Lynk Tower — Direct-to-Device LEO Satellite Connectivity
Lynk Global
Lynk Global's Lynk Tower is a LEO 'cell tower in space' constellation enabling standard unmodified smartphones to receive 2G/3G/4G/NB-IoT connectivity at ~500 km: two-way SMS and emergency alerts commercially active, 50+ MNO partners in 60+ countries, 640-satellite constellation targeting 2027 full service.
Technical specifications
- Orbit / altitude
- LEO, ~500 km (~505–545 km operational range)
- Frequency bands (space-to-Earth)
- 617–960 MHz
- Frequency bands (Earth-to-space)
- 663–915 MHz
- Feeder link
- Ka-band: 20.1–20.2 GHz (down), 29.9–30.0 GHz (up)
- Standards
- 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, 5G, NB-IoT — 3GPP NTN compliant
- Device requirement
- No modification needed — works on existing smartphones and IoT devices
- Active services
- Two-way SMS, cell broadcast / emergency alerts, LynkCast
- Constellation (current)
- Lynk Tower 01–10 operational
- Constellation (planned)
- 640 satellites (Phase 1+2); ultimate target ~5,000
- Full service target
- Mid-2027
- Mno partners
- 50+ operators in 60+ countries
- Regulatory approvals
- 30+ countries; FCC commercial D2D license (Sep 2022, first worldwide)
- Pending merger
- Lynk + Omnispace (announced Oct 2025) — adds 60 MHz S-band spectrum
- Strategic investor
- SES (ground segment infrastructure)
About
Lynk Tower is Lynk Global’s patented cell-tower-in-space satellite system, a constellation of LEO microsatellites operating at approximately 500 km altitude that connect directly to standard, unmodified mobile phones and IoT devices using existing 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, and NB-IoT standards — no hardware modification, special app, or satellite subscription required on the end user’s device. The satellites operate in the 617–960 MHz spectrum band for the space-to-Earth link and 663–915 MHz for the uplink, with Ka-band feeder links to gateway ground stations. The system is 3GPP NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) compliant and reaches the approximately 7 billion existing smartphones and IoT devices worldwide. Commercial services currently available include two-way SMS messaging, emergency cell broadcast alerts, and LynkCast weather and information broadcasts. Voice calling is in development. Lynk received the world’s first FCC commercial direct-to-device satellite license in September 2022 and has regulatory approvals in 30+ countries, with commercial contracts signed with 50+ mobile network operators in approximately 60 countries including PLDT-Smart (Philippines), Turkcell (Turkey), MEO (Portugal), Telecel Centrafrique (Central African Republic), Aliv (Bahamas), and DOCOMO Pacific (US territories). In October 2025, Lynk and Omnispace announced plans to merge, adding Omnispace’s globally-coordinated 60 MHz S-band spectrum to Lynk’s existing frequencies. The planned 640-satellite constellation (320 satellites in two phases) targets full commercial service in mid-2027, with an ultimate goal of ~5,000 satellites. SES is a strategic shareholder providing ground segment infrastructure. Lynk Global is headquartered in the US.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.