A new Juniper Research study projects that 2025 will be the first year direct-to-device (D2D) services will be available on commercial products, with an expected global revenue generation of $30 million. D2D services leverage direct connectivity provided by satellites that can reach remote geographical areas.
“D2D will help connect the unconnected and meet the growing demand for seamless, ubiquitous global connectivity – especially in areas without terrestrial coverage,” explained Sumaiya Najarali, Senior Consultant at Novaspace. “D2D will serve as a backup or redundancy option for critical communication or in the event of a disaster.”
D2D capabilities are highly sought after in the emergency and first response communities, especially during disaster events when traditional, terrestrial networks are commonly degraded or destroyed. D2D services are also anticipated to enhance existing emergency response services like FirstNet.
“FirstNet…is the only nationwide, high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders and the extended public safety community,” explained JR Wilson, AT&T’s VP of Tower Strategy and Roaming. “D2D could one day be complimentary to and extend the reach of the FirstNet network into…[remote] white spaces, helping them stay connected after disasters or during emergencies.”
According to George Giagtzoglou, Vice President of Strategy at Omnispace, D2D capabilities will deliver global connectivity and cutting-edge services to a much wider range of mission use cases beyond emergency and first response. “D2D…[will] also provide highly reliable IoT and data communications for enterprise, government, and military use,” explained Giagtzoglou.
Brian Aziz, Executive Director of Business Development at Iridium, also envisions that D2D will transform connectivity for the military and government by optimizing their missions. “I believe the benefit to government and military organizations [resides in the potential] consolidation of equipment, meaning fewer devices doing more things,” explained Aziz. “By leveraging a global network…these organizations can expand connectivity, tracking, and communication regardless of where the mission takes them. With a standardized approach, these entities can also expect to have a broader availability of hardware choices that will provide multiple communication paths such as LTE and satellite.”
Aziz also emphasizes enormous impact emerging D2D services will have on everyday consumers. “Consumers will have the ability to always be connected regardless of where they are or what they’re doing,” said Aziz. “D2D can provide everyday people with lifesaving services without borders on a device already in their pocket. Whether you’re climbing the top of a mountain or on a backroad in the countryside, a person’s ability to communicate with emergency services or check in with a loved one is an invaluable and important service.”
How Much Progress Has Been Made
While the benefits of D2D services are clear, more progress is still yet to be made to see these capabilities deployed en mass.
“There are limited services in the market today, but satellite operators have made great progress with increased spending, strategic investments, and partnerships,” Najarali explained. “In 2024, both AST SpaceMobile and SpaceX launched D2D satellites with the anticipation of offering limited services next year.”
According to Wilson, AT&T is still working towards developing the satellite architecture required to push out D2D services. “AT&T is working with AST SpaceMobile to make D2D a reality for our customers,” said Wilson. “AST launched its first five commercial satellites on September 12 of this year. In order for us to begin commercial service, more satellites need to be launched.”
Viasat is also in the D2D race and is currently working on building out an architecture to support its D2D capabilities. “While it is impossible to put a firm timeframe for mass adoption, Viasat recognizes the importance of a strong ecosystem for the successful rollout of D2D technology,” said Kevin Cohen, Viasat’s Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Business Development. “Our partnerships, such as launching a global D2D network with Skylo and integrating 5G NTN technology with our L-band satellite network alongside chip maker MediaTek, are key to scaling this exciting technology.”
Technological and Satellite Requirements
Though progress is being made, industry is still working hard to roll out the technology requirements that are required to make D2D a full-fledged reality. This includes implementing standards, like the 5G NTN Release 17 issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), that will shape the direction of D2D deployment.
“The current growth in D2D connectivity is being driven by 3GPP’s Release 17 standards, which are being adopted by satellite operators, mobile network operators, and chipset manufacturers to build new services,” said Cohen. “Release 17 allows for the provision of NB-NTN (narrowband non-terrestrial network) services to compatible devices. Services include emergency beacons and simple messaging applications. Future releases will likely pave the way for NR-NTN (new radio non-terrestrial networks), which support much more data-intensive use cases such as voice calls and broadband. Ultimately, anything a consumer does over a cellular connection will be possible over a satellite one.”
Giagtzoglou agreed that Release 17 is key to successfully deploying D2D services. “3GPP 5G NTN Release 17 standard was only finalized last year, and chipset manufacturers - and by association devices which use those chipsets - are only slowly becoming available now from a limited set of vendors,” explained Giagtzoglou. “We fully believe that 3GPP standards will define the market and are fully committed to building a standards-based solution with standards-based spectrum. We see companies across the ecosystem, ranging from manufacturers to MNOs, fully embracing the standards route as a mechanism for quickly delivering outstanding performance at the best economics.”
Cohen also explained that in order for an increased uptake of D2D connectivity, more Release 17-compatible devices will need to become available on the market. “There are no major technological barriers to this, but we believe the mass uptake of D2D will require a strong, open, transparent, and standards-based approach,” said Cohen.
Spectrum and Regulatory Challenges
Other than making more devices Release 17-compatible and developing constellations that can support D2D capabilities, more challenges remain as it pertains to D2D service rollout.
“First and foremost, enough satellites need to be deployed to provide adequate coverage,” said Wilson. “Additionally, necessary regulations need to be in place to allow for supplemental coverage from space (SCS) in the existing spectrum, and as part of that, we need to demonstrate that D2D and SCS don’t cause interference with the terrestrial network.”
Najarali agreed that spectrum allocation and regulations are current hurdles that D2D must overcome. “Securing and managing access to the necessary frequency spectrum and ensuring interference-free operations through coordination with national and international regulatory bodies [need to take place],” said Najarali. “Satellite operators need to secure licenses or regulatory approvals with each jurisdiction that potentially has its own set of licensing requirements, which has been a particular challenge for new operators like AST SpaceMobile, Lynk, and SpaceX.”
Though the regulatory front is a remaining challenge, industry is making progress. “AT&T is working closely with AST to ensure the necessary regulatory framework is put in place while demonstrating this can be done in a way that doesn’t interfere with our terrestrial network or any other spectrum holders,” said Wilson.
According to Giagtzoglou, Omnispace is also dedicating a great amount of focus to the regulatory hurdle. “On the standards and regulatory front, Omnispace and the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA) are focused on fostering innovation and the operational evolution and integration of satellite-terrestrial mobile telecommunication services,” explained Giagtzoglou. “MSSA stakeholders are working together to accelerate market adoption by coordinating on advocacy, steering regulatory goals of MSS operators, and evolving 5G standards with a specific focus on improving performance, efficiency, and economics – for the benefit of everyone everywhere.”
Explore More:
Can Software-Defined Space Networks Transform Disaster Response Connectivity?
Podcast with Keysight Technologies: $100 Billion Investments in 5G and Satcom
A Field Guide to 5G Standards in Satcom/Telecom Integration
