São Luís do Maranhão, Brazil – Claro Brazil has marked a significant milestone in the nation's telecommunications landscape by successfully completing the first direct satellite-to-smartphone communication test in collaboration with Lynk Global. This groundbreaking achievement occurred in São Luís do Maranhão and represents a pivotal step towards enhancing connectivity in Brazil's remote regions, a key objective of the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel).

The successful test utilized Claro's 850MHz frequency band in conjunction with Lynk Global's constellation of six low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, aptly named "Lynk Towers." The core innovation of this technology lies in its ability to enable standard, unmodified smartphones to establish direct communication with satellites, thereby extending cellular coverage to areas lacking terrestrial network infrastructure.

This advancement was made possible by Anatel's approval of a regulatory sandbox in March 2024, which permits mobile operators to conduct direct device-to-device (D2D) experiments with satellite connectivity for up to 24 months.

Lynk Global, a frontrunner in D2D communication services, has garnered substantial investment, exceeding $85 million, to fuel the expansion of its satellite constellation and improve global connectivity. Their collaboration with Claro Brazil is being hailed as a major achievement for the Brazilian telecommunications sector.

Industry experts have lauded the successful test as a herald of a new era in telecommunications, with D2D and mobile-satellite partnerships poised to revolutionize connectivity. The partnership with Lynk Global, a company with significant inovative technology, is anticipated to have a positive impact on the development of the Brazilian telecommunications industry.