The newly formed Mobile Satellite Service Association (MSSA) represents a gathering of industry professionals focused on promoting the direct-to-device (D2D) service environment. The group’s stated goal, according to Via Satellite, is to develop a global ecosystem using the L- and S-band spectrum that is already in play and licensed for mobile satellite services (MSS) for direct-to-device connectivity to work with mobile devices.
Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg is acting as the chair for the organization, whose other members include Terrestar Solutions, Ligado Networks, Omnispace, and Yahsat. The group notes that despite the similar monikers, they are not associated with the Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA). The MSUA focuses their attention on the interests of mobile satellite users and service providers.
“Integrating satellite connectivity into consumer mobile devices is a transformative opportunity for the satellite industry. As a coalition of leaders with a unified voice, MSSA will be a driving force in making this new marketplace a reality, while respecting the rights of nations to meaningfully engage and retain sovereignty in a rapidly growing space economy,” stated Dankberg. “The association will help create opportunities to scale NTN systems via open, standards-based solutions for D2D and IoT.”
Dankberg went on to explain that in his opinion, a satellite is essentially a cell tower in space. He envisions the MSSA participants working together to coordinate communications efforts to allow all the partners to work more efficiently and cooperatively. A regulatory environment that fosters robust but friendly interactions would benefit all operators, he noted.
“‘Coopertition’ is a kind of buzzword for that,” he explained, “whereby cooperating we make the market bigger and we compete on that large market, but that’s a way better way to compete than on the small market scales that the MSS operators have now.”
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