Early direct-to-device (D2D) satellite messaging services are not only enabling basic text and SOS alerts without cell coverage, they’re laying technical and commercial foundations for the next frontier: satellite broadband.
By demonstrating that standard smartphones can connect directly to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, D2D is paving the way for a new era of globally available, infrastructure-light mobile internet.
Capacity spoke to executives from two satellite firms helping shape that future. One sees the answer in global spectrum independence; the other, in deeper terrestrial integration, showing how their strategies diverge, even if the starting point is the same.
JP Hemingway, chief commercial officer at SES, sees direct-to-device (D2D) satellite messaging as far more than an emergency service or niche connectivity solution.
For SES, success in D2D will come from deeply integrating satellite networks with terrestrial infrastructure, blurring the line between space and traditional mobile networks.
“It’s clearly going to require close collaboration between satellite providers, terrestrial operators, and regulators,” Hemingway explained.
SES’s strategy involves leveraging existing ground infrastructure already co-located with major mobile operators such as Orange and Telstra, ensuring its satellite data doesn’t just land in remote gateways but integrates seamlessly into the terrestrial networks already trusted by mobile operators.
Central to this approach is SES’s partnership with D2D specialist Lynk Global, whose satellites use shared terrestrial spectrum, enabling mobile operators to easily extend their network reach via space-based assets. Such a model contrasts with other approaches reliant purely on satellite-specific spectrum.
The satellite firm’s D2D efforts also leverage multi-orbit orchestration, combining the best of LEO with Medium Earth (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) units, which Hemingway said helps to provide ubiquitous coverage.
“Many of our customers are taking our GEO and Meo solutions, sometimes different sites, and other times truly hybrid sites,” he noted. “We’re actually landing MEO and GEO capacity to the same site, and using smart software to pick which orbit is selected for which application.”
Another critical element is standards and API integration. He explained that SES is adopting telco-centric standards, like those from TM Forum, to make satellite connectivity indistinguishable from terrestrial networks.
“We wanted telcos to extend their networks, using our networks seamlessly,” Hemingway said. “We can only do that if we’re using the same standards and making a space-based network look and feel like a terrestrial-based network.”
For D2D messaging and future use cases to succeed, he highlighted persistent, always-on coverage as crucial: “You don’t want to have coverage over a country, but it’s only for a few minutes an hour,” Hemingway explained.
“Persistent coverage is important, and the more satellites you launch, you start infilling the coverage to go from coverage to persistent coverage.”
Hemingway believes that once these foundations are in place, D2D satellite messaging will quickly evolve beyond its emergency-response origins, finding adoption in sectors ranging from automotive and agriculture to secure government communications.
“We’re creating an ecosystem where terrestrial and satellite networks complement each other seamlessly,” he added.
Hemingway also pointed to sectors like automotive, IoT, and energy as immediate beneficiaries of D2D capabilities.
Connected cars, logistics tracking, smart agriculture, and offshore energy infrastructure stand to gain from persistent satellite connectivity, with SES’s approach to satellite communications also set to play a strategic role in government and sovereign use cases.
Another satellite firm diving into D2D messaging is Viasat, which has been actively demonstrating the technology’s capabilities through high-profile tests in Brazil and Saudi Arabia, as well as recent collaborations with major operators like Verizon and Deutsche Telekom.
Kevin Cohen, commercial director of Viasat’s direct-to-device business, told Capacity that the firm’s approach to D2D is rooted in leveraging legacy assets and open global standards to scale out the service
“Viasat, through its acquisition of Inmarsat, essentially has a global fleet of geostationary L-band satellites as well as an S-band satellite that covers Europe,” Cohen explained. “This gives us global spectrum rights in the L-band and European rights in the S-band, aligning perfectly with 3GPP Release 17.”
Viasat’s strategy centres around supporting widely adopted chipset standards to allow standard smartphones and IoT devices to communicate directly with satellites, reducing the need for expensive proprietary terminals and services.
“When 3GPP Release 17 came out, chipset manufacturers like Qualcomm and MediaTek began producing chips for phones, IoT devices, and cars,” Cohen said, highlighting that consumer adoption is already underway through handsets like Google’s Pixel 9 and Samsung’s Galaxy S25.
Crucially, Viasat advocates the use of Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum, rather than terrestrial cellular spectrum, as key to enabling seamless, global satellite coverage without burdening terrestrial networks.
“We think the MSS spectrum is the right way to approach the direct-to-device market because it allows you to cross borders and scale globally,” Cohen explained. “It doesn’t require terrestrial operators to sacrifice their own spectrum, which is essential for improving urban connectivity.”
Looking ahead, the Viasat executive sees initial D2D adoption focused on messaging services and emergency applications. However, he anticipates rapid evolution towards broader use cases like voice communications, particularly emergency calls in vehicles, and eventually broadband data.
“Messaging is the first step,” Cohen said. “Then maybe data applications, followed by voice, particularly for emergency calls from cars, where antennas have higher gain. Eventually, we see broader broadband applications becoming practical.”
For Viasat, the path towards next-gen D2D connectivity involves not just leveraging existing satellite assets but potentially expanding into new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations to improve service quality and expand capacity.
“We’re studying the potential for implementing a LEO system,” Cohen confirmed, highlighting the long-term vision for a globally connected future.
Cohen summed up Viasat’s vision: “We think the long-term vision and long-term play of using the spectrum that’s specific for satellite is going to be the right proposition… That’s going to allow for you to always be connected, whether it’s in your car or when you’re out in a dead zone with your phone.”
