Direct-to-Device (D2D) pioneer Lynk Global, Inc. has filed a request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for an experimental license to begin technical validation of a first-of-its-kind multi-orbit relay architecture.
The application, accepted for filing on Monday, March 16, 2026, marks a critical step in Lynk’s strategic partnership with SES, aimed at utilizing Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary (GEO) assets to backhaul cellular traffic from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) “cell-towers-in-space.”
Solving the “Ground Station Gap”
Current D2D solutions, including those from SpaceX/T-Mobile and AST SpaceMobile, typically rely on a dense network of terrestrial ground stations to relay signals from satellites back to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). This requirement creates significant geographical limitations, particularly over oceans and in politically sensitive regions.
Lynk’s proposed experimental campaign seeks to bypass this bottleneck by testing inter-satellite links. Under the “multi-orbit, multi-spectrum” model, a user’s text or voice data is received by a Lynk LEO satellite, relayed upward to an SES mPOWER (MEO) or SES-17 (GEO) satellite, and then down-linked to an existing SES gateway. This approach potentially allows for “always-on” global connectivity without the capital-intensive deployment of thousands of new ground stations.
Merger Integration and Spectrum Expansion
The experimental request coincides with the finalization of Lynk’s merger with Omnispace. The combined entity, which will operate as Lynk Global Holdings, Inc., integrates Lynk’s operational LEO platform with Omnispace’s 60 MHz of globally coordinated S-band spectrum.
- Frequency Bands: The testing will utilize S-band frequencies (2 GHz) compatible with 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) standards.
- Network Depth: SES, a major shareholder in the merged company, provides access to over 70 satellites across MEO and GEO orbits.
- Target Device: Unmodified standard 5G and LTE smartphones.
Strategic Validation
The FCC filing follows a series of successful 2025 field trials, including a notable demonstration in Portugal with MEO where Lynk proved its ability to provide two-way messaging and emergency alerts in remote maritime environments.
“The D2D market is entering a phase where reliability and guaranteed SLAs [Service Level Agreements] will separate the winners,” stated SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh during a briefing at MWC 2026. “By utilizing our multi-orbit edge, Lynk can deliver a lower-cost business case with higher resilience than LEO-only systems.”
Technical Objectives: The “Relay Payload”
The experimental license specifically covers the operation of a new “Relay Payload” slated for launch on Lynk’s next generation of “Tower” satellites. Key technical benchmarks include:
- Latency Management: Measuring the round-trip delay of LEO-to-MEO-to-Ground paths for real-time voice applications.
- Handover Stability: Testing the seamless transfer of a mobile session as LEO satellites move across the field of view of the MEO relay.
- Interference Mitigation: Ensuring the high-power relay links do not disrupt adjacent terrestrial or primary satellite services.
Outlook for 2027
Pending FCC approval, testing is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2026. If successful, the multi-orbit relay function will become a standard feature of the “Lynk-Omnispace” constellation, which targets a 5,000-satellite deployment by 2030. This architecture is designed to provide broadband speeds directly to mobile phones, positioning the company to compete for the 5.2 billion existing mobile users globally who frequently traverse “not-spots” in terrestrial coverage.