Elveo Mobile Sets 320-Satellite Target After Lynk-Omnispace Merger

Elveo Mobile is entering the direct-to-device satellite race with 56 operator and distribution contracts across more than 60 countries but no legacy commercial service to protect, Light Reading reported after Lynk and Omnispace completed their merger on August 14.

The new company combines Lynk's low-Earth-orbit work with Omnispace's mobile satellite spectrum rights, creating a challenger that wants to sell satellite coverage through mobile operators rather than own the phone customer.

That partnership model matters in D2D because operators are weighing satellite options that can fill coverage gaps without replacing their retail billing and customer relationships.

56 Contracts Frame The Operator Channel

Ten carrier trials are underway, while the two predecessor companies entered the merger without an existing commercial service, leaving the combined business to convert technical and partner groundwork into a live-service timetable.

Chief executive Ramu Potarazu, previously Lynk's CEO, cast the business as a roaming-style partner for carriers.

"Ramu will not compete with mobile network operators," he said.

Customer ownership would stay with carriers, while Elveo supplies the satellite layer behind the roaming relationship.

The target customer set also extends beyond smartphone users to automotive, IoT, government and humanitarian applications.

320 Satellites Set The Coverage Target

The starting network is still small beside the company's ambitions.

Elveo begins with nine satellites in orbit: six Lynk LEO satellites, two Omnispace LEO satellites and one Omnispace medium-Earth-orbit satellite.

Persistent global coverage is tied to a planned constellation of 320 LEO satellites, with new deployments expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027, the rollout targeted around mid-2028 and commercial services planned for early 2028.

Initial services will use narrowband capacity for applications such as SMS, WhatsApp, FaceTime and mobile banking before heavier data services are added.

The spectrum and waveform plan is broader than a single phone feature: Elveo is combining terrestrial IMT, midband frequencies and international rights to 60MHz of S-band mobile satellite service spectrum.

Potarazu said the satellites can support 2G, 4G, 5G and IoT devices through 3GPP non-terrestrial network standards, with payload computing used to configure multiple waveforms and frequencies.

That is a vendor claim rather than a market result, and commercial performance will depend on how well carrier tests convert into paid service and coverage commitments.

SES Adds Multi-Orbit Support

SES gives the combined company a strategic shareholder with a larger satellite network behind it.

The Luxembourg operator inherited an Omnispace stake through Intelsat and had separately invested in Lynk, leaving it with exposure to both companies before the merger.

The relationship gives Elveo access to SES medium-Earth-orbit and geostationary satellites as well as ground stations.

Each Elveo LEO satellite is expected to carry an antenna that can point to MEO or GEO satellites, reducing the need to build as many ground sites and supporting a more flexible traffic architecture.

SES also provides marketing and sales reach, but Potarazu stressed that it does not control Elveo's satellites or operations.

Capital and spectrum remain the two practical constraints.

Elveo still needs funding for the satellites it plans to manufacture and launch, and it intends to pursue European 2GHz MSS rights when current licences expire in 2027.

The company is headquartered in Washington, DC, with more than 150 employees, and its investor list includes SES, Fortress, Stepstone, Columbia Capital, Telcom Ventures and Blazar Ventures.

It is entering a market where AST SpaceMobile, SpaceX's Starlink Mobile and Skylo are already shaping operator choices; Elveo's test is whether its spectrum mix and carrier-partner model can turn a 320-satellite plan into service before rivals lock up the most valuable roaming relationships.