Photo: Omnispace

Omnispace received regulatory approval to operate S-band mobile satellite service (MSS) in Brazil, the company announced Feb. 19. Omnispace reports it now has market access to reach more than 735 million people across Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 

Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) approved subsidiary Omnispace Comunicações Brasil‘s request to operate the non-geostationary satellite (NGSO) system nationwide. Omnispace says it is the first satellite operator licensed to operate in the S-band in Brazil. 

The Brazilian subsidiary has demonstrated MSS and IoT capabilities on its current system through a series of experimental licenses in Brazil. The pilot projects included demonstrating MSS on a ship traveling through remote areas on the Amazon and Madeira Rivers and vehicle tracking and IoT pilot projects in the state of São Paulo.

Mindel De La Torre, Omnispace chief regulatory and international strategy officer, said the company plans to connect rural and remote communities for economic, environmental, and educational opportunities in Brazil. 

“We look forward to providing MSS and IoT services in Brazil, which is at the forefront of the global stage for creating a harmonized S-band MSS ecosystem,” said Ram Viswanathan, Omnispace president and CEO. “This approval by ANATEL is a key component in accelerating our vision to unlock the full potential of direct-to-device connectivity globally leveraging standards-based technology.” 

Omnispace has launched two satellites and plans to launch an NGSO constellation operating in the S-band to provide IoT connectivity in line with 3GPP 5G standards. The company is one of the founding members of the new industry organization Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), which is focused on promoting the direct-to-device (D2D) ecosystem.