Space42 and Viasat Commit Up to $1 Billion to Shared D2D Satellite Venture Equatys

Space42 and Viasat have announced a binding agreement to establish Equatys, a shared satellite and ground infrastructure platform for global direct-to-device and advanced mobile satellite services.

Upon formation of the venture, the companies plan to commit up to $1 billion in equity, with each initially contributing $400 million and Space42 expected to add a further $200 million in a later funding round. Viasat is also expected to become Equatys' prime technology contractor.

Equatys is being structured around a tower-company-style model, allowing multiple satellite operators and spectrum licensees to share common space and ground infrastructure while retaining their own spectrum rights, customers and commercial relationships. The companies argue this could reduce capital requirements and improve spectrum and network efficiency compared with operators building separate constellations.

The initial constellation is intended to support smartphones, IoT devices and other terminals using 3GPP-based NTN services. Longer term, the architecture is designed to scale to as many as 2,800 satellites across 60 orbital planes and three altitude layers, with additional participants able to join the platform without necessarily investing in the underlying infrastructure.

Space42 and Viasat bring substantial spectrum and distribution assets to the venture. Together, they say they have commercial relationships with more than 400 mobile operators and access to more than 100 MHz of globally coordinated MSS spectrum, including L-band holdings and Viasat's S-band rights in Europe.

Equatys represents a step changes in commercial models for D2D from vertically integrated constellations such as Starlink or AST SpaceMobile. Rather than one operator controlling the entire system, it aims to create a neutral, shared NTN infrastructure layer that multiple spectrum holders and service providers can use.