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Mark Dankberg, left, meets with ESA Director General, Dr Josef Aschbacher, right, during the European Space Conference in Brussels. Photo: Viasat

Viasat has a new agreement to work with the European Space Agency (ESA) on direct-to-device capabilities, and previewed that this could lead to a new Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) network. 

Viasat said it expects to submit a formal partnership project for the “detailed design and procurement of an Open Architecture LEO network, capable of providing 5G non-terrestrial network services directly to handheld devices.” 

“We are fully committed to the development of D2D space capabilities that are based on 3GPP and other relevant open standards, combining existing GEO assets with a new LEO satellite constellation that meets the needs of users in Europe and across the world,” said Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg. 

The project would fall under ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES 4.0) program, and Viasat will be working with partner companies in ESA member countries. ESA and Viasat signed the agreement this week during the European Space Conference in Brussels. 

Dankberg has talked about a LEO system for direct-to-device, where different operators share the same satellites, in the way that telcos share access to the same cellular towers, and Viasat is also pursuing a collaboration ecosystem for D2D with the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA).

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