Consumer Broadband has been at the epicenter of the buzz created by the planned mega-constellations and upcoming very high capacity satellites. SpaceX, OneWeb and now Amazon plan to connect the unconnected billions globally, using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
While the satellite industry is buzzing over the evolving LEO constellations wave, with news ranging from the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to the shutdown of Leosat, there is a similar flurry of activity at a much lower altitude in near-space.
NSR’s newly released Government and Military Satellite Communications, 16th Edition (GMSC16) report finds another year of growth for commercial satellite connectivity. As HTS-based services start to really take-off in the market, retail revenues are up $600M from 2017, to over $5.6 Billion. Driven by strong growth for Aeronautical Platforms (both Manned and Unmanned), the market remains poised to double over the next ten years.
Two years since Intelsat first proposed it, C-band spectrum (3.7-4.2 GHz) repurposing has been a consistent newsmaker. Marred with differences of opinion on spectrum proceeds vs. the urgency of 5G deployment in the U.S., the proposal has been a political talking point: