Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Broadband
Satellite Tech Sector
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists database, 2,788
of the 4,550 satellites in operating orbit are US-owned, with
431 Chinese and 167 Russian. More than a quarter of that total
has been put into orbit this year, with the US supplying 891 of
the 1,178 new craft.
Notably, the US satellite fleet is overwhelmingly commercial –
85% are owned by the private sector, with the military, civil
and government making up the rest.
The biggest contributor is Starlink, which launched another 13
satellites earlier this month – its 25th mission this year – to
take its total satellite population to 1,800. The service has
around 140,000 users in 20 countries, with 750,000 pre-orders,
the company said in a recent FCC filing.
By contrast, China is years behind in LEO broadband, its
plodding strategy driven by the national government.
It is plotting two state-owned satellite fleets, the bigger of
them to be operated by a new national satellite company formed
just seven months ago, China Satellite Network.
Usually known as China SatNet, it appears to be planning a
constellation of 12,992 satellites, as indicated by spectrum
filings with the ITU.
Analysts say China
sees satellite broadband as important for its Belt Road
Initiative – the ambitious plan to supply infrastructure to
developing countries in Asia and Africa.
But its strategic priority is satellite integration with 5G and
6G, which may in the long run be a much bigger deal.
Terrestrial-satellite integration is expected to be one of the
major features of 6G, enabling genuinely ubiquitous global
mobile coverage.
China has completed early testing for 5G-satellite integration
for a national emergency response service, according to official
media.
It also has multiple satellite 6G programs underway, including
one at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
in Chengdu, Southwest China, which has built an early prototype
that supports downlinks of up to 1 Tbit/s, according to the Wall
Street Journal.
This suggests that the 6G race in space could become just as
fierce as the ground battle.
Space policy researcher Namrata Goswami says the companies and
countries that capture the early orbital slots will be the ones
to set the rules and standardize how the market operates.
"Once you become the first country to do it, you set the global
standards, you set the rules," she told WSJ.
— Robert Clark - Light Reading |
About TACS
TACS
is Pioneer and Innovator of many Communication Signal
Processors, Optical Modems, Radio Modems, 5G Modems, 6G Modems,
Satellite Modems, PSTN Modems, Cable Modems, PLC Modems, and
more..
TACS
consultants are the first inventors of fixed or mobile packet
radio structures in the world.
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TACS is a leading top consultancy in the field of information, communication
and energy technologies (ICET).
The heart of our consulting spectrum comprises strategic,
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