Satellite & NTN

Satellite and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) extend connectivity beyond the reach of ground-based infrastructure, using low-earth-orbit constellations, geostationary satellites, and high-altitude platforms. A major shift is the integration of satellite directly into cellular standards, enabling direct-to-device services that let ordinary phones connect via satellite where there is no terrestrial coverage. NTN is increasingly viewed not as a competitor to mobile networks but as a complement — filling coverage gaps, adding resilience, and supporting IoT and emergency communications. For operators and enterprises, satellite partnerships and spectrum are becoming strategic. This channel covers satellite and NTN developments — constellations, direct-to-device, standards integration, and operator partnerships — with analysis of how non-terrestrial connectivity is moving from niche to a mainstream layer of the connectivity landscape, and where the business case genuinely holds.

DE-CIX India Integrates Starlink LEO: A New Era for Satellite Internet and NTN

Enterprise Demand to Drive India’s Satellite Internet
DE-CIX India has become the first internet exchange in India to integrate Starlink’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, marking a strategic advance in non-terrestrial network (NTN) capabilities. With 25–220 Mbps throughput and low latency, Starlink's interconnection via DE-CIX enables local breakout, cloud on-ramps, and SD-WAN optimization across hard-to-reach regions. As regulatory approvals move toward completion, satellite connectivity shifts from pilot to production-ready, opening new paths for mobile backhaul, enterprise WANs, and e-governance.

AT&T to Buy EchoStar Spectrum for $23B to Boost 5G

AT&T to Buy EchoStar Spectrum for $23B to Boost 5G
AT&T has agreed to acquire approximately 50 MHz of low- and mid-band spectrum licenses from EchoStar for about $23 billion in cash, a move that could reset capacity economics and regulatory debates across U.S. mobile and satellite markets. The transaction adds a significant block of licensed spectrum covering more than 400 U.S. markets, with closing targeted for mid-2026 pending regulatory approvals and customary conditions. Strategically, this portfolio densifies AT&T’s spectrum layer cake and narrows the mid-band depth gap with competitors in key markets, improving headroom for consumer, enterprise, and public-sector growth over the next five to seven years.

LEO satellite broadband split: China and the West

LEO satellite broadband split: China and the West
Low Earth orbit broadband is bifurcating into Western- and China-led ecosystems, with strategic consequences for telecom and cloud connectivity worldwide. Starlink's scale in the West is meeting a fast-maturing Chinese counterweight centered on state-backed constellations and a growing commercial space sector. The result is a split that will influence landing rights, equipment supply, data sovereignty, and service availability across regions. Three forces are converging: mass-production launch capability, maturing inter-satellite optical links, and rising demand for resilient, low-latency backhaul. Governments are also reclassifying satellite broadband as critical infrastructure, accelerating public funding and procurement pipelines. Demonstrated high-rate laser crosslinks indicate a credible trajectory toward in-space backbones that rival Western systems.

MWC25 Las Vegas: Bringing together technology leaders to share real-world enterprise use cases and shape the future of connectivity

MWC25 Las Vegas: Bringing together technology leaders to share real-world enterprise use cases and shape the future of connectivity
MWC25 Las Vegas is the premier North American event for CIOs and IT leaders, offering real-world insights on 5G, AI, IoT, private networks, and edge computing. With industry leaders from IBM, Qualcomm, T-Mobile, and more, the event focuses on actionable strategies for enterprise transformation.

Tampnet Delivers Private 5G and Edge Connectivity to Island Innovator Rig

Tampnet Delivers Private 5G and Edge Connectivity to Island Innovator Rig
Tampnet has secured a five-year contract to deliver a fully managed private 5G network with LEO satellite, LTE, and edge computing to Island Drilling’s Island Innovator rig. Operating in the North Sea, the solution ensures low-latency, AI-orchestrated data flow for safer, smarter offshore operations, enabling automation, predictive maintenance, and real-time decision-making even in extreme conditions.

Alaska Airlines selects Starlink for low-latency inflight Wi-Fi

Alaska Airlines selects Starlink for low-latency inflight Wi-Fi
Alaska Air Groups move to deploy SpaceX Starlink across Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines by 2027 signals a decisive pivot to low-latency, LEO-based inflight connectivity for U.S. carriers. Inflight WiFi has moved from perk to productivity platform, and latency not just bandwidth now defines user experience for video conferences, collaboration tools, and gaming. By standardizing on Starlink's low Earth orbit (LEO) network, Alaska is targeting ground-like performance gate-to-gate across regional, narrowbody, and widebody fleets. Alaska cites sub-100 ms latency and up to 500 Mbps per aircraft, enabling real-time messaging, cloud apps, and streaming on multiple devices without gating performance to a handful of users.

