The company filed its counterclaim with a US court of chancery in the state of Delaware today (2 July), explaining the details of its argument remain sealed for the time being, though are expected to be released on 7 July.

For the moment, Lynk Global highlighted a Slam shareholder meeting on 25 June in which the holders of 1,885,947 of public shares “properly exercised their right to redeem” in cash.

The decision means “only minimal funds” are still held by Slam, Lynk Global stated, adding the redemption “represents a rate exceeding 99 per cent since Slam’s initial public offering in 2021”.

Lynk Global pledged to “vigorously defend itself against Slam’s meritless claims and will continue to assert its rights under the business combination agreement (BCA)”.

Struggles
Lynk Global and Slam agreed a definitive BCA in February 2024 but have struggled to complete the deal.

Slam was delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange in August 2024 and began trading in over-the-counter (OTC) stocks.

An uplisting process may therefore have been required for the merged entity to list on the Nasdaq.

In an article published in September 2024, insurance broker Founder Shield explained it could take four weeks to six weeks for any such application to be processed.

Legal fight
Whatever the cause of the spat, Lynk Global moved to terminate the BCA in recent weeks, prompting Slam to file a complaint with the court of chancery on 19 June.

Such courts specialise in settling business disputes.

Slam explained in SEC filings the court agreed to expedite its handling of the litigation against Lynk Global and its parent, referred to as TopCo.

The SPAC asked the court to declare the companies’ termination of the BCA “ineffective” and prevent the satellite player from terminating the arrangement, claiming Lynk Global “breached its obligations under the BCA”.

A second count claims Lynk Global and TopCo “breached the BCA” and sought an order requiring the companies to “perform their obligations” contained in the agreement, “including to consummate the transactions” covered by the deal “when all closing conditions are satisfied”.

In a third count, Slam alleges Lynk Global and TopCo “breached the implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing” contained in the agreement and asked the court to order the companies to proceed under the terms originally decided.

On 6 June, Slam shareholders approved a plan to extend the deadline for completing the BCA from 25 June to 25 July, with up to five further extensions until 24 December agreed without further shareholder input during a series of extraordinary general meetings held during the month.

In an initial response to Slam’s actions issued by Lynk Global last week, it noted the BCA had a termination date of 30 June and stated its “management team and partners remain focussed on strengthening the company’s competitive position and executing its roadmap to deliver direct-to-device (D2D) services globally”.

The post Lynk retaliates in Slam legal fight appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a statement, the operator noted it sent a series of messages from rural New South Wales to standard smartphones.

The company stated it demonstrated D2D satellite communication is possible without any modifications to the devices after using a range of handsets including Apple’s iPhone, Samsung’s Galaxy and Google’s Pixel models.

TPG Telecom CTO Giovanni Chiarelli stated the achievement is “a stepping stone to near 100 per cent mobile coverage in Australia, putting us on the path to eliminate mobile coverage dead zones”.

He added the technology would be a game-changer for emergency communications.

The operator plans to run additional trials in different locations later this year, and explore voice and limited data services.

TPG Telecom stated the use of D2D satellite technology builds on its move to expand regional network earlier this year, doubling its mobile network coverage across Australia following a network sharing deal with Optus in 2024.

In August 2024, the operator reached a non-exclusive deal with Lynk Global.

The post TPG completes SMS tests on Lynk LEO network appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The FCC cleared Lynk Global to provide D2D connectivity in the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The move required an amendment to the satellite company’s original operating licence issued in 2022.

Lynk Global EVP and chief global affairs officer Amy Mehlman thanked the FCC “for quickly granting our licence modification”, which builds on its position as the first company in the world to be authorised to provide “international satellite D2D service”.

Mehlman explained the modification enables Lynk Global to “launch commercial services to connect this critical area within the US with our partner Docomo Pacific”.

Lynk Global stated the FCC’s approval of the modified licence “demonstrates our progress on our strategic roadmap”.

The clearance means Lynk Global and Docomo Pacific can “provide services in parts of the country that are underserved or out of reach from conventional mobile networks”, it added.

Japanese operator NTT Docomo acquired Guam Cellular and Paging and Guam Wireless Telephone Company to form the Pacific business almost 20 years ago.

The post Lynk Global, Docomo Pacific cleared for D2D shift appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Lynk Global targeted a listing by yesterday (25 March), after missing dates in August and December 2024.

