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.

The global Low Earth Orbit (LEO) market has officially transitioned from a period of capacity scarcity to one of commoditization, This structural shift is driving a significant “pricing plunge” as established players like SpaceX’s Starlink face intensifying competition from Eutelsat OneWeb and the commercial ramp-up of Amazon’s rebranded “Amazon Leo” constellation.

Strategic Shifts in Orbital Connectivity

The transition marks a departure from the early 2020s, where “having capacity” was the primary market differentiator. According to the eighth edition of the Capacity Pricing Trends survey, the rapid expansion of mega-constellations has outpaced demand in several key regions, shifting the competitive battleground toward service integration and aggressive cost compression.

The report highlights that the entry of Amazon Leo—formerly Project Kuiper—into the commercial market in early 2026 has served as the primary catalyst for the current pricing battle. With Amazon now securing major reseller agreements, such as the February 2026 pact with MTN for maritime deployment, the market is bracing for a sustained drop in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU).

Historical Context and Market Maturation

The current landscape is the result of massive capital expenditure programs and strategic mergers initiated in 2023-2024. Eutelsat Group, following its merger with OneWeb, has pivoted toward a “hybrid” GEO-LEO model. This strategy aims to blend the high-capacity broadcast capabilities of geostationary assets with the low-latency advantages of LEO, a move reinforced by the appointment of Jean-François Fallacher as CEO in June 2025.

SpaceX remains the dominant force with roughly 9,500 working satellites in orbit, yet its focus has recently shifted toward vertical integration. Following the merger with xAI on February 2, 2026, the company is increasingly marketing Starlink as the primary conduit for space-based artificial intelligence, recently filing for an unprecedented “million-satellite” application to support orbital data centers.

Executive Perspective

“The market has fundamentally moved beyond capacity as a differentiator,” notes Grace Khanuja, Manager at Novaspace. “As supply expands and economics converge, the real battleground is end-user pricing and integrated service delivery. By accelerating this shift, Starlink is forcing the entire industry to rethink where and how value is created.”

Hardware and Network Specifications

To maintain margins in a falling price environment, operators are focusing on reducing ground segment costs:

• Amazon Leo: Utilizing three hardware tiers, including the high-performance “Leo Ultra” (1 Gbps) and the “Leo Nano” terminal designed to make satellite connectivity more affordable for residential users.
• Starlink: Leveraging Gen3 hardware with integrated “Edge” processing capabilities for enterprise users, reset by an aggressive cost structure targeting below $0.30 per gigabyte.
• Eutelsat OneWeb: Currently adding 340 satellites to its fleet via a major contract with Airbus, targeting sovereign-grade connectivity and participation in the European IRIS² multi-orbit scheme.

Outlook for 2027 and Beyond

While consumers benefit from lower prices, the abundance of capacity has turned satellite internet into a commoditized service. Amazon faces a critical regulatory hurdle as it moves toward its July 2026 FCC mandate to have 50% of its initial constellation (roughly 1,618 satellites) operational. Meanwhile, Eutelsat is targeting LEO revenue growth of approximately 50% through 2027, banking on its position in the IRIS² project to secure long-term financial stability in an increasingly crowded orbital environment.