Smart Communications, Inc., is accelerating its push toward the commercial rollout of its Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite service set for next year, following critical field testing in remote, hard-to-reach Philippine communities.
In its recent trial conducted in the isolated barangay of Marambong in Pandan, Catanduanes, engineering teams successfully transmitted text messages directly between mobile phones on the island and Metro Manila, as well as between local users within Catanduanes. Beyond basic messaging, the test demonstrated functional light data capabilities, allowing users to browse Smart’s official website—a major step toward delivering full mobile data services over satellite in the future.
The breakthrough comes through Smart’s partnership with satellite direct-to-phone operator Lynk Global, formalized under a Master Services Agreement signed last year.
For island provinces like Catanduanes, located over 360 kilometers southeast of Manila, rugged terrain and geographical isolation have historically presented extreme network deployment challenges. The region’s vulnerability was starkly underscored during typhoons Tino and Uwan, which caused widespread power outages and severe telecom disruptions, leaving residents cut off from critical communications for extended periods.
Radames Zalameda, Head of the Network Strategy and Transformation Office at Smart, highlighted the vital disaster-response capability of the new network. “Once commercially available, Smart’s direct-to-device service, enabled by Lynk’s fully deployed satellites, will enable us to respond quickly in emergency situations, ensuring affected Filipinos remain connected via satellite despite adverse conditions,” Zalameda said.
As Smart expands its direct-to-cell satellite testing through 2026, the upcoming commercial service promises to eliminate coverage dead zones across land and sea, offering a dependable lifeline when terrestrial networks go offline.
