Astrum Mobile taps SWISSto12 to build D2D satellite for APAC

Details: John Tanner; Category: Satellite Networks; 11 March 2025; 7515 views

Aspiring direct-to-device (D2D) satellite player Astrum Mobile said on Monday it has contracted Switzerland-based satellite manufacturer SWISSto12 to build its NEASTAR-1 satellite that will provide 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) broadcast services across Asia-Pacific.

NEASTAR-1 will be built based on SWISSto12’s small geostationary HummingSat platform. No financial details were disclosed. SWISSto12 said NEASTAR-1 is the fifth satellite in its HummingSat product line.

NEASTAR-1 will be placed in the 105º East slot over Asia-Pacific currently occupied by the AsiaStar satellite originally launched by Worldspace in 2000. Astrum confirmed to Broadcast TV News in November 2024 that it owns AsiaStar.

Astrum Mobile said NEASTAR-1 will be equipped with on-board reconfigurable L-band beams to address market changes and dynamics over time, and will also be designed to be resistant to rain-fade issues caused by heavy rain. Astrum will also provide enhanced service level assurances (SLA) along those lines.

Astrum said its D2D platform (which it brands as “satellite to device”, or S2D) will leverage 3GPP NTN standards to deliver 5G broadcast services throughout Asia Pacific, including rich media, datacasting, IoT, mass notification, and emergency notification services – all of which can be accessed with standard 5G smartphones and smart devices.

Astrum Mobile also plans to team with local partners to develop and provide services in each country.

“Leveraging the always-available smartphone or smart device is the most compelling value proposition, and the time is right with the recent industry shift to 3GPP 5G NTN features on smartphones and devices,” said Astrum Mobile COO Michael Do in a statement.

No official timeline was given for NEASTAR-1’s launch. Astrum Mobile’s website says it is targeting a full launch of commercial 5G NTN services in Asia-Pacific in 2028.

Last November, Astrum Mobile and Qualcomm announced they had completed a successful trial of what they claimed was the world's first 5G broadcast service from AsiaStar to a retail smartphone with 3GPP 5G NTN-compliant software updates to enable 5G broadcast.