Verizon and Skylo connect on direct-to-device messaging deal

Verizon has inked a deal with Skylo that paves the way for some Verizon mobile customers to tap into Skylo's satellite platform to gain access to emergency messaging and location sharing in areas not reached by the terrestrial cellular network. Verizon already has a direct-to-device (D2D) partnership with AST SpaceMobile.

Access to satellite services via Verizon and Skylo will become available in the fall to customers using qualifying smartphones (Google's Pixel 9 series and Samsung's coming Galaxy S25 series are in that group, according to CNET), and will complement Apple's iOS 18 satellite service. Verizon said it expects to extend the ability for mobile customers to text anywhere via satellite for customers with compatible devices "early next year."

There will be no added cost for the service, a Verizon official told Light Reading.

Verizon is bullish about satellite, noting that it is the first mobile carrier to commercially launch supplemental smartphone connectivity on Skylo's non-terrestrial satellite network and the first mobile carrier to launch a commercial D2D service offering.

"Verizon's network boasts an exceptionally large terrestrial cellular network and covers more than 99% of the population in the United States. However, there are occasional enterprise needs for IoT devices in places where people don't live or regularly visit," Srini Kalapala, SVP of technology and product development for Verizon, said in a statement. "Satellite IoT in combination with Verizon's terrestrial assets creates the perfect combination for IoT solutions in the most remote parts of the country and over land, air and sea without having to use a separate physical device."

Related:How Skylo is quietly succeeding in the phone-to-satellite race

A boost for Skylo

Skylo uses dedicated, licensed mobile satellite spectrum. Its list of certified devices includes the Google Pixel 9 series and the Ulefone Armor 23 Ultra; chipsets from Altair, MediaTek, Qualcomm and Samsung; and modules from Quectel and Compal, along with several other devices and components listed as "in progress."

Skylo doesn't own spectrum or satellites but works with partners that do, including Viasat, Ligado Networks and TerreStar. Verizon's messaging service with Skylo will run on L-band satellites owned by Viasat, according to Mobile World Live.

As Skylo's co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Tarun Gupta, explained to Light Reading in an earlier interview, the use of "bent pipe" satellites effectively bounce signals originating on Earth back down to company ground stations, where Skylo operates its own NB-IOT radio access network (RAN). Skylo's platform receives the signals and processes them through its own core network. In that sense, Skylo's system runs like an overlay atop the terrestrial mobile network and avoids D2D interference concerns.

Related:Sat-to-phone ambitions may need course corrections

The deal with Verizon gives Skylo a critical, marquee partner. Founded in 2017, Skylo recently raised $37 million from backers including Intel Capital and Innovation Endeavors. Meanwhile, Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X80 5G modem will support satellite connections via Skylo's platform.

Other players

Skylo is not the only company focusing on the D2D market. Others with satellites and spectrum include AST SpaceMobile, Lynk Global and SpaceX.

Verizon and AT&T are both working with AST SpaceMobile, which announced recently that its first five "Bluebird" low-Earth orbit satellites arrived at Cape Canaveral for a September flight window. Meanwhile, Apple will be tapping into Globalstar's satellite platform to drive the expansion of its satellite messaging strategy. T-Mobile is in the D2D mix with SpaceX to bring connectivity to coverage dead zones.

In March, the FCC moved ahead on new rules establishing a framework to support supplemental satellite coverage.