Humanity has yet to populate the stars, but more satellites are now in the sky than ever before, and that number is growing rapidly. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are playing an increasingly large role in keeping people and businesses connected on Earth, especially in remote and rural areas where fixed and wireless connectivity are infeasibly expensive.
The industry is taking notice. One industry report suggests investments in satellite from leading global operators could total $20 billion in 2025, and annual satellite telecoms service revenue will reach $165 billion by the end of this year. Telesat Chief Commercial Officer Glenn Katz said the total addressable market for LEO will reach $600 billion by the mid-2030s, with over half of that being direct-to-consumer and about $240 billion being enterprise.
While launching a satellite is a very different challenge from building a cell tower or installing fiber, managing terrestrial and satellite networks presents the same basic challenges. Whether satellite network operators are scaling operations to meet growing demand or terrestrial network providers are considering expanding into this developing space, they will need converged access Operational Support System (OSS) solutions to efficiently deploy and manage their networks.
Capacity, Performance, and Opportunity Driving Growth
Increasing demand for satellite services is being enabled, at least in part, by advances in technology and capacity. One industry report noted wholesale prices for satellite bandwidth fell from $2,500/Mbps in 2015 to $250/Mbps in 2025. Network capacity hit 150 Tbps this year, and the industry is on track to exceed 800 Tbps before 2030.
LEO satellites and advancements in satellite technology have helped drive these advances. These lower orbit satellites provide much lower latency than geostationary satellites, simply because they're closer. Evolution in satellite and launch technology have made it less expensive to deploy LEO satellites. This increased feasibility is driving expanded market access in rural and remote areas that lack network infrastructure, according to one industry report.
And enhancements in direct-to-device (D2D) technologies have eliminated the reliance on satellite phones: Now, users of 5G mobile and IoT devices can connect to satellites, vastly increasing the number and commonality of devices that can use satellite connectivity. Regions that have historically lacked high-quality connectivity, particularly in South and Central America, South and Central Asia, and Africa, represent huge opportunities for service providers.
As well, mobile service providers are finding multiple avenues to leverage satellite connectivity. Beyond using satellite backhaul for backup connectivity, mobile providers can extend 5G coverage using 5G Radio Access Networks (5G RANs). More importantly, recent advancements in Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) technologies have simplified integration of satellite into 5G networks.
Challenges Are Proportionate to Opportunities
But the sheer scale of satellite services adds new dimensions to existing challenges in deploying, monitoring, and managing network connectivity. Monitoring and managing the quality of services to ensure compliance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and deliver on KPIs will be crucial, but much more difficult to achieve over larger and more complex coverage areas.
Service provisioning, management, and maintenance will prove challenging in these environments as well, particularly as more operators enter the market. Service providers will need to be prepared to manage multi-domain networks and deploy and remotely manage devices and customer premises equipment (CPE), while delivering consistently high-quality user experiences.
These challenges have always existed. But the growing role and integration of LEO satellites and terrestrial equipment have made them more complex and difficult to navigate than ever. Service providers will need to provision, configure, and activate devices across large and hard-to-reach areas. And to meet this opportunity ahead of the competition, service providers will have to configure, launch, and scale new services quickly across multiple access networks.
Seize Opportunity With Advanced Automation and Network Management
Any market expansion is fraught with risk, where unexpected issues can create serious delays and bottlenecks. Taking advantage of this expanding market will require service providers to rapidly and intelligently deploy devices, provision services, and manage network operations according to real-time needs and local conditions, which will vary greatly by region and can potentially change rapidly. Automation can address many of the challenges service providers will face.
An advanced OSS solution that incorporates automated service provisioning and fulfillment, device monitoring and management, and assurance will help service providers rapidly scale up and optimize operations in LEO satellite broadband. With automated converged access OSS, service providers can reduce the need for manual interventions by technical staff to deploy devices, set up networks correctly, or efficiently troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Automation reduces the risk of potential bottlenecks and ensures that if they do arise, they can be resolved quickly and effectively. And combining seamless, zero-touch service provisioning and activation with no-code configuration maximizes speed and scalability without sacrificing service quality.
Effective automation can also reduce costs, enhance the quality of the end user experience, and enable seamless management of multi-domain networks. These are crucial differentiators in helping service providers establish a presence and stand out as more industry players enter the market.
It's also crucial for service providers to use an OSS with resource orchestration that supports the Broadband Forum TR-069 and TR-369 management protocols. These communications protocols provide the fundamental framework needed for complete lifecycle management of LEO satellite CPEs, while facilitating automation and integration across heterogeneous networks.
Unlock the Potential of LEO Satellites With Incognito
LEO satellites represent an opportunity for service providers to expand their offerings to new people in new places. But the challenges they face in delivering those services are, fundamentally, the same as they are with terrestrial services.
Incognito provides the expertise and tools service providers need to optimize their networks, irrespective of that network's complexity. Incognito's OSS solutions incorporate advanced automation for device monitoring and management, service provisioning, and fulfillment. This provides a powerful framework for seamless management of multi-domain networks, helping enhance the quality of experience (QoE) service providers deliver while also reducing costs.
Incognito's industry-leading Digital Experience (DX) Solution, a platform powered by an award-winning TR-069 Auto Configuration Server (ACS) featuring TR-369 User Services Platform (USP) support, offers end-to-end remote device and application lifecycle management on a secure and multi-tenant platform. Enhanced visibility and control, automatic firmware upgrades, and robust, near-real-time network monitoring and device alerts ensure efficient and effective end-to-end management of the entire device lifecycle.
And Incognito's Service Activation Center (SAC) facilitates seamless service provisioning between fixed broadband and satellite ecosystems to ensure a consistent user experience. Centralized, network-agnostic service delivery and no-code configuration of service fulfillment processes simplify service rollout, while catalog-driven service fulfillment and unified records provide a complete view of services and enable fast, hassle-free service rollout. Manage, activate, and fulfill orders with single-click, automated, and error-free processes.
Any service provider, whether offering direct LEO satellite connectivity to consumers or enterprises or incorporating satellite capabilities into an existing fixed or mobile network, can leverage Incognito's OSS solutions to simplify and streamline operations processes. Converged support for all access technologies ensures complete interoperability and seamless integration, regardless of the specific network architecture.
Click here to learn more about how Incognito's advanced solutions give service providers the tools they need to break ground and make gains with LEO satellite connectivity.
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