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COTAK Demonstrates Direct-to-Satellite Capability for ATAK, Expanding Connectivity for Public Safety in Remote Environments

RIFLE, COLO. - (TBD) - The Colorado Team Awareness Kit (COTAK) program has successfully demonstrated emerging satellite direct-to-cellular (D2C) technology integrated with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK). This breakthrough provides public safety agencies with an effective method to maintain vital situational awareness in regions where traditional cellular service is unavailable.

First responders in Colorado frequently encounter unreliable or nonexistent cell service in the state's vast remote areas. To address this, the COTAK team continually evaluates innovative technologies to keep responders connected during critical operations.

Recent testing centered on T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service for Android devices, which enables smartphones to establish LTE connections directly to satellites overhead, eliminating reliance on ground-based cellular towers. As a result, ATAK continues to provide a real-time map of first responder locations, even in remote, off-grid environments.

“Reliable communication is essential for responder safety and mission success,” said Brad Schmidt, COTAK Program Manager. “This technology marks a major advancement, ensuring ATAK users can maintain situational awareness — even in Colorado’s most challenging and remote locations.”

Earlier satellite messaging solutions often required manual phone alignment and supported only basic text communication. In contrast, today’s D2C technologies use advanced satellite systems—such as phased-array antennas—to mimic traditional cellular networks. This improvement enables low-bandwidth applications like ATAK to work smoothly, allowing real-time location sharing and uninterrupted data exchange.

Although high-bandwidth features such as voice calls and video streaming are still under development, the current generation of D2C technology is already proving valuable for mission-critical applications.

COTAK’s testing confirms ATAK remains operational using T-Satellite connections, representing a significant milestone in expanding resources for first responders. While current implementation is limited to Android devices on T-Mobile’s network, similar solutions are quickly emerging on other carriers and platforms.

COTAK expects broader availability soon, including potential support for iOS devices, and will continue to evaluate and share updates as the technology evolves. To view a demonstration of ATAK operating over satellite connectivity, visit cotak.gov.