A representative stated to Mobile World Live there is currently no new deadline for the stock listing to take place but the deal has a final termination date of 25 June, 2025. 

Slam was delisted from the Nasdaq stock market in August 2024, but stated at the time it would continue trading in over-the-counter markets and its tie-up with Lynk Global would “be materially unaffected by the transition”.

A regulatory filing in December 2024 revealed Slam’s finances dwindled to $22.8 million from $575 million from listing shares on Nasdaq in 2021 due to investor redemptions.

Lynk Global secured investments from Intelsat and SES in a recent Series-B funding round, part of a goal to raise $215 million.

The company announced successful D2D tests with Turkcell yesterday (25 March), delivering SMS and voice connectivity in rural parts of Turkey.

The post Lynk Global misses third stock listing deadline appeared first on Mobile World Live.

A representative for Intelsat said the company started partnership talks with the direct-to-device (D2D) provider about two years ago before closing the arrangement last month.

With its minority stake in Lynk Global in hand, Intelsat CTO Bruno Fromont has also joined its board of directors, according to the representative.

The representative confirmed the partnership use cases include distribution of Lynk Global’s services to government and mobility customer worldwide.

Similar to its arrangement with SES, Lynk Global and Intelsat will also develop new low earth orbit (LEO) satellites together and find ways to broaden D2D services from SOS messaging and texting to include voice and data.

Lynk Global set a target to raise $215 million in the funding round when it released details about the move in February. As of that filing, Lynk Global has raised more than $85 million.

Lynk Global has ties to Intelsat as CEO Ramu Potarazu formerly served as president and COO during a 16-year career with the company.

Potarazu replaced Dan Dooley as CEO in November 2024 after the latter was appointed to the position in September.

Lynk Global declined to comment on the investment by Intelsat.

The post Intelsat invests in Lynk Global ahead of SES merger appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The partnership involves providing relay capabilities to Lynk Global allowing it to route traffic between low Earth orbit (LEO) and SES’ medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites to enable access to gateways for D2D service providers.

SES stated the relay enables delivery of secure real-time data while reducing investment requirements in ground infrastructure.

It also improves “the reach and resilience of D2D constellations”.

SES is set to provide Lynk Global with Network-as-a-Service capabilities through its terrestrial infrastructure and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites for gateway access, telemetry, tracking and command and monitoring services.

The company is also to become a strategic channel partner for Lynk Global, enabling government, MNO and automotive customers to access its D2D network, while SES’ customers open the door to services including remote access, first responder and secure government communications, offshore and automotive connectivity.

In addition, SES and Lynk Global plan to collaborate on developing the latter’s network architecture, along with satellite manufacturing in the US and Europe.

Lynk Global CEO Ramu Potarazu stated the partnership would enhance its satellite capabilities and “ability to address government, MNO and automotive D2D use-cases”.

The company gained an early mover advantage for its D2D service, with deployments involving Palau National Communications Corporation and Vodafone Cook Islands in 2023.

However, the D2D space race is heating up, with AST SpaceMobile, T-Mobile US and SpaceX, and Apple in various stages of commercial deployments.

Funding
Lynk Global set a target to raise $215 million in the funding round when it released details about the move in February, with the move including warrants allowing investors to buy shares at a predetermined price before they expire.

The company missed a self-imposed deadline to list on NASDAQ in late 2024. A representative told Mobile World Live it is now targeting completion by 25 March and the SES funding does not change its go-to-market plans.

The post SES, Lynk Global plot D2D boost appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In February 2024, Lynk Global turned to special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Slam as part of a merger that aims to see it become a public company on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

A representative for the direct-to-device satellite service provider told Mobile World Live the timeframe for its public listing is extending into Q1 2025 “in order to have more time to complete this complex transaction”.

The new deadline is 25 March 2025.

In addition, shareholders of more than 7 million shares voted to redeem their shares, according to a regulatory filing made on 26 December 2024. The SPAC trust must return $80.7 million to those shareholders, according to the filing. After these redemptions, the trust will have a balance of just $22.8 million. 

The first deadline for the stock listing was pushed back from 31 August 2024.

Slam was delisted from the Nasdaq stock market in August 2024 but stated at the time it will continue trading in over-the-counter markets. It noted the merger with Lynk Global “will be materially unaffected by the transition”.

Lynk Global announced several changes to its executive team last year with former Intelsat executive Ramu Potarazu replacing Dan Dooley as CEO in November 2024 after the latter was appointed to the position in September 2024.

