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Verizon and Skylo connect on direct-to-device messaging deal
2 Min Read
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.”
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.”
To read the complete article, visit Light Reading.
