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Viasat unveils smartphone connectivity via satellite first in Mexico | Computer Weekly

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Viasat unveils smartphone connectivity via satellite first in Mexico | Computer Weekly


Deploying networks based on satellites to offer communications mobile devices has been one of the key trends of 2025, and in what is seen as an in-country first of its kind, Viasat has completed a direct-to-device (D2D) demonstration in Mexico, featuring native SMS messages on a standard smartphone.

Viasat regards D2D as an emerging technology that allows everyday devices such as mobile phones to connect to satellites without the need for dedicated satellite hardware. The technology follows global mobile 3GPP release 17 standards, which are being adopted by satellite operators, mobile network operators, and handset and chipset manufacturers.

The demonstration showcased smartphones sending and receiving messages over Viasat’s I-4 F3 satellite using 3GPP non-terrestrial network (NTN) standards. In a country-first, native SMS messages were shared across two mass-market Android smartphones, with one connected via satellite and the other to a traditional cellular network. Viasat also demonstrated satellite connectivity – including SMS and push-to-talk capabilities – using the HMD Offgrid, a companion device and the Bullitt application.

All messages were sent and received using Viasat’s global, L-band satellite capabilities, enabled by 3GPP standards-based NTN RAN and Core infrastructure from Skylo, a Viasat ecosystem partner. Skylo uses dedicated, licensed mobile satellite spectrum for connectivity that avoids network interference with terrestrial signals, and ensures ubiquitous coverage for customers in rural or rugged areas.

Viasat said the demos represent a showcase of satellite to cell phone connectivity feasibility in the country after already having completed successful D2D demonstrations in India, the Middle East, Brazil and Hawaii. The company sees its approach of using already-licensed and dedicated satellite spectrum as allowing it to work with mobile network operators to provide services in the future, without sacrificing or interfering with terrestrial networks.

“Expanding our D2D innovation to Mexico demonstrates the potential it holds for the entire region,” said Hector Rivero, general manager of Viasat Mexico. “This technology has the ability to bridge the connectivity gap in areas where traditional services are unreliable or non-existent, opening up possibilities for millions of individuals and devices to connect through satellite.

“We are confident that this will have significant advantages for consumers and various industries worldwide, and we are thrilled to collaborate with our partners to bring it to fruition. Through this, we remain dedicated to our mission of connecting the unconnected.”

Viasat believes it can play a key role in advancing open architecture standards-based D2D connectivity as a founding member of the Mobile Satellite Services Association, a non-profit organisation designed to bring together a range of industry players to promote mobile satellite connectivity.

In addition, in September 2025, Viasat also announced it was working with UAE-based artificial intelligence-powered space tech company Space42 to form Equatys, a jointly held entity, to enable global D2D services and evolving existing and planned mobile satellite services to a 5G network environment.

Equatys is expected to unite satellite and terrestrial networks using a 3GPP NTN Release-compliant platform accessible to standard smartphones and internet of things devices, extending service to billions of people and devices worldwide.

Anticipated to be capable of supporting well over 100 MHz of harmonised MSS spectrum already allocated across more than 160 markets, the venture is expected to establish a foundation for reliable global communications, with commercial roll-out targeted within three years.



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TCL Knocks $1,000 off One of Our Favorite Mid-Range TVs

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TCL Knocks ,000 off One of Our Favorite Mid-Range TVs


If your team is still in the running, you may be in the market for a new TV to watch the big game, and TCL has you covered with a hefty discount on the TCL QM8K, one of our favorite mid-range screens. You can grab a 65″ QM8K for just $1,000, a healthy 60 percent discount, with lower percentage markdowns on the larger sizes.

One of the QM8K’s most striking features is the complete lack of bezels, giving your entertainment stand a modern and distinctive look. With the included pedestal mount, it almost looks like it’s floating, a neat trick for such a well-priced television. While there may be some personal preference when it comes to the interface, we generally feel that Google TV is one of the better options right now, and it supports both Chromecast and Airplay 2, so Apple folks won’t feel left out.

Of course, the screen itself is also excellent, with vivid colors that have an excellent pop, and a five thousand nit max brightness that’s extremely potent when turned all the way up. It’s even good for some light gaming, with a 144Hz refresh rate and dedicated gaming mode. With support for all the most popular HDR formats, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision IQ, you’ll never wonder if you could be seeing brighter whites or darker black levels.

While several screen sizes are discounted, you’ll find the largest markdown on the 65″ model, with the price dropping from $2,500 to just $1,000 on Amazon, and Best Buy was honoring the deal but sold out already as I write this. If you’ve got room to spare, the larger models are discounted as well, with the 75″ version coming down to $1,500, a 50 percent discount from the usual price. If you have a particularly large living room, there’s a massive 98″ offering as well, and it’s currently $3,000, a big break from the typical $5,000 price tag.

We’re big fans of the TCL QM8K, but if you’d like to do a little more research first, make sure to swing by the roundup of our favorite TVs, which includes several TCL models, as well as even more premium offerings.



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Micron Megafab Project Faces a New Hurdle as Activists Seek a Benefits Deal

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Micron Megafab Project Faces a New Hurdle as Activists Seek a Benefits Deal


Days after Micron broke ground on a $100 billion chip factory in New York state, a coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, and civil rights groups are urging the US tech giant to sign a deal that would make a series of promises to be a good neighbor legally enforceable.

