Globe to launch Sat2Phone service in remote areas this year

In partnership with Lynk, a satellite-direct-to-phone company, Globe announced that it will launch a customer pilot program to assess the potential of satellite-direct-to-phone communication services in remote places in the Philippines.

Globe x Lynk Sat2Phone service is coming

Globe Sat2Phone service in remote areas soon

The program will utilize Lynk's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to deliver SMS, IP messaging apps, and emergency alerts in regions lacking traditional terrestrial network coverage.

Globe Lynk MSA signing

Globe said that these regions include far-flung locations with existing Globe enterprise clients and government installations and tourist destinations with limited or unreliable cellular coverage.

This new agreement is crucial to enhancing connectivity and communication access in unserved and underserved areas.

Globe aims to first launch the service in Zambales, Pangasinan, Siargao, and Leyte.

The collaboration began this month and will run until June 2025. The live pilot trial launch is anticipated this year.

In line with our goal of empowering Filipinos through digital technology, we are looking for a solution to bring life-enabling connectivity to as many Filipinos as possible. Through this satellite-direct-to-phone service, we hope to provide access wherever our customers are, connecting the unconnected through disruptive technology, said Gerhard Tan, Senior Director and Head of Network Strategy and Innovations.

To recap, Globe also signed a Non-Commercial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lynk to conduct Proof of Concept (PoC) testing for the Satellite-Direct-to-Phone (sat2phone) Service using low earth orbit satellites in signal-deprived areas of Bataan last 2022. This PoC was successfully completed on February 21, 2023.

Globe and Lynk successfully sent and received SMS notifications, transmitted messages outside the test location, and broadcasted emergency alerts via a Low Earth Orbit satellite using standard mobile phones during onsite testing with latency within acceptable limits and promising overall results.

Both companies will also evaluate service viability in maritime routes, disaster zones, fishing grounds, and other areas that need improved connectivity through extended communication solutions.

Globe explains that the said initiative will utilize typical mobile phones of customers participating in the pilot. The data they collected on consumer behavior will help Lynk gain insights they could use to design a commercially viable product that aligns with the deployment dynamics of satellite-direct-to-phone communication.

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