As the Satellite Industry slowly moves past the COVID-19 downturn, NSR’s latest report, Global Satellite Capacity Supply and Demand, 18th Edition, finds key sectors recovering strongly. Driven by satcom and big data gains, in-orbit supply in Non-GEO accelerates from 304Gbps in 2020 to 172.1Tbps in 2030 as LEO specific programs materialize.
“The satellite industry is entering a period of program realization for LEO systems, adding tremendous supply to the market outlook mid-to-long term,” explains NSR Principal Analyst and report author Lluc Palerm. “Also, the arrival of flexible satellites is revitalizing the GEO orbit with supply more adaptive and responsive to demand.”
This supply-side evolution is creating an ecosystem ripe for application growth and development. Data verticals are now able to bridge the gap between asset requirements and end user needs.
“The top three applications driving growth are broadband access, enterprise data for wireless backhaul provisioning and commercial mobility,” notes NSR Senior Analyst and report co-author Vivek Suresh Prasad. “The competitive landscape continues to change as satellite operators extend their positioning from a pure capacity play to moving down the value chain via vertical integration, partnerships, and other emerging arrangements.”
With bandwidth commoditizing, value is shifting from assets to networks and services. Cloud capabilities will unlock new business cases, solidifying a robust rebound. Data verticals, leveraging broadband, backhaul, mobility and government/military applications, will generate US$150 billion of cumulative revenues by decade’s end.