Satellite-direct-to-device (D2D) provider, Lynk Global has had a busy week with the announcement of successful tests of its service in Turkey followed by further positive news – this time in South Africa.

Vietnam's government said on Wednesday it will allow SpaceX to launch its Starlink LEO satellite broadband service in the country on a trial basis for the next five years.

Visiosoft, a South African technology company, says it is working with French firm Kinéis, a space company, satellite operator and global connectivity provider for IoT and automatic identification systems, to bridge the connectivity gap using a satellite Internet of Things (IoT) solution.

Satellite operator SES said on Wednesday that it has signed a financial package worth almost EUR60 million (US$65.4 million) with European Investment Bank’s global arm EIB Global and the European Commission for a project to provide satellite internet connectivity to remote rural areas in Central Asia.

Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL), the country’s sole satellite company, reportedly met with Starlink officials on Sunday to discuss partnership options for fast-tracking the LEO satellite operator’s entry into the market in the next couple of months.

SpaceX’s LEO satellite operator Starlink has officially launched services in Niger, while also obtaining its operator licence for Chad some four months after the licence was approved.

SpaceX announced its second Starlink operator partnership in India on Wednesday – this one with Jio Platforms – just a day after establishing a partnership with Bharti Airtel in anticipation of Starlink getting regulatory approvals to operate in the country.

Global satellite operator SES says it has signed a partnership agreement with direct-to-device (D2D) satellite startup Lynk Global to target the D2D segment with integrated services – with SES also providing Series B funding for Lynk as part of the deal.

Satellite operators Space42 and Viasat said on Tuesday they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore ways to develop a 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) ecosystem for direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services.

Indian telco Bharti Airtel announced on Tuesday it has signed an agreement with SpaceX to offer its Starlink service in India once the LEO satellite operator gets regulatory clearance to operate in the country.

Aspiring direct-to-device (D2D) satellite player Astrum Mobile said on Monday it has contracted Switzerland-based satellite manufacturer SWISSto12 to build its NEASTAR-1 satellite that will provide 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) broadcast services across Asia-Pacific.

Kacific Broadband Satellites Group announced on Tuesday it is partnering with satellite operator Paksat International and Pakistan’s national space agency, the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), to expand high-speed, affordable satellite internet across the country.

Botswana  is the latest African country to successfully send a satellite into space with the recent launch of BOTSAT-1.

Several Bangladeshi firms have reportedly partnered with satellite operator Starlink to support the setup of earth stations in Bangladesh.

Subsea cable provider Seacom tapped satellite firm Q-KON to enhance its LEO satellite services, and bolster the resiliency of its network across its footprint in Africa.

Global satellite operator Viasat announced on Thursday it has completed a trial in Brazil with ecosystem partners GuardianSat, Quectel, and Acceleronix to showcase direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity for the automotive industry.

GCT Semiconductor, a leading designer and supplier of advanced 4G and 5G semiconductor solutions, and mobile satellite and communications services provider Globalstar, both showcasing their solutions at MWC25, have announced a partnership to develop two-way satellite messaging systems for Globalstar’s mobile devices and modules.

International operator Orange Africa and Middle East (OMEA) and satellite operator Eutelsat have announced a strategic partnership to bridge the digital divide through satellite connectivity in Africa and the Middle East.

At Mobile World Congress 2025 on Monday, UAE-based Space42’s satellite mobility arm Thuraya launched its latest hybrid 5G-satellite smartphone, Thuraya One, as it continues to position itself in the direct-to-device (D2D) satellite space.

Satellite operator Eutelsat Group announced on Monday it has conducted what it says is world’s first successful trial of 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology over its Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellites.

Indian media have reported that SpaceX’s Starlink will imminently receive clearance from the country’s authorities to launch satellite broadband services.

The chairman of Hungarian operator 4iG, Gellért Jászai, has revealed that he met with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to explore a potential deal involving Starlink and space technologies.

The role of satellite communications in keeping aircraft connected just keeps on growing. Satcoms specialist Viasat has announced that it is expanding its long-standing relationship with Aeromexico, Mexico’s global airline.

Space42, the UAE-based AI-powered spacetech company, has announced a strategic collaboration with FADA, an entity that is part of UAE’s EDGE, a technology company established to develop the UAE’s sovereign geospatial analytics capabilities, to significantly advance the UAE’s Earth observation (EO) downstream capabilities.