Opensignal has launched what it calls the world's first interactive map of satellite-to-smartphone direct-to-device (D2D) connections, plotting every detected live link between standard handsets and orbital constellations on a free, publicly accessible platform at d2d.opensignal.com.

The map refreshes every month as new D2D connections are detected. Every point on it represents a location where a real device has actually connected to a D2D service — not a modeled estimate, a coverage projection, or a claim lifted from an operator's marketing deck. Opensignal bills it as a ground-truth view of where D2D connections are happening right now.

The launch addresses a gap that has widened as direct-to-device has moved from ambition to commercial reality. Standard smartphones can now reach satellites without specialized hardware, filling coverage gaps that terrestrial networks have not closed. Operators worldwide are signing partnerships with satellite companies at a steady clip, yet until now the market has had no independent, real-world picture of where those connections actually exist.

How is the data collected?

Opensignal draws on the same proprietary measurement approach it uses across its network insights business, built over more than a decade of tracking how mobile networks perform for real users.

The underlying dataset is substantial:

• Billions of measurements collected daily
• A diverse panel of research participants spanning a wide range of users, demographics and devices
• Automated, continuous testing wherever people live, work and play
• Data collection entirely independent of any carrier-specific feeds

Because the pipeline runs continuously rather than on demand, the map updates itself as operators switch on new D2D services and as satellite companies bring more of their constellations online. Each monthly refresh will capture those changes.

Who is the map for?

Opensignal is targeting three audiences explicitly: operators, regulators and analysts. For operators, an independent adoption picture offers a check on competitive claims in a market where D2D announcements often outrun actual service availability. For regulators, it provides evidence of where satellite connectivity is genuinely reaching consumers — relevant as rules for supplemental coverage from space continue to take shape. For analysts, it offers a neutral dataset in a segment where vendor and operator marketing has so far filled the vacuum.

"We're turning that same lens on D2D, giving operators, regulators, and analysts a real-time picture of how global consumer adoption is unfolding," Opensignal said in its announcement.

What does the map show — and what doesn't it show?

The map has a deliberate limitation, and Opensignal is upfront about it. D2D remains an early-stage market, and most live services today deliver only basic connectivity — SMS messages and emergency alerts. The map therefore shows where D2D connections happen, not yet how well they perform.

That performance dimension is coming. Opensignal expects the quality picture to mature alongside the services themselves as D2D expands into richer use cases, and says its measurement infrastructure will track that evolution. Commercial customers wanting more than the public map offers — operator-specific performance breakdowns, regional analysis, or bespoke consulting — can engage Opensignal's satellite data team directly.

Why an independent D2D dataset matters now

The measurement gap Opensignal is filling is a direct consequence of how quickly D2D has commercialized. Partnerships between mobile operators and satellite providers are launching continuously, and each announcement tends to describe coverage in aspirational terms: planned footprints, projected availability, targeted launch windows. None of that confirms a consumer device has actually completed a satellite connection in a given place.

Opensignal's approach inverts that. A point appears on the map only when one of its measurement devices connects to a D2D service at that location. The result is an adoption record that operators cannot influence, since the data comes from Opensignal's own panel rather than carrier feeds.

The company frames direct-to-device as one of the most consequential shifts in telecommunications in a decade, and the map is positioned as the reference point for tracking it. As services mature beyond texting and emergency alerts, Opensignal says its monthly-updated dataset will grow into a full performance benchmark for the segment.