TAMPA, Fla. — OQ Technology has become the first European satellite operator to send an emergency broadcast message directly to an unmodified smartphone from low Earth orbit, the Luxembourg-based venture announced Nov. 19.
Omar Qaise, OQ’s founder and CEO, said the demonstration took place earlier this month in a remote part of Luxembourg with no terrestrial coverage, replicating conditions faced during natural disasters, cyber incidents or major outages.
“Standard, unmodified smartphones — Google Pixel, Samsung, and an iPhone — connected directly to an OQ satellite as it passed overhead and received a real-time emergency broadcast message, without any internet connection or ground-based network,” Qaise told <em>SpaceNews via email.
“This was a live orbital demonstration, not a lab test, showing that everyday consumer smartphones can receive emergency broadcast messages directly from space using OQ’s direct-to-device technology.”
OQ used its 60 megahertz of S-band spectrum to send the emergency message from space. The venture says its network is also compatible with upper C-band frequencies and is aligned with the latest global mobile network operator standards.
The company has deployed 10 small satellites in orbit and aims to add 30 more to the constellation next year to demonstrate two-way, direct-to-device (D2D) texting. The plan is to reach 100 satellites in the next three years to improve coverage and enable broader D2D services, such as voice.
European sovereignty push
While U.S.-based satellite operators such as Globalstar and SpaceX have already demonstrated D2D emergency services and more advanced capabilities, Qaise highlighted the importance of developing a European-controlled alternative for critical communications.
“In a time when cybersecurity threats and geopolitical tensions are increasing, Europe needs sovereign, direct-to-device, space-based communication capabilities it can rely on,” he said.
Qaise pointed to a widespread cyberattack on a Luxembourg telecom operator in July, which disrupted emergency numbers.
OQ’s announcement comes weeks after Texas-based D2D venture AST SpaceMobile registered plans with international regulators via Germany for a space-based network that would provide broadband directly to devices across Europe.
That network would be operated by a Luxembourg-based joint venture AST has set up with European telecoms giant Vodafone, which plans to provide cellular frequencies to enable the services in 10 countries, pending regulatory approvals and the deployment of more satellites.
To provide pan-European services, the joint venture is seeking access to 700 megahertz public protection and disaster relief (PPDR) frequencies and the 2 gigahertz of S-band spectrum that’s up for renewal in 2027.
Viasat is currently using S-band for its hybrid satellite-cellular European Aviation Network, while EchoStar is selling its holdings to SpaceX as part of a broader spectrum deal that would significantly boost Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell services.
OQ is currently using its S-band frequencies to provide connectivity for remote Internet of Things devices in countries including Australia, Saudi Arabia, Rwanda and Nigeria.