Friday, September 04, 2026

Direct-to-Device enters commercial phase

As the geostationary satellite business consolidates, low Earth orbit constellations continue to scale up, while the Direct-to-Device (D2D) market enters a phase of commercial deployment and regulatory exploration by authorities worldwide. This landscape was highlighted at the Satellite Map Day 2026 event, organized by Convergencialatina last June, and in the 29th edition of the Satellite Map in Latin America.

Multi-orbit application cases presented by Telefónica - Credit: Convergencialatina

Multi-orbit application cases presented by Telefónica - Credit: Convergencialatina

Direct-to-Device (D2D) is no longer limited to emergency solutions and is emerging as a scalable communications option for smartphones, IoT devices and industrial applications. Against this backdrop, D2D players are seeking to strengthen their positions through acquisitions, strategic partnerships and access to spectrum (see table).

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