How the industry sees satellite connectivity

Satellite industry incumbents, telecoms, and tech companies see satellite communications as an important and necessary next step to bridge the digital divide. The idea is that these systems can connect communities globally, including in places in which the cost of building infrastructure remains too high, or even too risky.

That’s always been the case, of course. But as AI permeates everything and smart tech gets deployed broadly, the strategic and economic value of such services is growing. It’s already widely used across some industries, such as mining and maritime, and is expected to see wider use in smart city development, agriculture, and other areas.

Much of the potential has been opened up from advances in the tech inside Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Relatively cheap to manufacture and launch, LEO satellites are precisely the kind of devices Apple and GlobalStar are putting in space. They are also being integrated into the 5G ecosystem, which is, of course, precisely what Apple’s big investment in the tech will likely turn out to be all about. They provide another layer of network resilience ¸— and another attack surface, too.