Space42 and Viasat Commit Up to $1 Billion to Satellite-to-Phone Venture

UAE-based Space42 and US satellite company Viasat are putting fresh financial backing behind a plan to connect ordinary smartphones directly to satellites.

The companies announced an agreement on Monday, 14 September, to establish Equatys, with combined equity commitments of up to $1 billion, Reuters reported. Each founder would contribute an initial $400 million upon formation. Space42 expects to add another $200 million in a future funding round.

Equatys is designed to help mobile operators offer voice, messaging and data where cellular coverage is weak or unavailable. It would combine satellites and ground infrastructure in a shared network used by several operators, rather than requiring each to build a separate system.

The companies say operators would retain their own customers and spectrum rights. Viasat is expected to become the venture’s principal technology contractor once Equatys is formed.

The agreement was announced at World Space Business Week in Paris. Formation and satellite procurement remain subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approvals; today’s announcement does not give a commercial launch date.

Why it matters

For investors, the development gives the connectivity proposal a clearer funding framework. The next test is execution: securing approvals, building the network and converting operator interest into paying demand.

Sources: Reuters, 14 September 2026; Space42 announcement, 14 September 2026.

Cover: Earth’s horizon above Western Australia, photographed from the International Space Station on 20 November 2020. Illustrative image. Credit: NASA. NASA image source.