamics that ripple across the contractor ecosystem. Traditional satellite manufacturers and launch providers now interface directly with a digitally integrated D2D network architecture, pushing aerospace firms to develop beyond hardware delivery into software-defined payloads and orbital networking intelligence.
Subsystem integrators, in particular, face a growing demand to produce compact, power-efficient payloads capable of dynamic spectrum access. Mechanical engineering contracts increasingly merge with RF optimization, while vendors with capabilities in beamforming, software radios, and edge computing sit at the top of bid lists across Viasat and Space42’s procurement channels.
Contractors with expertise in in-orbit reconfigurability, inter-satellite routing, and spectrum-aware artificial intelligence seize early advantage. Those who can’t pivot into these cross-domain technologies risk being sidelined in a system that values interoperability as much as throughput.
Outside the manufacturing sphere, D2D connectivity opens high-value project scopes for service-based contractors. Telecom field engineers will be tasked with integrating terrestrial network interfaces with low Earth orbit constellations, building seamless handover protocols between ground towers and satellites.
Backend developers and cloud integration specialists will find steady demand in designing unified network management platforms. These systems must coordinate real-time spectrum allocation, data routing, user authentication, and service delivery across hundreds of nodes, both in space and across Earth’s surface.
Satellite integration experts now operate in a broader context, blending disciplines like cloud orchestration, mobile core virtualization, and edge routing. Vendors capable of delivering modular plug-and-play subsystems—compatible with both current and future Viasat or Space42 configurations—position themselves as long-term partners in a rapidly evolving deployment pipeline.
It’s not just about building satellites anymore. The Viasat and Space42 partnership changes what it means to be a space contractor—where your deliverables span orbit, cloud, and device simultaneously.
Viasat and Space42 continue to deepen their integration efforts, aligning technical roadmaps with shared commercial goals. Their spectrum pooling initiative enters its next phase with coordinated testing across multiple orbital planes. Engineers are refining end-to-end protocols tailored for low-power direct-to-device communications, with a specific focus on LTE, 5G NR, and NB-IoT compatibility. Regular joint engineering summits are accelerating harmonization of network orchestration, spectrum recovery, and device validation protocols.
Both companies are quietly preparing orbital assets for coordinated access testing. Unpublicized filings with international and national spectrum authorities indicate intentions to validate a hybrid ground-space architecture. Demonstration launches are expected within the next 12 to 18 months, leveraging Viasat’s global gateway infrastructure and Space42’s adaptable LEO platform. These missions aim to benchmark quality-of-service parameters in live D2D environments across multiple geographies.
Post-demonstration, deployment will lean heavily toward underconnected regions where terrestrial mobile networks fall short. Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and parts of Latin America emerge as the primary commercial targets. The goal is to deliver baseline mobile-access services—voice, SMS, and messaging apps—without the need for terrestrial towers. Expansion strategies will adapt to regulatory environments, starting with countries that have already adopted experimental frameworks for non-terrestrial mobile networks (NTN).
The framework is evolving from strategy toward execution. Constellation logistics, regulatory engagement, and commercial piloting will define the next 24 months. Each signal—whether a testbed approval, a spectrum petition, or a satellite payload publicized through launch manifests—serves as a breadcrumb on the path toward global D2D coverage.
By aligning their resources and technological capabilities, Viasat and Space42 have stepped beyond traditional boundaries to reshape what telecommunications looks like—both terrestrially and beyond the sky. This partnership sets a precedent. Instead of competing over finite orbital and spectral assets, these two industry players are pooling them, creating a more expansive and resilient communications infrastructure.
Direct-to-device services, once siloed within experimental domains or niche applications, now move into the mainstream. The application of interoperable, space-based broadband—made possible by shared spectrum and satellite access—shifts mobile connectivity from dense urban markets to forgotten geographies. Think remote islands, cross-continental logistics routes, wildfire surveillance zones, and mobile clinics in rural towns. For the first time, distance no longer dictates access.
Underserved communities—many of whom exist without consistent digital access—stand to see direct benefits. Voice, video, telehealth, education, fintech, and small-scale e-commerce are all built on the assumption of a stable data link. Where fiber can't reach and cellular towers can't justify installation costs, satellites can now fill the void with precision and scale.
Industries that depend on real-time communication across dynamic geographies—such as maritime, energy, transport, agriculture, and emergency response—gain a critical upgrade. Data is no longer delayed by terrain or territory; instead, it travels line-of-sight from device to space and back again with increasing efficiency and low latency.
Beyond engineering and economics, this move signals a philosophical shift. Spectrum sharing and D2D aren't just enterprise-level optimizations—they unlock connectivity as a public utility. When spectrum becomes a shared resource, and D2D becomes a baseline capability, telecommunications transcends its infrastructure roots. It becomes infrastructural equity.
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