Rohde & Schwarz and Taiwan Space Agency deliver a dual-function satellite test chamber

  • Tech News & Insight
  • August 13, 2025
Rohde & Schwarz and Taiwan Space Agency deliver a dual-function satellite test chamber
A new joint solution from Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) and the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) consolidates electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and antenna measurements into a single, production-grade test chamber, signaling a shift in how satellite payloads will be validated for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) and mission-critical services. By integrating both disciplines in one chamber, TASA can validate RF performance, emissions, and immunity under consistent test conditions and configurations, improving time-to-launch and de-risking interoperability with terrestrial networks. The TASA deployment combines R&S hardware, software, and engineering with a locally built Compact Antenna Test Range (CATR) reflector to achieve dual-mode EMC and antenna measurements in one chamber.

Nelco & Eutelsat OneWeb to Launch LEO Satellite Internet in India

Nelco & Eutelsat OneWeb to Launch LEO Satellite Internet in India
Tata-owned Nelco has partnered with Eutelsat OneWeb to launch LEO satellite services across India, targeting land, maritime, and aviation sectors. The deal aims to deliver secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, support national security, and expand coverage to remote areas. Pending spectrum allocation, Nelco will be ready to offer services once OneWeb’s India network goes live.

Reliance Jio Tops Global Telecom Charts with 488M Users & 5G Growth

Reliance Jio Tops Global Telecom Charts with 488M Users & 5G Growth
Reliance Jio has claimed the title of the world’s largest telecom operator with 488 million subscribers, including 191 million on its 5G network. Despite a 25% tariff hike, Jio’s 5G adoption continues to soar, making up 45% of its total wireless data traffic. Backed by investments in AI, 6G, and satellite internet—plus a partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink—Jio is expanding its reach beyond India to become a global tech leader.

Enterprise Demand to Drive India’s Satellite Internet

Enterprise Demand to Drive India’s Satellite Internet
India’s satellite internet market will focus on enterprise demand over consumer use, according to DoT’s Gulab Chand. With 4G and 5G networks covering most of the country, satellite services are expected to serve sectors like logistics, energy, and mining. Startups and government support are fueling India’s space-tech ecosystem, creating a hybrid terrestrial-satellite network model to power the nation’s digital growth.

AI Meets The Final Frontier – Can Satellites Really Detect Your Farts?

AI Meets The Final Frontier - Can Satellites Really Detect Your Farts?
At Manchester's UK Space Conference, I discovered space companies drowning in data while ignoring the AI solutions that could save them. Between dodging aggressive panhandlers and debating whether NVIDIA chips belong in orbit, I learned that "Gas Stations in Space" is brilliant marketing, and why most space executives still think like graduate students.

