Viasat, Terrestar, Ligado, Omnispace, Yahsat Form MSSA to Advance Direct-to-Device Ecosystem

Viasat, Terrestar Solutions, Ligado Networks, Omnispace, and Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) announced the formation of the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA) last week, to bring significant scale to promote and advance the emerging Direct-to-Device (D2D) ecosystem. According to the official statement, MSSA plans to integrate terrestrial and non-terrestrial network (NTN) services to deliver scalable, sustainable, and affordable connectivity to any device, anytime, anywhere.

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Also Read: Skylo Launches Direct-To-Device Service in US and Canada

Objectives and Plans

MSSA plans to develop a global ecosystem utilising over 100 MHz of L- and S-band spectrum already allocated and licensed for mobile satellite services (MSS), aligning with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards to extend terrestrial mobile coverage for both Mobile Network Operator (MNO) and Over-the-Top (OTT) internet services.

Advantages of MSS Licensed Spectrum

Highlighting the advantages of MSS licensed spectrum, MSSA noted existing space networks’ immediate ability to offer Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) services, an established international regulatory framework, no interference with terrestrial networks, and more spectrum to advance 5G New Radio (5G-NR) services. This spectrum enables all MNOs to integrate space/terrestrial systems across their entire service area without sacrificing terrestrial spectrum.

Also Read: Telus, TerreStar, and Skylo Successfully Trial Satellite Connectivity for Smartphones, IoT Devices