Dooley had replaced co-founder Charles Miller as CEO, with the latter named chair.

It stated the new leadership team is part of its plan to be publicly listed.

Lynk Global enjoyed an early mover advantage for its satellite-to-phone service with several deployments with Palau National Communications Corporation and Vodafone Cook Islands in 2023.

However the direct-to-device space race is heating up as AST SpaceMobile, T-Mobile US and SpaceX, and Apple are in various stages of commercial deployments.

The post D2D provider Lynk Global misses stock listing deadline appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Dooley took over as CEO two months ago from Charles Miller, the company’s co-founder who became chairman of its board of directors. Lynk Global did not say at the time that Dooley would serve as interim CEO.

A Lynk Global representative told Mobile World Live Dooley’s appointment as CEO was always intended to be on an interim basis.

The satellite player stated it conducted a new CEO search with merger partner Slam, a special purpose acquisition company.

Potarazu held various executive positions at Intelsat from 1991 to 2006, including president and COO.

Dooley resumes his former CCO position at Lynk Global.

The company also announced it hired Steven Fay as CFO, with both Fay and Potarazu appointed to its board of directors.

Fay served as deputy CFO at OneWeb over the past ten years and also counts Google as a former employer.

Lynk Global stated the appointments coincide with new capital investments from shareholders but it did not provide any details.

It stated the new leadership team was part of its plan to be publicly listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, which it previously noted has a target date of 25 December.   

Lynk Global has commenced limited commercial deployments across seven countries. It cites service agreements with more than 40 mobile operators globally, including Telstra, Spark New Zealand, 2degrees, Rogers Communications and Turkcell.

The post Lynk Global replaces Dooley as CEO after 2 months appeared first on Mobile World Live.

As the new CEO, Dooley takes over all day-to-day operations at Lynk Global alongside leading the company’s strategy development and commercial activity.

He joined Lynk Global in 2021 after 33 years in the communications industry including a stint as president of Sprint’s international and wholesale divisions.

Miller is one of the co-founders of the company and will provide strategic guidance in his new role.

“Dan is the right person to take Lynk into the next phase,” Miller stated. “I am thrilled to support Lynk and Dan in a transition to scale the company to new heights.”

Lynk Global also hired former two-star Air Force general John Olsen as president of strategic development.

Prior to joining the satellite company, Miller served as mobilisation assistant to the chief of space operations in the US Space Force.

Lynk Global has commenced limited commercial deployments across seven countries. It has service agreements with more than 40 mobile operators globally, including Telstra, Spark New Zealand, 2degrees, Rogers Communications and Turkcell.

It announced a merger with special purpose acquisition company Slam late in 2023, which included a plan for it to be publicly listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the second half of this year, though the companies announced last month the deadline for the merger had been pushed back from 31 August to 25 December.

The post Miller replaced as Lynk Global CEO appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The non-exclusive agreement will see TPG Telecom use Lynk Global’s technology to connect standard handsets to its constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Initial text message trials will start in 2025.

TPG Telecom CTO Giovanni Chiarelli noted the tie-up will enable it to deliver mobile connectivity in the hardest-to-reach places in Australia, bring “much needed connectivity” to remote and rural locations and could play a critical role in delivering life-saving services.

Lynk Global VP of Asia Pacific James Alderdice said more than two-thirds of Australia’s landmass lacks mobile coverage, making “this vast terrain an ideal target to deliver mobile connectivity directly from Lynk’s LEO satellites”.

The company said it has service agreements with more than 40 mobile operators globally, including Telstra, Spark New Zealand, 2degrees, Rogers Communications and Turkcell.

Australia-based Optus is working with Starlink to deliver mobile connectivity using satellites, starting with SMS in 2024, before launching voice and data services in late 2025.

The post TPG inks sat-to-phone deal with Lynk Global appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Miller claimed in a Mobile World Live podcast that his company is well positioned to thrive in the satellite-to-phone sector despite competition from companies such as AST SpaceMobile and SpaceX-owned Starlink.

He points to the company’s beta commercial deployments across seven countries and its 43 MNO commercial service contracts across more than 50 countries as proof that his company will flourish.

AST SpaceMobile and Starlink are yet to launch commercial services with operators but are backed by major players. AT&T, Google and Vodafone are strategic investors in AST, while Starlink of course is part of Elon Musk’s tech empire.

