Despite decades of growth, global mobile connectivity remains incomplete. Isolated populations remain completely offline, and travellers through remote areas frequently find themselves with zero bars, out of reach of any network coverage.
Filling those coverage gaps is the last mile in the quest for global digital connectivity.
Today, direct-to-device (D2D) satellite networks are now poised to achieve 100 per cent landmass coverage and make telecommunication services available to the last 4 per cent of humanity.
D2D opens the way for a fully converged space-terrestrial system around 2030, by the time sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks become the norm. A recent Space Connect webinar hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) explored how the industry and regulators can create seamless connectivity across land, sea and sky.
“Satellite and mobile are no longer separate, but the satellites are also becoming natively embedded and integrated into the global 5G and 6G standards,” said GSOA Director General Isabelle Mauro.
Beyond just improving data speeds and call quality, operators now aim to provide all-encompassing communication and collaboration platforms, available practically everywhere.
In February, ITU’s mobile communication experts agreed on performance requirements for IMT-2030, also known as 6G, pending official approval later this year. These build on the IMT-2030 framework approved by the last ITU Radiocommunication Assembly in 2023.
Learn more about IMT-2030: Technical requirements for the 6G future.
Complex spectrum management
While the reach of satellites is unprecedented, D2D depends on new allocations of radio-frequency bands, some of which are currently used by existing terrestrial services, intensifying the competition for limited International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) allocations. “Particularly when we’re dealing with populated rural areas, access to low-band IMT spectrum to support capacity will be really important,” said John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer for global mobile industry association GSMA.
About 10 times more satellites are now active compared to a decade ago, with Low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations reshaping the spectrum landscape. Increasingly, telecommunication signals now emanate from numerous moving objects, rather than a single one on a fixed orbit for each network.
Learn about the rise of LEO satellite constellations.
Ensuring regulatory readiness
What was once a relatively predictable, static coordination model now demands more agile approaches, particularly to ensure equitable spectrum access for all countries.
National regulators must continue to ensure “very stable frameworks with low risk of interference – and potential for even higher bandwidth,” Mauro said.
D2D requires highly complex regulatory preparation, she added. “Because it reuses terrestrial IMT spectrum, it requires really new frameworks.”
Increasingly complex spectrum-sharing arrangements require active interference management.
The United Kingdom consulted closely with neighbouring jurisdictions, such as France, before rolling out D2D.
“We were quite cautious when we did it,” said Chris Woolford, Director of International Spectrum Policy at the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom). “We absolutely wanted to ensure we weren’t going to cause interference into other services, particularly mobile services.”
The imperative was to “ensure that consumers using a normal mobile phone weren’t going to suffer interference. And that included in neighbouring countries.”
Coordination at the global level – like at ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conference – will be advantageous as more countries adopt D2D, Woolford added.
Developing markets with ambitions for D2D leapfrogging face similar hurdles.
“The implementation of this service must not cause – or claim protection from – interference,” said Victor Kweka, Spectrum Manager at the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority. “We need to protect the existing services.”
Kweka underlined the need to enhance cross-border safeguards and work with neighbouring countries to resolve interference cases quickly and clearly.
Tanzania has been upfront about its plans. “It is very important to provide a clear direction on the country’s strategic path with regard to D2D.”
Check out ITU’s latest tool for navigating international spectrum regulations.
Potential for total coverage
While mobile services now cover about 96 per cent of the global population, but only 20 per cent of the Earth’s landmass. D2D services could bridge the digital divide for the last 4 per cent and deliver 100 per cent geographical coverage for all users.
Mauro outlined three ways: “One is ubiquity; two, economics; and third, capability.”
In a previous discussion, D2Dproviders shared different technical approaches for linking satellites to people’s handsets.
Tanzania is considering D2D for remote tourism routes around Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as to connect more than 50 islands in the Indian Ocean, noted Kweka.
In fact, it can connect any area or community where terrestrial coverage is hard to establish.
Complementary coverage boosts social and economic resilience in emergency situations, Giusti added.
Initial commercial launches in 2022 focused on emergency messaging. Since then, D2D has greatly expanded the reach of emergency services.
But as it becomes mainstream, it could unlock real-time voice calls and even Internet of Things across oceans, mountains, deserts, and protected lands where no cell tower will ever stand.
Replay Space Connect 2026, Episode 2: Direct-to-Device: Paving the way for satellite 5G/6G
Future episodes
ITU’s Space Connect sessions will continue to examine pressing issues and evolving opportunities in space-enabled digital services. Stay engaged with upcoming sessions to discover new insights and perspectives on space connectivity.
Don’t miss the next episode: Girls & Space: Pathways to the stars
Other upcoming topics include digital resilience, ICT policy developments, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, as well as spectrum protection and space-based safety systems.
Learn more about the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and its Space Services Department.
Source: https://www.itu.int/hub/2026/04/direct-to-device-services-poised-for-the-leap-to-6g/
