Space42 and Viasat clear regulatory review for Equatys D2D venture

Space42 Chief Executive Karim Michel Sabbagh said on Nov. 12, 2026, during an investor call that the single regulatory approval for the Equatys venture’s critical path is complete, and Space42 confirmed the same day that its joint venture with Viasat had secured the required regulatory review. The confirmation clears an obstacle to the direct-to-device partnership by removing the administrative hold that had delayed contract execution for the Equatys joint venture. On Nov. 6, 2026, during its Q2 FY27 financial results call, Viasat had said the pending regulatory approval remained a prerequisite before full-scale hardware commitments. Viasat’s statement preceded Space42’s Nov. 12 confirmation that the clearance was complete.

On Sept. 14, 2026, Space42 and Viasat signed a binding agreement in Paris during World Space Business Week to formally establish Equatys, and the partners committed up to USD1 billion in combined initial equity under the agreement. The agreement creates a shared space and ground infrastructure platform intended to extend mobile coverage where terrestrial networks cannot serve, including coverage gaps in populated metro areas.

Space42 and Viasat disclosed their Equatys co-founder status in March 2025 and launched funded technical and commercial work on shared non-terrestrial network infrastructure. The companies revealed plans to create Equatys in an announcement made in September 2025, and that September announcement followed the March 2025 start of funded technical and commercial studies of shared NTN infrastructure. The March disclosure had already established the two firms as Equatys co-founders before the binding agreement was signed in 2026.

Equatys is designed so smartphones, IoT devices, and other terminals can connect directly to satellites. Under 3GPP NTN standards, regular smartphones and linked devices can use satellite networks. The market for addressable Direct-to-Device and advanced MSS is projected to grow significantly over the coming decades.

Viasat and Space42 maintain commercial ties with more than 400 mobile operators globally. The companies also have access to more than 100 MHz of globally coordinated MSS spectrum for direct-to-device deployment. Together, the operator relationships and spectrum create a scalable foundation for direct-to-device deployment.

Viasat is expected to become Equatys’ prime technology contractor once the company is formed. When Equatys is formed, the scalable constellation’s initial tranche will be awarded, and Viasat is planned as prime technology contractor for that award. The award accompanies the step-up joint funding agreement signed at the same time as the binding agreement.

Equatys offers a Tower Company model designed to reduce each participant’s share of satellite costs as the user base increases. The compound growth model is expected to offer attractive returns to more strategic and financial partners as Equatys scales. The venture is intended to provide gains from geographic and spectral efficiencies to space operators using licensed MSS spectrum or Supplemental Coverage from Space spectrum. Equatys targets space operators across global, regional and national levels that use licensed MSS spectrum or Supplemental Coverage from Space spectrum.

The planned Equatys constellation will total up to 2,800 satellites. Earlier in 2026, the Equatys joint venture began its initial satellite procurement preparations. The partners expect formal implementation milestones for Equatys in Q1 2027 or earlier, Sabbagh said.

With regulatory conditions satisfied, the partners will conclude the prime spacecraft contract and set deployment schedules for the constellation. Those next steps apply to the multi-thousand-satellite network now that the partners have removed the administrative hold.