Satellite

An ambitious new development phase of ESA’s 5G/6G Hub has begun.

The agency is extending the facility’s satellite-enabled communications technologies and pursuing new collaborations with industry, as part of its drive to accelerate the 5G digital transformation of the European economy.

Standard smartphones to receive signal from space 

A report by satellite firm Viasat claims 60% of customers would pay more for direct-to-device satellite services.

The report was conducted by GSMA Intelligence and surveyed more than 12,000 mobile phone users across 12 markets, quizzing them about their views towards satellite services.

The Leo Ultra antenna promises download speeds from satellites of up to 1 Gbps.

Five UK-led European satellite projects will get a bit of public money to help them, while promising to incubate ‘promising’ UK AI startups.

During the Orange OpenTech event in Paris, Orange announces the launch of “Message Satellite”, a service that allows its customers based in mainland France to send and receive SMS messages as well as their geolocation via satellite when mobile or Wi-Fi coverage is unavailable.

Amazon’s satellite operation Project Kuiper has had its name changed to Amazon Leo, ‘a simple nod’ to the Low Earth Orbit satellites that make up its burgeoning network.

Over $1 billion in aggregate contracted revenue commitments from partners reflect robust demand as company advances towards commercial service rollout

Combined cash and liquidity of $3.2 billion in pro forma cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and availability under the ATM facility

British Airways has signed a deal with Starlink which will see it provide “every customer in every cabin” free Wi-Fi.

The airline will start its Starlink rollout in 2026, and once it has it will be available on all BA mainline and Euroflyer flights.

• Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile select Germany for Satellite Operations Centre to further strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty.
• Move follows establishment of Vodafone and AST SpaceMobile Luxembourg-headquartered satellite joint venture, SatCo.
• Planned EU constellation to be equipped

Virgin Media O2 has signed a deal with Starlink that will see it bring direct-to-cell services to the UK in the first half of next year.

At an event held in Mexico City, the operator showcased direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity in action, including native SMS messages and push-to-talk via satellite on a commercially available Android smartphone

Japanese telco SoftBank has joined a consortium that will develop and test several spaced-based optical wireless applications.

Satellite company Iridium has teamed up with chip firm Qualcomm to integrate the former’s data services into the Snapdragon Mission Tactical Radio (MTR).

T-Mobile US has added a data offering to its satellite-based direct-to-cell service that allows customers to use slimmed-down versions of some key apps, including WhatsApp and X.

Joint project will support the development of high performance Non-Terrestrial Networks 

The global satellite IoT communications market is growing at a good steady pace according to a new research report from specialist IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. The global satellite IoT subscriber base grew to surpass 5.8 million in 2024.

Activity, interest and investments in direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services has increased dramatically over the past two years, driven by multiple technology, regulatory, partnership and service strategies, with telcos and satellite operators such as

Leading space solutions company will use optical ground stations to deliver faster, more secure data from space

Companies will advance next generation quantum-secured satellite communications on Honeywell’s QKDSat Project with the European Space Agency, sponsored by the UK, Belgian, Austrian, Canadian, and Czech Republic Space Agencies

SpaceX has entered into a purchase agreement with EchoStar for 50 MHz of exclusive S-band spectrum in the US as well as global Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) spectrum licenses.

• Low-earth orbit (LEO) systems are increasingly attractive to businesses (especially SMEs) and to domestic subscribers all over the world
• The value of the sector is forecast to grow by almost 25% to hit US$14.8bn by 2026
• LEO services for global IoT connectivity will also grow by

• Deliberate sabotage by “malign actors” is increasing under the cloak of “plausible deniability”
• The immense amounts of vital data carried by submarine cable systems cannot be replaced or even ameliorated by satellites or microwaves 
• Lack of a coherent global strategy to countera