Lynk’s deployments to date are SMS or emergency alert services (compatible with any smartphone), but Miller states the fundamental satellite-to-phone technology is proven for additional services and applications such as voice and broadband.

“Everything that you do on a mobile phone, you’ll be able to do everywhere. That’s where this is really going,” he stated.

Satellite supplier choice
As for the competition, he noted operators have long held multiple partnerships with vendors such as Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia, and he expects similar arrangements to occur in space.

“I think the key insight, particularly for your audience, the people in the mobile wireless space and MNOs, is that there’s going be multiple providers for satellite direct-to-phone,” he said. “That’s the way MNOs want it. They don’t want anybody to have a monopoly and be dependent on one provider”.

But first satellite providers need to build out their constellation of birds to provide global services to areas where there’s little to no connectivity or in locations away from cell tower coverage.

Miller noted Lynk Global currently has three operational satellites and another two working their way towards achieving orbit. Lynk Global’s goal is to have 5,000 birds, but that will require additional capex.

Financials
Lynk Global announced a planned merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Slam late last year (scheduled to be completed this summer), which included a plan for the company being publicly listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the second half of 2024.

The CEO noted Slam approached Lynk Global about the merger because it saw the value in investing in a satellite provider.

In partnership with Slam, Lynk Global needs to raise additional capital in the coming months, but Miller expects a virtuous cycle of investments once the satellite services are widely available.  

“We will have dozens of countries be operational and after we are operational and ramping up revenue we’ll be in a position to raise even more capital,” he said.

He noted doubling the transistor counts in satellites every few years is revolutionising the cost and capability of satellites. Another factor for lowering the cost of building constellations is the increased availability of rockets to launch the birds from companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.

To listen to the Podcast, click here.

The post Lynk Global CEO embraces big-name competitive market appeared first on Mobile World Live.

0:00: Intro
3:01: Topic panel takeaways
6:32: Direct-to-Device discussion
12:15: Interview with Lynk Global CEO
29:47: Interview with Orange Wholesale CEO

The post Podcast: Settling the satellite saga appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The combined company is expected to be valued at around $800 million, with completion expected in H2. The boards of each business have approved the proposed combination, which will be named Lynk Global Holdings and be publicly listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Lynk Global CEO Charles Miller stated the tie-up leaves the company well-positioned to raise capital through several avenues.

The satellite company stated it engaged a business named BTIG to raise additional capital ahead of the merger.

Caleb Henry, director of research for satellite and space financial research company Quilty Space,  told Mobile World Live SPACs are “still facing high redemption rates” and Lynk Global’s deal with Slam “appears no different”, hence the agreement with BTIG.

Lynk Global stated it would use the additional capital to launch a constellation of low-earth orbit satellites.

It currently has three commercial satellites, with an ambition to have up to 50 birds in operation by the year-end.

Lynk Global and rival AST SpaceMobile each claimed to be the first to provide two-way voice calls between a satellite and a standard mobile phone during 2023.

The post Lynk Global secures merger with SPAC appeared first on Mobile World Live.

In a series of posts on social media platform X, the aerospace company revealed the birds, alongside several other satellites, were blasted into orbit in the early hours of this morning (3 January).

It added the first customers set to use direct-to-device Starlink services for “global access” would be: T-Mobile US, Canadian operator Rogers Communications, Australian player Optus, Japan-based KDDI, One New Zealand, Swiss company Salt Mobile and Entel Chile.

Starlink is working to a schedule of enabling SMS messaging directly from its satellites this year followed by voice and data starting in 2025. IoT devices using common LTE standards are also set to be supported. Operators signed-up have reciprocal access in other partner countries.

As the name suggests direct-to-phone removes the need for ground stations to provide connectivity, though this is currently more limited than standard non-terrestrial network coverage.

Starlink, which also offers alternative satellite services, is one of a number of players targeting the direct-to-device market including Lynk Global and AST SpaceMobile.  

The post First Starlink sat-to-phone birds leave launch pad appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Slam was founded in 2020 by former major league baseball player Alex Rodriguez, who is now listed as its chairman and CEO.

Slam aims to pursue investment opportunities with companies that have “large and growing addressable markets, significant revenue growth, defensible business models and superior market share.”

The combined company is expected to be valued at no less than $800 million upon the closing of the transaction.

If the merger does go through, it will give Lynk a financial lift for its satellite-to-phone service that has started operations in four countries after several delays.

