Lynk Global, a satellite-to-cellular operator which has SES as a major shareholder, has asked the FCC for a 60-day temporary authority to operate feeder links in the S-Band as part of a South African trial of its technology, with an unnamed local mobile operator (probably MTN), aimed at testing direct-to-device (D2D) voice calling.

The test will take place from a teleport in Kitty Hawk aerodrome, in Pretoria, the South African capital.

The system would use 2025-2110 MHz (uplink) and 2200-2290 MHz (downlink) for feeder communication to support a mobile network operator during basic voice call demonstrations.

The technology is straightforward: the Pretoria ground station will act as a feeder link, connecting user traffic to the satellite in orbit, which then relays to other nodes in the Lynk smallsat system. The FCC request follows a March 2025 demonstration with MTN South Africa, where the two companies completed Africa’s first satellite-to-mobile device voice call.

NASA flagged that the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) uses the same S-Band for active space missions, and warned that any long-term use at the Pretoria site would require duty cycle limits to protect those activities

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Categories: Articles, Satellite

Tags: FCC, lynk, NASA, south africa