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TAMPA, Fla. — Viasat and Space42 have agreed to pool their Mobile Satellite Services spectrum, aiming to provide direct-to-device services from the world’s largest coordinated block of D2D frequencies within three years.
The geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) operators said Sept. 15 their Equatys joint venture involves well over 100 megahertz of L- and S-band spectrum already allocated across more than 160 countries.
Equatys will leverage their existing GEO fleets in addition to new low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
The announcement comes weeks after SpaceX struck a multibillion-dollar deal with geostationary operator EchoStar that included 50 MHz of S-band frequencies, to be used with terrestrial cellular spectrum for D2D connectivity from LEO.
In March, U.S.-based Viasat and Space42 of the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement to explore ways to share satellite infrastructure for D2D, including initial prototyping.
The companies said Equatys will adopt an investment model similar to the one used by cell tower companies, pooling spectrum and satellite assets under a neutral entity to lower unit costs.
Equatys will also be structured around a partner-led funding framework, balancing equity and debt to attract infrastructure investors seeking stable, long-term returns.
Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of space services at Space42, said Equatys is open to other operators joining.
“Existing GEO infrastructure will serve as a foundational layer for Equatys’ multi-orbit architecture, accelerating deployment timelines,” he told SpaceNews.
“By integrating LEO with existing GEO infrastructure, Equatys aims to expand coverage while reducing the total number of new satellites required, reducing overall orbital footprint.”
Competing with SpaceX
During a Sept. 16 press conference at World Space Business Week in Paris, Viasat and Space42 executives stressed the benefits of structuring Equatys as an independent satellite operator, with the two operators acting as anchor tenants.
Equatys is positioning itself as a sovereignty-friendly D2D alternative, committing to work within existing national spectrum allocations and closely with countries to give them access to a coordinated global system.
Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starlink LEO broadband constellation has sometimes clashed with Iran and other countries by enabling services outside formal approvals.
“I think it’s a scary thing for countries to think that anybody in their country with a cell phone can completely bypass national infrastructure in terms of all the compliance requirements,” Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said.
“So one of the ways to do that would be to extend the notion of shared infrastructure to a national carrier that is trusted by that country to operate it.”
Equatys is also being designed to accommodate spectrum beyond L- and S-band, including terrestrial frequencies where regulators allow.
And unlike traditional satellite programs that assign a prime contractor to deliver a fixed design, Equatys would use a modular supply chain approach. This would allow the system to evolve continuously through technology upgrades rather than rely on large, relatively inflexible generational builds.
A prime contractor will still be selected, but with an explicit mandate to enable innovation and interoperability across the ecosystem.
Dankberg and Ali Al Hashemi said Equatys’ differentiators lie in its spectrum scale, neutral shared-infrastructure model and respect for sovereignty.
Space42 and Viasat are members of the Mobile Satellite Services Association (MSSA), which promotes shared and open standards among Mobile Satellite Service operators, as SpaceX and other emerging D2D players primarily rely on cellular spectrum to connect devices.
SpaceNews Chief Content and Strategy Officer Mike Gruss contributed to his article from Paris.
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