The test, showcased at the Connecting the World from the Skies event in Riyadh, hosted by the country’s Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST), used a commercial Android smartphone enabled for non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity.
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The device was able to send messages via Viasat’s L-band spacecraft orbiting the Indian Ocean to send two-way and SoS messages.
Sandeep Moorthy, chief technical officer at Viasat, said: “By expanding our direct-to-device innovation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we’re showcasing the potential for D2D services in the fast-growing Gulf and Asia-Pacific region.
“D2D could help reduce barriers to connectivity in regions where terrestrial services are spotty and unavailable to help transform industries and supply chains, enable new opportunities, and to become more efficient, sustainable and safer. We’d like to thank the CST for their support in carrying out this exciting demonstration.”
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