Analysis highlights importance of persistent connectivity in contested operational environments
Fuse Integration has released a new white paper, D2C pLEO: Reshaping Military SATCOM, examining how direct-to-cell (D2C) technologies, enabled through non-terrestrial networks (NTN), are emerging as a new layer in military communications architectures. The paper explores how proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite networks could help support resilient command, control, and coordination for mobile forces and autonomous systems operating in degraded and contested environments.
“Modern defense operations are increasingly mobile, distributed, and autonomous,” said Sumner Lee, CEO of Fuse. “Defense organizations need communications architectures that can reliably function through disruption, mobility challenges, and contested conditions, and D2C is emerging as a key part of that conversation.”
The white paper highlights that standards-based 4G and 5G D2C connectivity is becoming a valuable new layer in military communications, emphasizing that it complements existing tactical communications capabilities like MANET radios and broadband SATCOM systems. The analysis focuses on the operational value of persistent, low-rate connectivity for dismounted troops, ground vehicles, and drones and other uncrewed systems (UxVs), particularly when traditional communications paths are degraded or denied. The paper also examines the growing role of layered networking architectures designed to improve resilience, link diversity, and operational continuity across dynamic mission environments.
“The value of D2C is the continuity it offers,” said Allen McAfee, Vice President of Engineering and Technology at Fuse. “It can help preserve command-and-control functions, status updates, and coordination when higher-capacity links become unavailable.”
In the paper, Fuse advocates for accelerated test and experimentation of the D2C/NTN technologies under realistic operational conditions, including motion and representative terrain, to determine the true strengths and limitations of the architectures at scale.
The full white paper, D2C pLEO: Reshaping Military SATCOM, is available here: https://www.fuseintegration.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Fuse_WP_D2C-pLEO.pdf
About Fuse Integration
Fuse Integration is a warfighter-focused, non-traditional engineering firm that designs, prototypes and rapidly fields tactical edge networking solutions for defense customers in the United States and allied nations. The company’s airborne and maritime gateway systems and virtualized network architectures are operational today, enabling real-time data sharing across air, land and sea environments. Founded in 2010, Fuse is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business headquartered in San Diego with a corporate office in Washington, D.C. www.fuseintegration.com
