Skylo fleshed out its vision for direct-to-device (D2D) satellite services at the CES gadget fest in Las Vegas. After starting with emergency services, the company is setting its sights on voice calls and, later, enhanced 5G-like services.
Skylo execs held court at CES in Las Vegas to discuss the company's direct-to-device (D2D) vision for keeping smartphones connected where cellular networks are lacking and to provide details about an apps and services roadmap that is starting with baseline emergency services.
The initial emergency services include text messaging and location sharing, but Skylo is working to expand them this year to include "essential" services that can be delivered over satellite such as AI-assisted chats and voice calls, Pete Saladino, Skylo's head of marketing, said today at a press event.
Further out, Skylo will shift to "enhanced" services that are more akin to a fuller suite of apps and services that people can typically get out of their smartphones today.
Skylo demonstrated some of its baseline texting capabilities at a press event held at the Las Vegas Country Club. (Source: Jeff Baumgartner/Light Reading)
Emergency services delivered via Skylo's platform (sold on a wholesale basis) are offered today for free on devices such as Google's Pixel 9. (Skylo said it is the first satellite-based solution for Android 15 to be natively integrated on the Pixel 9.) Verizon, for example, confirmed last year that it will not charge for that capability via Skylo's platform. However, mobile network operators will set pricing on other types of D2D services and apps supported by Skylo, Saladino said.
Skylo will also support Samsung's coming Galaxy S25 series and will be used by carriers to complement satellite services on Apple's iOS 18 platform. The Skylo service relies on dedicated, licensed mobile satellite spectrum from its partners, and effectively runs as an overlay atop the terrestrial mobile network, an architecture that strives to avoid D2D interference concerns.
Early days for D2D
Skylo execs acknowledged that the D2D offering is still in its early phases. It's been certified with chipsets from Qualcomm (the Snapdragon X80) and Samsung (Exynos Modem 5400), with more on the horizon.
According to Skylo, its platform now can support more than 1 billion devices worldwide. That figure drops into the "millions" when it comes to "activated" devices and varies moment-by-moment in terms of how many devices are active on the Skylo platform.
Skylo estimates that its D2D service, which taps into the geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites of its partners, currently covers 50 million square kilometers across four continents (North America, Europe, Asia and Australia). Skylo doesn't own spectrum or satellites, but works with partners that do, including Viasat, Ligado Networks and TerreStar.
Though D2D is sometimes considered an option for rural and remote areas where terrestrial cellular is lacking or nonexistent, Skylo sees it playing a bigger role where there are dead spots in areas traditionally covered by cellular. The aim is to make those satellite links seamless.
"Satellite connectivity to us just isn't something we use in Yosemite, but even when you are within minutes from your backyard," CEO and co-founder Parth Trivedi said. "Our job is to make the user experience as seamless as possible."
Skylo today also shared some consumer research illustrating demand in the market. A survey with 1,000 Americans conducted last month showed that 76% felt frustrated, anxious or unsafe due to cellular network coverage gaps.
Some 59% said they experience poor cell coverage, with 29% saying they experienced it daily. Nearly half of respondents (46%) said they grapple with cellular network coverage gaps in their neighborhoods. Fifty percent viewed emergency contact as the most critical D2D use case, while 20% saw navigation as the most critical use case.
Consumers make up just one part of the market Skylo's pursuing. The company also sees its platform playing a role in the IoT market and connected auto sector. Indeed, Skylo recently announced a partnership with Cubic Telecom, a company that connects over 21 million vehicles across more than 190 countries. That agreement will see Skylo become a connectivity option for Cubic.
Editor's note: The story has been updated to clarify that Skylo's platform now can support more than 1 billion devices worldwide (not nationwide).
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