T-Mobile T-Satellite Now Open to All Carriers with Starlink Satellite Texting

T-Mobile T-Satellite Now Open to All Carriers with Starlink Satellite Texting
T-Mobile has expanded its Starlink-powered T-Satellite service to all carriers, offering satellite SMS and location sharing in areas with no cellular coverage. Compatible with over 60 devices—including newer iPhones, Samsung, and Google Pixel models—T-Satellite provides off-grid communication for just $10/month. Learn how to sign up and what features are coming next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN)?
NTN refers to connectivity delivered via satellites, high-altitude platforms, or other non-ground-based infrastructure, working alongside, not instead of, traditional cell towers to extend coverage to places terrestrial networks don’t reach. The concept has been formally incorporated into 3GPP’s mobile network standards specifically to ensure satellite-based connectivity can integrate technically with standard cellular networks, rather than existing as a completely separate, incompatible system. This standardization matters because it means NTN connectivity can, in principle, work seamlessly alongside regular cellular service, allowing a device to fall back to satellite coverage automatically when terrestrial signal isn’t available, rather than requiring users to manually switch between two entirely separate systems.
What are the different types of NTN?
  • Satellite networks: These networks use satellites in orbit around the Earth to transmit and receive signals and include geostationary and Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks
  • Balloon networks: These networks use balloons that are floated high in the stratosphere to transmit and receive signals. They can be used for applications such as providing internet access in remote or hard-to-reach areas, as well as for remote sensing and scientific research.
  • High-altitude platform stations (HAPS): These networks use aircraft or airships that fly at high altitudes, such as the stratosphere, to transmit and receive signals. They can be used for similar applications to balloon networks, and they also have the added advantage of mobility.
  • Drone networks: These networks use drones, which are also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to transmit and receive signals. They can be used for a wide range of applications, such as providing internet access in remote or hard-to-reach areas, remote sensing, scientific research, and commercial uses like delivery and inspection.
  • Stratospheric platform stations (SAPS): This network uses a platform stationed in the lower part of the stratosphere, such as a blimp, that can relay communications between ground and satellites or between ground and another SAPS.
  • Laser Communications: This network uses a laser to transmit data between two points. This technology is still in development, but it has great potential to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency communications.
Is satellite internet going to make cell towers obsolete?
No. The industry consensus treats satellite and direct-to-device connectivity as a complementary layer that extends coverage to remote and underserved areas, not a replacement for dense terrestrial 5G networks in cities and suburbs where ground infrastructure remains far more efficient at handling large volumes of simultaneous users. Terrestrial cell towers can support vastly more simultaneous connections and far higher data throughput per user within a given area than current satellite technology can practically deliver, making satellite connectivity better suited for filling coverage gaps, like remote rural areas, maritime and aviation routes, or emergency situations where terrestrial infrastructure has failed.
What is direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity?
Direct-to-device, often abbreviated D2D, lets ordinary smartphones connect directly to satellites for basic connectivity, such as text messaging and, increasingly, voice or limited data service, without needing a separate, dedicated satellite terminal or specialized hardware beyond what’s already built into many recent smartphone models. This represents a significant technical advance over older satellite phone technology, which required bulky, dedicated devices. Large satellite operators, including SpaceX’s Starlink, are positioning D2D as a broader connectivity layer that could eventually extend beyond emergency and remote-area use cases into more general-purpose coverage, though this more expansive vision remains considerably further from current commercial reality than basic emergency messaging service.
Why is satellite connectivity becoming a bigger topic in telecom circles in 2026?
Large satellite operators entering the connectivity market with very large addressable market projections are raising substantial industry questions about spectrum ownership, infrastructure economics, and how traditional telecom operators and satellite providers will share or compete for the same customers going forward. SpaceX’s Starlink, for instance, has framed its total addressable market across AI, connectivity, and space-enabled infrastructure as enormous, positioning direct-to-device satellite connectivity as a potential global connectivity layer. This scale of ambition has prompted genuine strategic concern within the traditional telecom industry about longer-term competitive dynamics and what role established carriers will play as satellite capabilities continue advancing rapidly.
How does NTN fit into 6G plans?
Standards bodies are explicitly designing 6G to include seamless integration between terrestrial and satellite networks as a core capability, aiming to close coverage gaps as a fundamental design goal rather than treating satellite as a bolt-on afterthought added after the main standard is already finalized. This reflects lessons learned from how NTN support was added to 5G somewhat later in that standard’s development process, with 6G planning intended to incorporate satellite integration considerations from earlier on. The explicit goal is a future network where a device can move seamlessly between terrestrial and satellite coverage without users needing to think about which type of connectivity they’re actually using.
What’s the difference between low-earth-orbit, medium-earth-orbit, and geostationary satellites for connectivity purposes?
Low-earth-orbit, or LEO, satellites orbit much closer to Earth than older satellite generations, typically a few hundred miles up, which significantly reduces signal delay, or latency, making LEO constellations considerably more suitable for real-time applications like voice calls than earlier satellite generations were. Medium-earth-orbit satellites sit considerably farther out and are less commonly used for the consumer broadband and direct-to-device connectivity currently generating the most attention. Geostationary satellites orbit much farther from Earth, remaining fixed relative to a specific ground point, useful for certain broadcast applications but introducing meaningfully higher latency, generally making them less suitable for interactive connectivity compared to LEO constellations.
Do existing smartphones actually support satellite connectivity today, or is special hardware required?
A growing number of recent smartphone models do support some form of satellite connectivity natively, generally for specific, limited use cases like emergency messaging when no cellular signal is available, rather than full general-purpose satellite data service. This built-in support typically depends on having a relatively recent device with a modem chipset specifically designed to support satellite frequencies, meaning older devices generally cannot access these features even through a software update. As direct-to-device satellite services continue expanding beyond basic emergency messaging toward more general data and voice capability, broader satellite support is expected to become a more standard smartphone feature over time, similar to how 5G modem support gradually became standard.
What regulatory and spectrum challenges does satellite connectivity raise for traditional telecom operators?
Spectrum that terrestrial carriers have historically used exclusively may need to be shared or coordinated with satellite operators offering direct-to-device service using similar or overlapping frequencies, raising technical interference concerns and complex regulatory coordination questions that vary by country. There are also competitive and regulatory fairness questions, since satellite operators offering connectivity services may not be subject to the same licensing requirements or local infrastructure investment expectations that traditional terrestrial carriers face in a given country, potentially creating an uneven competitive playing field regulators are still actively working through. These unresolved questions are part of why traditional operators have approached large-scale satellite providers with a mix of cautious partnership interest and genuine competitive concern.

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