Space42, Viasat to develop 5G NTN infrastructure for D2D services

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.

The first phase of the partnership will kick off with partner-funded technical and commercial studies to develop a multi-tenant, multi-orbit 5G NTN infrastructure.

Space42 and Viasat said the infrastructure will be based on a 3GPP-compliant open architecture capable of supporting L-band, S-band and terrestrial spectrum to enable global roaming among regional network operators.

Space42 and Viasat will also explore new technologies and sustainable system designs to make satellite networks more efficient and ready for 5G models and ensure compliance with various telecoms regulatory frameworks of countries around the world.

The tie-up will also follow industry best practices and guidelines developed by the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), the industry body formed by Viasat in February 2024 to develop a direct-to-device (D2D) ecosystem using the L- and S-bands already allocated and licensed for mobile satellite services (MSS). Space42 is also a member of MSSA.

Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Yahsat Space Services at UAE-based Space42, said a key goal of the partnership is to develop a scalable open architecture space system that enables global collaboration across public and private sector partners, and taps into significant global growth opportunities in the global satellite market, particularly D2D communications and NB-IoT, as well as existing and next-generation MSS services.

“This partnership accelerates time to market, drives cost efficiency, and ensures seamless integration with existing and future networks,” he said in a joint statement.

Recent market research from NSR and Analysys Mason forecast the D2D market segment to reach US$50 billion in 2032, with the traditional enterprise and government MSS market segments also seen as having substantial growth potential.