D2D market worth $41bn by 2034
November 20, 2025
By Chris Forrester
A forecast of the likely impact of Direct-to-Cellular (D2C) and Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite-based connectivity delivers some strong numbers, and suggests that the 2025-2034 CAGR will be 52.3 per cent and taking the market size to a massive $41.12 billion (€35.6bn) by 2034.
The data, from Market.US forecasts that more than half of the market (52.7 per cent) will be generated by Consumer Electronics. North America accounted for roughly 43 per cent of the market share in 2024 and worth $261 million in value. The remaining about 47 per cent of the total is shared by the Automotive & Connected Vehicles market, Agriculture & Environmental Monitoring and Logistics & Asset Tracking.
The report lists the companies which are likely to benefit from this growth as:
· Starlink
· AST SpaceMobile
· Lynk Global
· Apple
· Globalstar
· Iridium
· Qualcomm
· T-Mobile
· AT&T
· Rogers Comm’s
· EchoStar/Hughes
· Omnispace
· Skylo
· Sete;iot
· Swarm
The D2C market has expanded rapidly as satellite connectivity begins to integrate directly with standard mobile devices. Growth is supported by advancements in non-terrestrial network technology that allow smartphones to connect to satellites without special hardware. The market is evolving into an important part of the global communication ecosystem as demand for seamless connectivity increases across remote, rural and underserved regions.
Top driving factors include the surge in smartphone penetration globally, especially in underserved regions where cellular towers are scarce. The increasing dependence on mobile connectivity for emergency communication, real-time data, and IoT operations fuels this demand. Partnerships between telecom operators and satellite companies, along with international standardisation like 3GPP NTN protocols, enable interoperability and scalability, fostering mass adoption.
Growth in industrial Internet of Things (IoT) applications for tracking, monitoring, and automation is expanding the use cases of D2C technology. For instance, in October, Apple is testing and preparing to launch iPhone 18 Pro models with full 5G satellite connectivity, potentially enabling direct satellite internet without depending on terrestrial networks. This is part of an ongoing collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink and T-Mobile, currently in beta testing phases for satellite text messaging service on iPhones.
The Broadband and Emergency Data Services segment is currently leading the market with a 37.6 per cent share, driven by rising demand for satellite-enabled connectivity in remote and crisis scenarios.
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