Micron’s megafab to make memory chips is on track to become the biggest commercial development in state history and the largest chipmaking complex in the country. Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in the city of Clay, near Syracuse, last Friday. The first chips could arrive in five years, though the entire site won’t be finished for 20 years.

Organizers and members of the Central New York United for Community Benefits Coalition—composed of about 25 mostly local advocacy groups—tell WIRED that they welcome the project. They also appreciate that Micron has already pledged to hire locally and address some of the physical and social impacts of its construction. But the coalition members believe oversight is lacking and that Micron could get away with polluting the environment and worsening the region’s economic inequality.

“We want to have real, strong, transparent, and enforceable commitments,” says Anna Smith, a senior researcher at Jobs to Move America, a union-friendly national nonprofit that is helping to organize the coalition.

On Wednesday, the coalition published a letter emailed to Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra inviting him to meet and begin negotiations on what’s known as a community benefits agreement, which would codify the company’s pledges on hiring, environmental protection, and local investment.

Micron did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

Companies such as Micron aren’t obligated to strike deals with community groups. But the New York coalition is basing its campaign on similar efforts by other US organizations. Some of them have successfully pressured big construction projects, such as an airport and a bus factory, into signing contracts to invest in schools, build affordable housing, conduct more environmental studies, or buy locally. Crucially, these agreements can be enforced through the courts.

Proponents of the agreements say making deals can help companies neutralize opposition and clear a smoother path for construction, hiring, and ongoing integration in the community. Provisions can include oversight panels and annual public reporting. A database compiled by Columbia Law School shows dozens of benefits agreements for major projects over the past decade.

“We have seen such agreements negotiated by companies with coalitions like ours across the country become win-wins, where the employers, workers and community organizations work together to ensure the needs of all parties are met,” the New York coalition wrote in the letter to Micron.

It added that a comprehensive deal will “further fulfill Micron’s commitments to being a good neighbor” and ensure good faith promises “translate into concrete, measurable benefits.”

Building more chips in the US is a national security priority, and the Micron project enjoys bipartisan support. But it comes at a time when massive fabs and data centers are receiving unprecedented public scrutiny, largely driven by their significant consumption of water and power.

Amid the pushback, some projects have already been abandoned or relocated. Organizers of the New York coalition believe the Micron campaign, if it leads to a deal, could be a template for winning concessions even as development moves forward. “This project can be done well,” Smith says. “Let’s get to the finish line together.”

Seeking Commitment

The coalition’s members include environmental advocates the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter and SustainCNY; racial justice groups Urban Jobs Task Force and the Syracuse chapter of NAACP; and labor organizations including Local 320 of the IUE-CWA, a union representing factory workers.

They zeroed in on Micron partly because of the public subsidies its project could end up receiving—up to $25 billion. The company’s promise of employing 9,000 people has buoyed support but some in the community remain concerned about the trade-offs. One point of aggravation has been that local authorities are displacing a 91-year-old great-grandmother from her home of 60 years to make way for Micron.



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This Smart Lock Looks Just Like a Normal Lock

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This Smart Lock Looks Just Like a Normal Lock


But this lock’s interior deadbolt manages to hold an impressive amount of technology. There’s a new dual-core chipset that has a ton of compatibility and unlocking options, including Matter and NFC tags, and the dual core means it can run Bluetooth and Matter on separate cores. It’s also compatible with Apple Home Key, along with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. It’s quick and responsive when I use the app to unlock it, though my go-to unlocking method is usually the optional Level Keypad ($79) (the lock otherwise does not come with a keypad), which connects to the lock via Bluetooth. The lock responds instantly when I enter the code on the pad, which I have installed on my door frame.

ScreenshotLevel via Nena Farrell

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ScreenshotLevel via Nena Farrell

The Level Lock Pro can also sense if the door is open or closed without needing any additional accessories. It uses a magnetometer to sense the closed door placement, and you’ll calibrate it once when you set it up. It’s worked well for me, though it did have a weird week where it claimed my door was open when it wasn’t. While the magnetometer is supposed to use the Earth’s gravity field, I was able to fix the open door issue by readjusting my strike plate on the doorjamb, which had gotten lose and ended up at a weird angle. (Installing and removing so many smart locks has left my doorjamb and its screw holes worse for wear, to say the least, so this isn’t normally an issue people should run into.)

The app is also easy to use and easy on the eyes. It’s a very pretty interface, with customizable wallpaper and immediate confirmation if your door is locked or unlocked. You’ll click the three dots in the corner for your device to see the Settings, Sharing, and Activity options, which you can click into to adjust the various settings, create different access codes, and see when your door was opened and by whom. It synced easily and immediately to my Amazon Alexa ecosystem, and I can ask Alexa if the door is locked and to lock it. Alexa can’t unlock it by default, but you can go into the Alexa app to toggle this on. I’ve opted not to; nobody needs to be able to voice-command my front door open.

Power Play

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Photograph: Nena Farrell

Unlike other smart locks that use bulky battery packs or several AA batteries, the Level Lock Pro uses a single CR2 lithium battery. The lock comes with a nonrechargeable CR2 battery made by Level, but you can replace it with any CR2 battery once it runs out. It’s the same battery the brand has been using with its earlier locks, but the Lock Pro is designed to make better use of it so it lasts longer. Where the previous Lock+ had about six months of battery life, the Level Lock Pro is expected to get about a year of battery life from a single CR2 battery.



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