Satellite operators must balance the legal obligations of safety services against the commercial economics of L-band. Small GEOs are a novel solution to increase service resiliency in a low-growth market opportunity.
Use cases like this are fuelling demand for ubiquitous coverage delivered from orbit. According to Northern Sky Research (NSR), the influx of satellite broadband players will contribute to the manufacture and launch of almost 24,700 satellites over the next decade.
Consumer Satcom Handhelds to Generate $2.8 Billion over Next Decade Cambridge, MA – June 1, 2021 – NSR’s Land Mobile via Satellite, 9th Edition (LMvS9) report, released today, forecasts despite some challenges with enterprise segments over the past 16 months, consumer handheld demand soared throughout 2020, after challenges at the start of the year. LMvS9 finds this solid base propelling the market to add over 500,000 new land mobile subscribers over the coming decade, reaching 1.2 million active subscribers in 2030. COVID-19 caused decreased usage across some form factors.
NSR discusses how Satellite is poised to join 5G Network Topology. [They] explained how companies like Iridium and Inmarsat are particularly interested in the prospect of NTN in Release 17 because they hold spectrum between 1.5GHz and 2.5GHz – in the so-called L-band and S-band – that could be added to existing 5G networks.
SpaceX is seeking regulatory permission to connect moving vehicles to its rapidly expanding Starlink constellation, branching the broadband network out of fixed homes and offices towards satellite mobility operators. Satellite operators Inmarsat, SES and Intelsat are among those likely to feel the most disruption in the land-mobile market, [NSR] said. Depending on the exact form.