India, Sept. 21 -- Direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity is emerging as a complementary layer to terrestrial 4G and 5G networks, with the technology potentially extending mobile coverage into areas where building conventional infrastructure remains difficult or commercially challenging.

Rather than replacing terrestrial networks, D2D is increasingly being positioned as part of a broader connectivity architecture combining mobile networks, fibre, Wi-Fi and satellite systems. For India, where population coverage has expanded significantly but geographic coverage remains uneven, the technology could provide an additional option for remote, maritime, disaster-affected and other hard-to-reach locations.

Shivaji Chatterjee, President ...