During the Orange OpenTech event in Paris, Orange announced the launch of ‘Message Satellite’, a service that allows its customers based in mainland France to send and receive SMS messages as well as their geolocation via satellite when mobile or Wi-Fi coverage is unavailable. The service is currently available for use in France and 36 countries to date.

The service is available from December 11th for the general public. Based on a partnership with Skylo, a non-terrestrial network operator (NTN), this offer is available for Orange’s 5G and 5G+ customers and will be initially proposed, on an exclusive basis, to those owning a Google Pixel 9 or 10 smartphone. Subsequently, ‘Message Satellite’ will be enriched in terms of services and compatible handsets.

The service relies on the ‘Direct to Device’ technology, which allows the smartphone to communicate directly with a satellite. The process is simple: users connect to the satellite through a dedicated SMS interface allowing them to write their message. The satellite then takes over to ensure the sending and receiving of SMS messages via Orange’s core mobile network.

The ‘Message Satellite’ offer will be available as a free option for the first 6 months, then at a price of €5/month.

Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange France, said: “the ‘Message Satellite’ offer addresses the fundamental need to stay connected with loved ones, even when away. With this new offer, Orange provides a useful and simple innovation that strengthens service continuity for our customers, wherever they are. Being the first operator in France to launch this option demonstrates our leadership and our ambition to provide high-quality connectivity everywhere and for everyone”.

“Orange combines the best available technologies to meet our customers’ connectivity needs. The Direct to Device technology is part of this approach, providing readily available and targeted connectivity on your smartphone even in the absence of mobile or Wi-Fi coverage. The launch of this technology in France to enable the sending and receiving of SMS messages is a major first step for the Group, paving the way for an enrichment of services available to Orange customers as technological evolutions continue,” added Michaël Trabbia, CEO of Orange Wholesale.

Other posts by :

1. Musk delays Moon landing until 2027
2. Hughes Satellite facing cash crunch
3. Major banks support AST SpaceMobile
4. Fitch downgrades DirecTV debt
5. BBC: You’ll miss me when I’m gone
6. Some new US Starlink subs face $1,000 start-up fee
7. Project Kuiper beating OneWeb
8. OQ Tech gets Luxembourg 5G-by-Sat concession
9. Roskosmos: Heads roll, launch project scrapped

Categories: Articles, Mobile, Satellite

Tags: d2d, Orange, satellite