•Telco-satellite deals reach 275 across 101 markets by mid-April
•Multi-vendor strategies replace single-satellite trials in operator planning
The fact
GSA data published this week show global direct-to-device (D2D) satellite partnerships reached 123 by mid-April, nearly half of all telco-satellite agreements worldwide. Total satellite partnerships reached 275 across 101 markets, spanning D2D, fixed broadband replacement and satellite IoT. Twenty-one commercial D2D services are now active across 17 countries. Starlink led with 96 operator agreements, ahead of AST SpaceMobile's 44 and Amazon Kuiper's 28.
The assessment
The shift is strategic, not just numerical. Telcos now treat satellite connectivity as an extension of terrestrial coverage rather than a standalone niche. Multi-vendor approaches signal that D2D has moved from experiment to long-term network architecture planning. Competition is increasingly concentrated around MSS spectrum ownership, as SpaceX, AST and Amazon secure dedicated spectrum assets for scalable D2D capacity.
What to watch
Watch whether MSS spectrum consolidation accelerates and if AST-backed commercial D2D launches proceed before year-end despite recent deployment setbacks.
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