Focus: Telecom

Wireless communication technology companies Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) and Viavi Solutions signed an expansion of their joint wireless lab test solutions partnership. The two companies announced Wednesday that the partnership will include the roll-out of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) digital twin testbed they co-developed, covering Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO)....

The relationship between satellite operators and telcos can at times seem like a troubled marriage — “It is difficult to live together. But it’s more difficult to live alone,” Jean-Luc Vuillemin, special executive advisor to the CEO of mobile network operator Orange, told a session at last week’s SATELLITE 2024. Leaders representing Orange, Telstra, and...

GSMA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are starting a 15 million euro ($16 million) million challenge, Non-Terrestrial Network (TN-NTN) Community, and other initiatives to foster innovation between terrestrial and satellite connectivity. The two announced new initiatives on Monday during Mobile World Congress, following plans to work together on the satellite and cellular convergence in...

A group of satellite operators debuted a new industry organization on Friday — the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), focused on promoting the direct-to-device (D2D) ecosystem. Its founding members are Viasat, Terrestar Solutions, Ligado Networks, Omnispace, and Yahsat. Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg is chairing the organization.  The group aims to develop a global ecosystem using...

AT&T, Google, and Vodafone have made a strategic investment in AST SpaceMobile to support the commercial roll-out of AST SpaceMobile’s network. Both AT&T and Google are new investors for the company.  The investment announced Jan. 19 is a mix of equity-linked capital and non-dilutive commercial payments. According to an announcement, the three companies jointly gave...

Lynk Global has started initial satellite-to-cell service in Papua New Guinea with the country’s state-owned telecoms company Telikom Limited.  The initial service will begin with SMS and is expected to expand in the future to include voice and mobile broadband, and to provide life-saving emergency alerts and SMS warnings for natural disasters. Telikom Limited said...

Canadian internet service provider Mage Networks signed an MoU with Telesat for its Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services, to expand broadband access in Canada. Mage Networks is based in Alberta, Canada, and offers a service called MagiNet that blends wireless and wired connections to connect people in rural and remote areas. Mage Networks...

Iridium is taking a new approach to the direct-to-device (D2D) market after its deal with Qualcomm ended, announcing “Project Stardust” on Wednesday — an upcoming 3GPP compliant D2D service for smartphones and IoT devices that operates on Iridium’s existing network.  The project is in its early stages; Iridium expects testing to begin in 2025, with...

Some of the biggest names in Japanese communications will team up with Amazon to use its Project Kuiper Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity services. NTT, NTT DOCOMO, NTT Com, and SKY Perfect JSAT have formed a strategic collaboration with Project Kuiper, the LEO satellite broadband network to bring satellite connectivity options to customers in Japan....

Viasat is launching direct-to-device satellite service with Skylo and Ligado’s SkyTerra satellite network. Thursday marked an official announcement from Viasat after a non-binding MoU in March.  Skylo has a tech stack that connects standard IoT devices directly to satellite, compatible with 3GPP release 17 standards. Skylo has been operating its service over Inmarsat’s L-band satellites...