Viasat Demos Working Direct-to-Device Messaging from its Satellites

Satellite communications firm Viasat appears to be following Starlink and AST SpaceMobile by successfully demonstrating their own Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity, which could allow their broadband satellites to connect with “everyday devices“, like 4G/5G mobile phones, industrial machinery or transport operators.

The successful demo of D2D, which took place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was fairly simple and sent satellite-enabled two-way messages and SoS messages for attendees at this week’s Abu Dhabi Space Debate event. This is Viasat’s third successful D2D showcase this quarter, following demonstrations in both Saudia Arabia and India.

The outcome of the trial is said to “prove satellite services to cell phone connectivity is technically feasible” for consumers and businesses using Viasat’s satellite network. The tests used a commercial Android smartphone “enabled for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity” with an over-the-top messaging application.

Separate messages were then successfully sent over two of Viasat’s L-band (1 – 2GHz) satellites, which orbit above Asia. They were enabled by 3GPP standards-based NTN service infrastructure installed in Viasat’s gateways by Skylo, a Viasat ecosystem partner. The technology follows new global mobile 3GPP release 17 standards, which are being adopted by satellite operators, mobile operators, handset and chipset manufacturers.

Kevin Cohen, VP, Direct to Device Partnerships, Viasat, said:

“In regions all over the world, millions of people do not have access to consistent, reliable networks. Satellite-enabled D2D could help reduce these barriers by allowing people to stay safe, secure, and connected when terrestrial services are interrupted or unavailable. That is why we’re excited by the opportunity. We’d like to thank TDRA and our international partners for their support.”

The company added that their approach of using already-licensed and dedicated satellite spectrum will enable it to work with mobile network operators to provide these services in the future without sacrificing or interfering with any terrestrial spectrum.

Quite how comparable this is to the dedicated solutions being deployed by Starlink and others remains unclear. But they’ll need to do more than just send basic messages, with rivals also looking to provide limited mobile broadband and voice calls to unmodified Smartphones (Viasat indicated that their mobile handset had to be “enabled” for NTN connectivity first).

The other catch is that Viasat’s ELERA L-band MSS network usually orbits at an altitude of 22,300 miles or 35,888km, which puts them quite a bit further away than the LEO satellites being used by several rivals (usually orbiting at a few hundred km). This is good for coverage, but also makes for some very slow network latency times.