OW30: D2D Reality Check

The satellite industry has a ‘new’ obsession, and no, it’s not Starlink’s next apology tour. It’s D2D NTN, or in human terms, making your phone talk to space without a dish the size of a pizza. Direct-to-Device Non-Terrestrial Networks are the latest promised land where smartphones and satellites are supposed to connect directly, no middlemen, no fancy antennas, and, ideally, no roaming charges that make your accountant weep.

Naturally, this has whipped the industry into a frenzy not seen since the dawn of 5G or the last time someone tried to reinvent the fax machine. Every vendor, integrator, and startup with a constellation diagram and a Canva subscription now claims to be “bringing space to your pocket.”