Direct-to-device satellite operators Lynk Global and Omnispace have completed their long-planned merger and rebranded the combined business as Elveo Mobile. The transaction closed on August 14, 2026 and was announced August 17, giving the new operator a Washington, D.C. headquarters and a licensed spectrum footprint built to push satellite connectivity into unmodified consumer handsets worldwide.
What Elveo is trying to build
Elveo Mobile aims to deliver ubiquitous global direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity — voice, text and data straight to the eight billion mobile phones and IoT devices already in circulation. The network is being optimized for 5G and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) with its own multi-band spectrum portfolio, targeting coverage gaps across consumer, automotive, IoT and government use cases. Elveo says its payloads will feature advanced on-board processing so the network can "adapt, iterate and grow rapidly" once it is on orbit.
SES on the cap table, 50+ MNO agreements
SES emerged from the merger as a major strategic shareholder, an anchor the two D2D pure-plays needed to compete with better-funded rivals. Elveo says it has commercial agreements in place with more than 50 mobile network operators and major distribution partners across 60+ countries, plus a strategic partnership with Tata-owned Nelco covering South Asia. Commercial services are planned to start in early 2028, with a target constellation of about 320 low-Earth-orbit satellites.
A busier D2D field
The Elveo launch lands in a hot D2D market. Rocket Lab is on a launch tear and just moved to acquire Iridium, Astrum Space struck a $1B SPAC deal to build its own D2D service, and hyperspectral peer Pixxel is expanding its own planetary infrastructure. CEO Ramu Potarazu says Elveo's edge is treating the satellite network as programmable compute in orbit — "connecting elevated intelligence directly from our network in space to mobile devices around the world."
Reporting based on coverage from Via Satellite, DCD, SatNews and PR Newswire.