Lynk Global CEO Charles Miller stated becoming a public company would give it “access to greater capital” to bring its services to more people.

Reaction
Analysts took a mixed view on the deal.

Recon Analytics founder and lead analyst Roger Entner told Mobile World Live (MWL) he wasn’t sure if the merger solved Lynk Global’s funding problem “as I can’t tell how much money Slam has left”.

Slam raised $575 million in an IPO in February 2021 during the height of the SPAC market. Reports suggest the amount of capital Slam possesses has since shrunk to about $272 million after a segment of shareholders redeemed their shares for return of the IPO capital when Slam previously asked for an extension to find a merger partner.

Caleb Henry, director of research for satellite and space financial research company Quilty Space, told MWL it was too soon to determine if the arrangement with Slam fulfills Lynk Global’s funding needs.

He noted the deal was non-binding, that the SPAC funding could vary based on redemption rates and that it was unknown “how much spending Lynk needs to conduct to achieve profitability”.

“Until those three things are clear, it’s hard to gauge the magnitude of this deal,” he said.

Lynk progress so far
It currently has three commercial satellite cell towers in space with ambitions to have up to 50 birds in operation by the end of 2024. After previously reporting Lynk Global was seeking additional investors earlier this year, SpaceNews stated in June the company had secured funding to deploy six additional satellites in January.

Lynk Global announced a partnership with operator Palau National Communications Corporation (PNCC) for a beta trial of its SMS service and later secured a deal with bmobile Solomon Islands. Last week, Rogers Communications and Lynk Global completed the first satellite-to-mobile phone call in Canada.

Lynk Global patented technology in 2017 and started commercial testing in space in 2019. The service is designed to work on 2G, 4G and 5G technologies.

Despite its early entry in the satellite-to-phone sector, Lynk Global faces an array of competitors including AST SpaceMobile, SpaceX-owned Starlink, Iridium, and Apple.

In July, Lynk Global laid claim to the first two-way voice calls on a satellite-to-phone service using standard phones while disputing AST SpaceMobile making the same claim in April.

The post Satellite-to-phone player Lynk aims to go public with Slam deal appeared first on Mobile World Live.

The phone call was made using Lynk Global’s low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and the operator’s national wireless spectrum.

In their announcement, Rogers Communications and Lynk Global noted wireless spectrum ensures the service works on existing smartphones.

The operator plans to launch the technology in 2024, beginning with SMS, mass notifications and machine-to-machine AI applications.

Rogers Communications plans to expand the service to cover voice and data services shortly after.

The operator’s president and CEO Tony Staffieri reiterated the service will be targeted at remote areas to improve public safety, along with communities not currently connected.

Rogers Communications stated the service would be available across remote areas, national parks and rural highways.

The operator also has a partnership in place with SpaceX-owned Starlink and previously noted the pair of deals would enable it to provide coast-to-coast satellite services.

Earlier this year, Lynk Global announced a partnership with operator Palau National Communications Corporation (PNCC) for a beta trial of its SMS service and later scored a deal with bmobile Solomon Islands.

The post Lynk, Rogers hail Canada sat-to-phone breakthrough appeared first on Mobile World Live.

During our Unwrapped Digital Event week, Justin Springham interviewed Charles Miller, CEO of Lynk Global on 5G from space.

The post 5G from space: Interview with Charles Miller, Lynk Global appeared first on Mobile World Live.

Initially Lynk Global will provide its SMS and emergency alerts-based beta service in the Manuae Route area before being rolled out more widely.

The Cook Islands are located in the South Pacific Ocean and comprise 15 islands spread across an area of more than 1.96 million square kilometres.

GSMA Intelligence Q2 connection figures place Vodafone Cook Islands’ base at 6,390 and list it as the sole mobile operator. It licenses the brand and is not part of Vodafone Group.

Vodafone Cook Islands CEO Phillip Henderson indicated it expected the satellite service to serve “remote communities, our fishers and visiting yachties”.

Lynk Global CCO Dan Dooley noted in addition to providing its core service over what he described as the islands’ “staggering amount of territory”, the company would provide back-up connectivity in the event of natural disasters.

The Cook Islands deal follows the satellite company’s debut commercial launch with Palau National Communications Corporation in June, which it flagged as one of several expected during 2023.

Lynk Global provides direct connectivity from satellites to standard mobile handsets.

Last month it was embroiled in a row with competitor AST SpaceMobile over which could claim to have made the first two-way-voice call with the technology.

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