Saudi CST and ITU to Launch Global Space Connectivity and Sustainability Events Next Monday in Riyadh
RIYADH — Under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Amer Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology and Chairman of the Board of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST), Saudi Arabia will convene the Global Space Connectivity and Sustainability Events (SCS26) starting next Monday, running from October 12 to 14, 2026, at the CST headquarters in Riyadh.
Organized by the CST in strategic partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the banner Connected Earth, Sustainable Space, the three day summit unites two established global platforms into a single operational venue: the third edition of the Connecting the World from the Skies Forum focusing on Non Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and the third edition of the Space Sustainability Forum (SSF). The consolidation reflects growing international commitment to harmonizing orbital innovation with responsible long term space governance.
The international assembly is structured to delineate global directions for future satellite communications and accelerate the technical integration of terrestrial cellular networks with non terrestrial satellite constellations. Delegates will evaluate emerging regulatory and technical architectures designed to expand universal connectivity, bridge the global digital divide, and protect orbital space resources through international best practices.
The summit program centers on eight core thematic pillars: integrated connectivity for the emerging 6G era, policy coordination paving the way toward the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 (WRC 27), unlocking commercial horizons for direct to device (D2D) satellite to smartphone links, space commercialization and emerging market development, and safeguarding space systems as critical national infrastructure. Parallel sessions will focus on space enabled environmental sustainability on Earth, global governance and responsible orbital behavior, alongside operational frameworks to manage constellation congestion, mitigate radio frequency interference, and prevent space debris.
In addition to policy discussions, the event will reveal the results of live field trials across non terrestrial communications platforms and formally announce the winning research teams of the Non Terrestrial Networks International Research Competition (NTN 2026), an initiative launched jointly by the CST and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
