Advanced Television

Viasat, ESA link for D2D

January 29, 2025

By Chris Forrester

Viasat and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a contract to “take European space to the next level”. The contract is with the Agency’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES 4.0) programme. The agreement could lead to a jointly-led low Earth orbiting satellite constellation.

Josef Aschbacjker, ESA’s director general, said: “By developing Direct-to-Device technologies, we are positioning Europe to capitalise and gain share in a highly competitive market. Through the preparation of a partnership with Viasat, ESA is paving the way for access to autonomous, seamless and resilient connectivity solutions that drive Europe’s technological competitiveness on the global stage.”

The two organisations added: “Imagine a world where your phone connects directly to satellites, keeping you online anywhere on Earth. That’s the future we’re building. In Brussels, we signed a contract with Viasat to explore a partnership for direct-to-device satellite connectivity. Our goal? Delivering broadband directly to your smartphone or IoT device – no ground infrastructure needed – so everyone, everywhere can access reliable, uninterrupted internet.”

The Brussels meeting and signing took place at the 17th European Space Conference in Brussels.

Further detail added: “The agreement between ESA and Viasat builds on their strong foundation of existing collaborations, delivering tangible benefits for citizens and industries through key initiatives: Iris transforming air traffic communication services to enhance safety, sustainability, and efficiency in air travel; and AIDAN Next, advancing optical communication solutions to enable faster and more secure data transmission between space and Earth.” The work will advance Viasat’s vision of an open, interoperable constellation system that enables multiple operators to work together seamlessly, aligning with ESA’s commitment to collaborative European and Canadian space operations.”

“We are fully committed to the development of D2D space capabilities that are based on 3GPP and other relevant open standards, combining existing GEO assets with a new LEO satellite constellation that meets the needs of users in Europe and across the world,” said Mark Dankberg, Chairman/CEO of Viasat. “We will be deploying our expertise alongside a host of European partner companies in this important work. We believe that this is a further step toward ensuring that space remains open and accessible to all.”

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