Iridium, Skylo and the Standards Route
How do the companies that rely on the 3GPP standard and dedicated satellite spectrum compete with SpaceX and AST?
Chapter summary
A second route to D2D uses the global 3GPP non-terrestrial network (NTN) standard in dedicated mobile satellite spectrum.
Key takeaways
- 1
Phones need an NTN-capable modem, now standard in recent flagships such as Google's Pixel 9 and later and Samsung's Galaxy S25, but no special antenna.
- 2
Skylo, which owns no satellites, connects these phones through partner geostationary satellites and provides satellite SOS and texting for Verizon and Google and Samsung phones.
- 3
Iridium, with about 80 operational satellites in low orbit and $871.7 million of 2025 revenue, is launching NTN Direct, a standard narrowband messaging and IoT service, in 2026.
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The Gatekeepers: Phone Makers, Chipsets and Operating Systems
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