Report: “Meteoric growth” in satcom terminals
January 29, 2024
By Chris Forrester
A report from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research says there’s a “meteoric growth in VSAT, BGAN, SatPhones + 5G mobile services to fuel billions of dollars growth in the satcom terminals market by 2030″.
ABI says that, in recent years, satcom systems have undergone an evolution. The industry’s shift to commercial space, also known as ‘New Space’, has helped technology to move from niche applications to mainstream use — and this has allowed satcom access to reach an all-time high in 2023, extending its presence from the battlefields of Ukraine, the archipelagos of Southeast Asia, and even the Arctic poles.
Connectivity can now be achieved anywhere on Earth, but a connection to a satellite network requires vital connectivity equipment on the ground: user terminals. According to ABI Research, the satcom terminals market will reach $238 billion by 2030.
Today, these terminals come in the form of traditional tiny aperture terminals (VSAT), Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals, satellite phones (SatPhones), and recently 5G mobile devices following the 3GPP standard. Thanks to the rapid deployment of non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) networks, like Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and, soon, Amazon’s Kuiper, innovation in the satellite ground segment is quickly advancing.
“In the area of satcom, Satellite Internet has been experiencing a surge in popularity, and it is fast becoming a valuable technology in bridging the connectivity gap. We anticipate the low entry cost of Amazon and Starlink terminals will attract new and existing customers to Satellite Internet. As both networks will be operational by 2030, we expect annual shipments of low-cost flat panel VSAT terminals to reach up to 2 million annually, representing a 2022-2030 compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.6 per cent.” said Andrew Cavalier, Satellite Communications Senior Analyst at ABI Research.
He also says that companies such as Starlink and Amazon Kuiper will be the front runners in the satellite broadband marketplace with new low-cost, flat-panel terminals.
The increased industry launch capacity has laid the groundwork for satcom applications to surge, ushering in a new era of lower-cost satellites and ground equipment. ABI Research also anticipates that satellite manufacturers and operators will leverage new 3GPP standards to drive equipment sales.