By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The GSMA has brought
together mobile operators, satellite providers, technology vendors and
enterprises in Doha to discuss the future of Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and
opportunities to accelerate their wider commercial adoption.
The discussions took place
during the second edition of the GSMA Non-Terrestrial Networks Community
Roundtable, held on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress (MWC26) Doha.
Hosted by Barbara Pareglio,
the roundtable provided a platform for industry leaders and regional
stakeholders to exchange perspectives on the evolving NTN landscape, including
business models, satellite and terrestrial network integration, and the development
of Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity.
The session featured a
presentation by Tim Hatt of GSMA Intelligence, who explored the future outlook
for D2D connectivity.
Dr Karim Yaici of Ookla also
shared insights into the global state of D2D connectivity, presenting findings
from real-world measurements and highlighting key observations on the
technology's development and potential.
The presentations set the
stage for discussions on the evolution of NTN business models and
commercialisation strategies, the integration of satellite and terrestrial
networks, and the opportunities, capabilities and challenges associated with
Direct-to-Device connectivity.
Participants also examined
the technical, operational and commercial requirements for wider NTN adoption,
alongside regional priorities and opportunities for greater industry
collaboration.
According to the GSMA, the
strong turnout and quality of discussions demonstrated growing industry
interest in NTN and the importance of bringing the ecosystem together to move
from exploration and trials towards wider commercial adoption.
The organisation emphasised
that the future of connectivity will increasingly depend on bringing
terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks together, as industry efforts to
expand coverage and develop new connectivity solutions gather momentum.
