Skylo, Rakuten, Viasat, Telesat execs debate D2D telecom impact

Executives from Skylo, Rakuten, Viasat and Telesat discussed the impact of direct-to-device satellite services on telecom operators in a Fierce Network report. The discussion centered on whether direct-to-device connectivity will complement terrestrial mobile networks or become a competitive threat.

The source identifies direct-to-device as the main issue under debate and describes it as the “elephant in the room” for satellite executives. It does not provide launch dates, pricing, country coverage, device compatibility, or technical specifications in the excerpt provided.

Direct-to-device satellite has become a key topic in the broader eSIM and mobile connectivity market because it affects how operators, satellite providers and device makers position coverage beyond terrestrial networks. The source specifically references Skylo, Rakuten, Viasat and Telesat, but the excerpt does not state any formal partnership, product launch, or standard such as eUICC (embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card) or RSP (remote SIM provisioning).