Direct-to-device satellite services expand with 32 African operator partnerships

The rapid expansion of D2D partnerships in Africa represents a fundamental shift in bridging coverage gaps without massive terrestrial fiber investment. By adopting 3GPP Release 17 standards, the industry is moving away from proprietary hardware toward a unified ecosystem where standard smartphones act as satellite receivers. This convergence of satellite and mobile stacks creates a new competitive layer for telcos to differentiate through 'dead zone' elimination. For the streaming industry, this infrastructure matures into a viable backup for low-bandwidth delivery and emergency alerts in fragmented markets. Watch for the commercial rollout of Amazon Leo's direct-to-device services following its acquisition of Globalstar to challenge Starlink's current dominance in the sector.

The regulatory landscape for direct-to-device (D2D) services has solidified significantly in 2026. Per the FCC in April 2026, the commission granted AST SpaceMobile a permanent license to operate its 248-satellite constellation for supplemental coverage from space (SCS), partnering with AT&T and Verizon. This ruling clarifies that D2D providers can use either terrestrial spectrum via lease agreements or dedicated mobile satellite services (MSS) spectrum. In May 2026, the FCC further modernized spectrum rules by replacing rigid energy caps with performance-based frameworks, effectively increasing usable satellite capacity according to Satnews reporting.

Commercial adoption is accelerating alongside these regulatory shifts. In July 2025, T-Mobile launched its 'T-Satellite' messaging service with Starlink, which per Ookla October 2025 data, successfully delivered data to over 150,000 users daily within six months. In the UK, Virgin Media O2 became the first European operator to integrate D2D service directly into standard mobile packages using Starlink's constellation, as reported by Telecoms.com in June 2026. These launches indicate a transition from emergency-only messaging toward broader application support, including WhatsApp and Google Maps.

Global competition has intensified with Amazon's $11.57 billion acquisition of Globalstar in April 2026. This move secures critical MSS spectrum for Amazon's Project Kuiper (Amazon Leo) and directly positions it against Starlink and Apple. Simultaneously, the GSMA reported in June 2026 that Africa's mobile economy is forecast to contribute $290 billion to the regional GDP by 2030, with satellite connectivity now viewed as a core network layer to reach the 63% of the population currently affected by the digital usage gap.