NTN mobile connections to surpass 175 million by 2030

There will be more than 175 million Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) mobile connections worldwide by 2030, according to The Ascending Satellite NTN Market, the latest whitepaper from global technology intelligence firm ABI Research. The growing adoption of satellite services in the communication sector is driven by the deployment of satellite constellations for low-latency, high-throughput network applications and extending terrestrial network coverage. By the decade’s end, these shifts will translate to US$124.6 billion in annual satellite services revenue.

“Satellite communications services have seen a new wave of enthusiasm and convergence with terrestrial networks looking to extend past their coverage zones and bridge the digital divide. We are witnessing a growing trend of operators leveraging software-defined satellites and multi-orbit solutions to meet the connectivity demands of the future,” says Andrew Cavalier, Satellite Communications Industry Analyst at ABI Research.

The Third Generation Partnership Project’s (3GPP) initiative is having a profound impact on the Satellite Communications (SatCom) industry, with a wave of notable satellite operators looking to take advantage of the market opportunity being created by the convergence of satellite communications and terrestrial cellular networks. On the other side of the coin, smartphone manufacturers and chipset makers are making moves that highlight excitement for consumer-grade devices supporting satellite communications via Narrowband (NB)-NTN, NTN unmodified, and eventually, 5G New Radio (NR)-NTN.

“Much of this growth is thanks to the smaller form factor of satellites, as well as reduced launch costs by 98 percent, thanks to reusable rockets by SpaceX, and better economies of scale thanks to standardized satellite bus and payload design. All these developments make it more affordable to launch satellites into orbit and offer SatCom services to a wider audience, driving further market developments,” Jake Saunders, VP Asia Pacific, explains.

To learn more about how the IoT and NTN mobile technologies are propelling the US$124.6 billion satellite services market and what that means for SatCom providers, mobile operators, and technology vendors, download the whitepaper, The Ascending Satellite NTN Market.

This whitepaper is part of ABI Research’s Satellite Communications research service, which provides deep technical and quantitative analysis of the SatCom Market, leveraging decades of SatCom research and industry relationships for insider insight and expertise. Along with exclusive research and extensive market data, ABI Research’s Satellite Communications research service also provides expert guidance to our clients, helping them identify their challenges, understand their markets, and optimize technology investments and strategies. ABI Research