OQ Technology and Telefónica Germany plan smartphone-satellite test

OQ Technology and Telefónica Germany said on 9 June 2026 that they plan a live demonstration in Germany of two-way satellite communications between low Earth orbit satellites and standard smartphones using Telefónica Germany's licensed terrestrial mobile spectrum.

The planned demonstration in Germany will test direct-to-device satellite links on standard consumer smartphones without hardware changes. The companies said the trial will cover two-way communications for messaging and voice-based services from space to devices including iPhone, Samsung and Google smartphones.

OQ Technology said it will use its in-house multi-band direct-to-device payload technology with Telefónica Germany's licensed mobile spectrum. The companies said they will assess achievable data performance, spectrum coexistence and how the satellite layer interacts with existing terrestrial mobile infrastructure in areas where expanding ground networks is difficult.

OQ Technology said its payload uses a 3GPP-based approach, referring to standards from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, and supports MSS S-band, C-band and IMT bands. The company said it has already demonstrated direct-to-device connectivity using MSS S-band spectrum and is preparing missions spanning MSS S-band, C-band and IMT spectrum for direct smartphone connectivity. OQ Technology also said its network supports both direct-to-device and IoT NTN, or non-terrestrial network, services.

Related questions

• What will OQ Technology and Telefónica Germany test in Germany?
• Which smartphones are included in the planned satellite trial?
• What spectrum will Telefónica Germany provide for the demonstration?
• Which technical areas will the companies evaluate during the test?
• What bands does OQ Technology say its direct-to-device payload supports?