Start-up UbiquitiLink secured an additional $5.2 million in funding to drive its ambition of delivering mobile connectivity via satellites.

The investment by Revolution’s Rise of the Rest seed fund and Blazer Ventures brings UbiquityLink’s total to $12 million. The investors explained the start-up’s mission to provide cost-effective global connectivity was a key factor in their decision.

UbiquitiLink is currently testing its plan to launch satellites capable of delivering services to regular mobile phones rather than specialised devices. The company plans to use the funds to develop commercial services with a series of five test flights planned.

It follows a trial of a prototype satellite launched in February. The company expects commercial deployment of the service in 2020.

Charles Miller, co-founder and CEO, said its solutions to connect satellite to mobile phones anywhere on earth “solves a fundamental economic problem that limits coverage in remote areas”.

He noted there are “88 million Americans who live in rural areas and lose coverage at the end of town” and 2.5 billion people globally who don’t have access to a mobile phone because of poor connectivity. “It is economically unaffordable to build cell towers on the ground in communities with low population densities,” he added.

Blazer Ventures, an early stage venture development company, is a founding investor in UbiquitiLink while Revolution’s Rise of the Rest fund focuses directly on entrepreneurs in emerging start up ecosystems.