# Elveo direct-to-phone network (Lynk) by Elveo Mobile Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight/elveo-d2d Frontier: [Spaceflight](https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight.md) · Field: Internet & phone satellites · Company: [Elveo Mobile](https://technooptimist.io/companies/elveo-mobile.md) Stage: Pilot (3 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-08-17, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Connect any ordinary phone anywhere on Earth, by renting coverage to mobile operators so their customers get texts, calls and data in places with no tower. Status: Nine satellites in orbit; new satellites to deploy from Q4 2027, services scaling to 2028. Next milestone: Raise capital and line up satellite manufacturing ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | First satellite-to-phone text message test | Feb 2020 | | | Done | Lynk Tower 1 launched | 1 Apr 2022 | | | Done | SES invests in Lynk | Mar 2025 | | | Done | Lynk and Omnispace announce merger | Oct 2025 | | | Done | Merger closes; company renamed Elveo Mobile | 14 Aug 2026 | | | Current | Raise capital and line up satellite manufacturing | | | | Planned | New satellite deployment begins | Q4 2027 | | | Planned | 320-satellite rollout complete | 2028 | | ## Upcoming events - **Q4 2027**: New satellite deployment begins - **Q4 2027**: Elveo begins deploying new satellites - **2028**: 320-satellite rollout complete ## Most important updates - **17 Aug 2026**: Lynk–Omnispace merger closes as Elveo Mobile, planning 320 satellites and service by 2028. Lynk and Omnispace completed their merger on August 14 and renamed the company Elveo Mobile, based in Washington, DC and led by Ramu Potarazu. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/lynk-omnispace-merger-closes-as-elveo-mobile-planning-320-satellites-8b322fe5.md) · [original source](https://lightreading.com/satellite/lynk-and-omnispace-merger-creates-d2d-challenger-elveo-mobile)) - **24 Mar 2026**: Lynk and SES target mid-2027 service as the Omnispace merger awaits regulatory approval. At SATShow Week, SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh and Lynk CEO Ramu Potarazu said the merged company planned to deliver connectivity in mid-2027. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/lynk-and-ses-target-mid-2027-service-as-the-omnispace-merger-awaits-d7fd3a3b.md) · [original source](https://www.satellitetoday.com/connectivity/2026/03/24/lynk-and-ses-ceos-talk-d2d-demand-as-d2d-merger-awaits-completion/)) - **25 Oct 2025**: Lynk Global and Omnispace plan to merge into one direct-to-device operator, with SES as major shareholder. Lynk Global and Omnispace announced plans to merge, pairing Lynk's low-cost satellites that talk to ordinary phones with Omnispace's 60 MHz of globally coordinated S-band spectrum. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/lynk-global-and-omnispace-plan-to-merge-into-one-direct-to-device-0c76e7be.md) · [original source](https://satnews.com/2025/10/25/lynk-omnispace-reveal-plans-to-merge-to-deliver-global-d2d-connectivity-with-partner-ses/)) ## Current obstacles - **Funding the build-out**: No funding amount was disclosed at the merger; the company must raise capital to build 320 satellites. - **Getting launches**: Lynk's CEO named launch availability as a current constraint on deploying satellites. ## Physics limits - **A phone is a weak radio**: A handset's small antenna and low power must reach a satellite hundreds of kilometres away, so satellites need large antennas or many of them close by; that is why texts come before data. - **Low satellites pass quickly**: A satellite at about 500 km crosses the sky in minutes, so continuous service needs hundreds of satellites handing calls between them. ## How it works ### Phone-compatible: No special phone needed The satellite mimics a cell tower using standard mobile protocols, so a normal phone connects when it has no ground signal. ### Narrowband first: Texts before video Early service covers texts, WhatsApp-style messages and mobile banking; heavier data comes later as more, bigger satellites fly. ### Through operators: Wholesale, not retail Elveo sells coverage to mobile operators, whose customers roam onto the satellites; it says it will not compete with them. ### Onboard processing: Computing in the satellite The network is designed to process and adapt traffic on the satellites, routed to the ground through SES's network. ## Spec sheet | Spec | Elveo direct-to-phone network (Lynk) | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Satellites in orbit | 9 (6 Lynk LEO, 2 LEO + 1 MEO Omnispace) | reported | | Planned constellation | 320 low-orbit satellites | reported | | Owned spectrum | 60 MHz S-band (n255/n256) | reported | | Operator and partner contracts | 56, in 60+ countries | reported | | Lynk satellite altitude | About 500 km | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About Elveo Mobile Satellite-to-phone operator formed in August 2026 when Lynk Global merged with Omnispace. It combines Lynk's small 'cell tower in space' satellites with Omnispace's S-band spectrum, backed by SES. Based near Washington, DC. - Lynk (founded 2017) sent the first satellite-to-phone text in 2020; merged with Omnispace as Elveo in Aug 2026. - Owns rights to 60 MHz of S-band spectrum; 9 satellites in orbit, plans 320 low-orbit satellites. - 56 contracts with mobile operators and partners in 60+ countries; SES is a major shareholder. - Headquarters: US - Status: private - Staff: ~150 - People: Ramu Potarazu (CEO); Ram Viswanathan (Chief Strategy Officer (ex-CEO, Omnispace)); Charles Miller (Co-founder, Lynk Global) - Partners, customers, investors: SES (investor); Fortress (investor); StepStone Group (investor); Columbia Capital (investor); SpaceX (supplier) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/elveo-mobile.md ## Related programs Everything in Spaceflight: https://technooptimist.io/spaceflight.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). 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