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The Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA) has a new partnership with GSMA, an industry organization for mobile operators to explore direct-to-device (D2D) and IoT connectivity. The two organizations announced their new collaboration on Tuesday during Mobile World Congress (MWC). 

The two organizations have agreed to explore integrating D2D and IoT services via mobile satellite services (MSS) satellites, in line with 3GPP standards. They are interested in scaling this type of communications and starting cooperative agreements with cellular operators. 

MSSA is a satellite industry organization started earlier this year by Viasat, Terrestar Solutions, Ligado Networks, Omnispace, and Yahsat with the aim to develop a global ecosystem using L- and S-band MSS spectrum for direct-to-device connectivity for consumer mobile devices. 

GSMA has shown an interest in working with the satellite industry to integrate satellite and cellular technologies. Last year, GSMA signed a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to work on integrating satellite communications with 5G and future 6G networks. GSMA has estimated that innovations in satellite can bring an additional $30 billion to $35 billion in income to the mobile industry by 2035. 

“Our collaboration with MSSA is based on the shared objective of reaching new benchmarks for global connectivity. By combining our strengths, we are laying the foundation for a future where satellite and terrestrial networks are fully integrated to provide unparalleled service and coverage,” commented GSMA CTO Alex Sinclair.