The next battleground, according to expert speakers at the World Space Business Week in Paris, is the fight for Direct-to-Device connectivity from satellite.

Starlink has more than 7 million customers, but has “little or no chance” to extend its service to voice services for at least two years, said Starlink president and COO Gwynne Shotwell.

Its rival AST SpaceMobile, currently has just five satellites in orbit. AST President, Scott Wisniewsky, told delegates at the event: “This is a brand new vertical that’s entering the wireless TAM which is enormous and we’re adding real value both to the operator and the end user. We expect we have a five to 10 year advantage. And that’s one of the reasons why we have the spectrum strategy we have because we’re pairing our technology lead with long-lived assets that’ll preserve that strategic advantage over time.”

However, Shotwell told delegates that despite the two years delay (to develop the crucial chip-sets) she expected to start initial tests of its new direct-to-device spectrum later in 2026.

“We hope to be launching our next-generation direct-to-device satellites in two years, and hopefully maybe have some tests on phones late next year,” she said. “We’re working with chip manufacturers to get the proper chips in phones.”

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Categories: Blogs, Inside Satellite, Mobile, Satellite

Tags: AST SpaceMobile, Paris, starlink