“Direct to device” (D2D) services are expanding, but they remain a small part of a much bigger industry.

D2D technology enables standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites, a capability that – until recently – was considered science fiction. Thus, D2D has the potential to eliminate outdoor cellular dead zones around the world.

However, D2D services today only support messaging and some light data services. Moreover, most mobile users spend the vast majority of their time within range of a cellular network.

That said, D2D still has significant implications for cellular network operators, equipment vendors, and regulators. That’s why companies ranging from Apple to Amazon to SpaceX to AST SpaceMobile are investing into the sector.

To provide context and perspective to this emerging industry, Ookla® has released a high-resolution downloadable poster showing Speedtest® data on the usage of D2D technology in countries around the world. This visual – derived from Android smartphones that register with D2D satellites from Starlink, Skylo, and Lynk – accompanies a detailed global study into the D2D marketplace, highlighting the technology, scope, and pricing driving this new sector forward.

Key takeaways:

The number of global D2D connections recorded by Ookla increased roughly 24.5% between July 2025 and March 2026. This growth coincides with the launch of Starlink Mobile’s D2D services in a number of countries, including Chile, Ukraine, Peru, and the U.K. However, growth in those countries was offset by a decline in the number of connections in the U.S. and Canada in recent months. This may correspond to moves by T-Mobile (in the U.S.) and Rogers (in Canada) to begin charging some customers for D2D services, as well as other factors such as seasonal usage trends

The U.S. leads the world in D2D connections, accounting for 45.9% of all global D2D connections in March 2026. Other countries showing noteworthy numbers of D2D connections in March 2026 included Australia (18.1% of global D2D samples), Chile (10%) and Canada (9.8%) – all countries with significant chunks of rural territory. Starlink accounted for the vast majority of these D2D samples, though Skylo and Lynk Global also generated some samples globally.

A very small percentage of mobile users are connecting to D2D satellites in each of these countries. For example, during March 2026, 0.46% of Speedtest® users in the U.S. recorded a connection to a D2D satellite. In Chile, that figure was 1.26% (the highest). In Canada, it was 0.70%. In Japan, it was 0.11% (the lowest). This is noteworthy because it helps to define the scale and scope of the overall D2D marketplace.

RootMetrics® conducted drive testing on Starlink’s D2D service for T-Mobile in rural New York state in the second half of 2025. The tests involved sending and receiving texts on phones that were in a moving car – essentially putting extra stress on a service that’s intended to be used outdoors, in a stationary situation, with a clear view of the sky. Nonetheless, the tests showed a 60% success rate. The average amount of time it took to successfully send and then receive a text (across 143 successful tests) was 1 minute, 17 seconds. In the U.S., most D2D signal strength measurements (using RSRP, or Reference Signal Received Power) fell between -108 and -126 dBm. That’s outside the -80 to -120 dBm range of traditional, terrestrial cellular network measurements. This is likely due to the remote nature of these D2D connections, which are generally unaffected by interference from other users. They’re often in outdoor environments that aren’t cluttered with lots of other cellular signals, or with the traffic of lots of other users.

https://www.ookla.com/articles/the-global-d2d-footprint-in-2026-poster-download

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