Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
INTERVIEW Skylo eyes Asian satellite network market through synergy with Korean firms
Pete Saladino, global head of marketing at Skylo Technologies, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Skylo
By Nam Hyun-woo
Skylo technology certified for Samsung Exynos 2500 AP
Skylo Technologies, a U.S.-headquartered global satellite network service provider, is seeking its entry into the Asian market, announcing its local partnership plans and future business roadmap in Seoul, which the company described as a strategic foothold for its Asia campaign.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Pete Saladino, Skylo’s global head of marketing, said the company’s satellite connectivity would offer “life-saving impact” for people placed outside of cellular service coverage and provide greater visibility for Korea’s export-driven businesses.
Skylo is one of the fastest-growing satellite-based non-terrestrial network (NTN) service providers, having won the Best NTN award at the Global Mobile Awards during the annual MWC trade show in 2024 and 2025.
Founded in 2017, the company is the world’s first to commercialize direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity compliant with 3GPP, a group of global telecom organizations creating standards for mobile networks.
Unlike other satellite NTN services, which typically require dish-like external antennas, Skylo’s D2D service enables smartphones and other devices to connect directly to existing satellites through software, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
This technology enables Skylo-powered devices to connect to satellites whenever cellular networks are unavailable. The D2D technology, also called direct-to-cell by Starlink, is primarily used for sending satellite SOS messages in emergency situations.
Though it entered the market only in August last year, its services are now live across 37 countries, and the company has already formed partnerships with leading tech firms including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Qualcomm, Google and BMW.
“We saw how this is starting to save lives in America and in Europe and we wanted to come to Korea to tell our story because there’s more parts of Korean companies we could work with,” Saladino said, referring to Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and Kia.
A rendered image of Samsung Electronics' Exynos application processor / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Saladino said that Skylo’s technology was certified for Samsung Electronics’ latest Exynos 2500 application processor, which is set to make its debut with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 smartphones in July.
When asked whether Skylo’s services will be available on new phones, he only said, “let Samsung talk about all the exciting things” and “we’re very proud of our work together.”
However, it is likely that the new Galaxy phones will support Skylo’s service, as Samsung and Skylo last year certified the Exynos Modem 5400, which is used for the Google Pixel 9. The Pixel 9 is the first smartphone to support Skylo service.
Skylo began its emergency SOS service for Pixel 9 users in the contiguous United States, then expanded the service to Hawaii, Alaska and European nations. Since March this year, it also supports Galaxy smartphones on the Verizon network in the U.S. In the second half of this year, the company plans to expand its service to support not only emergency messaging but also regular SMS, and cover voice and data services for Android devices later on.
“We are now connecting people every other day to emergency services when they need help in the U.S. and Europe,” Saladino said. “We’re making a real difference — people are being rescued thanks to these satellite messages.”
Saladino acknowledged that Korea may not be a large consumer market because the country does not have limitations in cellular coverage due to its geographical characteristics and wide cellular service coverage. However, he noted that Skylo’s partnerships with device manufacturers, automakers, chip makers and other industrial partners here make the country important for the company.
Pete Saladino, global head of marketing at Skylo Technologies, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in Yongsan District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Skylo
“Korea is a special case because there are so many amazing device manufacturers here,” he said. “In Korea, we want the market here to understand how they can bring satellite connectivity to their product roadmaps. That’s something that can have impact all around the world, as Korea has a leadership position on the device side as well.”
Saladino cited Korea’s shipbuilding, shipping and export-driven industrial structure as a potential use case for Skylo services.
Products manufactured in Korea are shipped worldwide, but real-time tracking of their location and condition becomes nearly impossible once vessels leave port. Saladino said if logistics companies have real-time insights on factors affecting cargo, operational efficiency would significantly improve. While equipping every container with expensive satellite hardware is inefficient, Skylo’s service enables large-scale, real-time tracking of maritime shipments at a much more affordable cost, making advanced supply chain visibility accessible to the industry.
Skylo does not own satellites itself and operates a wholesale business model by partnering with existing mobile carriers in each country, which helps keep consumer costs relatively low. For instance, Verizon currently offers SOS text services for free in the U.S., while T-Mobile charges around $10 per month.
Saladino noted that the company was able to gain regulatory approvals in 37 countries in less than a year and rapidly expand its global reach because its network uses an existing mobile satellite service spectrum previously used by antenna-based satellite phones.
He added that discussions are currently underway with Korean telecom operators including SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus, and that regulatory approval in Korea is also likely to follow once agreements with local carriers are finalized.
“We would like this capability to work in every Samsung Galaxy device, every Hyundai and Kia car all around the world,” he said. “Those are goals that would impact consumers here in Korea but also businesses that are leading in Korea.”