Satellite operators are at a crossroads due to a rapid revolution in satellite capacity provisioning worldwide. The satellite capacity industry was originally dominated by recurring, high-margin video applications, but its focus has now shifted to high-growth, data-centric services. A range of fixed and mobile data applications now dominate the growth story via numerous capacity types, orbits and ultimately, business.
Direct-to-device made a huge splash in satellite last year. First, with Starlink’s partnership with T-Mobile to expand coverage through its 2nd generation constellation. Apple followed not long after, investing $450 million into a similar deal with Globalstar. AST Space Mobile’s BlueWalker-3 satellite launched, unfolding its 700 square foot antenna to test technologies for an upcoming.
Unlike technically proven (FSS-band) LEO-HTS satcom constellations requiring communication terminals, these new initiatives aim to deliver on the promise of direct satellite-to-regular-handset communications through cellular and MSS spectrum in areas unreachable by existing cell towers. Yet, architectural facets drive a wide set of capabilities ranging from asynchronous emergency texting to continuous voice and broadband data connectivity.
So back to our original question, why are stakeholders in the GEO camp in Asia welcoming the upcoming mess and chaos?