Starlink won round one, the phone is the next fight. Satellites used to connect ships, planes and remote sites. Now the target is the phone in your pocket. This report covers the whole SATCOM market as it stands now, from broadband and terminals to ground networks.
12 sections to help founders and investors understand the satellite communication market with clarity
We begin with a clear line around the market: what we count as satellite communication, what we don't, and why.
Home broadband from space, a text sent from a phone with no signal, and a ground station that relays data are all SATCOM. They have different customers and different economics, so we keep them apart.
This way, you can trust what each chart is measuring.
SATCOM is very hot right now, and the new fight is over connecting ordinary phones.
We've found a lot of interesting signals. Verizon signed a deal with AST SpaceMobile in October 2025 to offer satellite phone connectivity in the US. And SpaceX agreed to buy about $2.6B in spectrum from EchoStar for its direct-to-cell network. Operators are betting on ordinary phones connecting to satellites.
In this section, we look at why connectivity from space is moving into everyday devices, and what that means for operators, carriers, and the companies that build terminals and ground networks.
SATCOM market estimates online are all over the place. Some count only broadband subscriptions. Others add terminals, ground stations or defense contracts.
Instead of picking one, we built our own estimate step by step, compared it with outside sources, and showed every assumption. Then you can test our number against your own view.
And you'll get several scenarios, not one single forecast.
Large parts of the world still have weak or no coverage, and the businesses that work there feel it every day.
We compare six kinds of satellite communications companies, from broadband networks to direct-to-device services and terminals. Then we rank what airlines, mobile carriers and remote businesses need most, including reliable coverage.
You'll see which gaps customers will pay to close, and which are already crowded.
Laser links between satellites, flat-panel antennas, phones that connect straight to orbit, software that steers traffic across networks: SATCOM technology is changing fast.
We map the stack from satellites and payloads to terminals, gateways and network software. We show the bottlenecks, such as spectrum, terminal cost and ground station capacity.
You'll also see which bets are worth watching, like networks that blend satellite and cell service, and satellites that can be reprogrammed in orbit.
SATCOM companies make money by selling subscriptions, wholesale capacity to carriers, terminals, managed services, or whole networks to governments.
We compare them. Consumer broadband needs huge upfront spending and cheap terminals. Direct-to-device usually shares revenue with mobile carriers. Managed services for ships and planes earn more per user, but now face new low-orbit rivals. Terminals can sell in volume, but hardware margins depend on scale.
You'll see who keeps the margin when a satellite operator, a carrier and a terminal maker all touch the same customer.
The big risks are clear: huge capital needs, one player with a massive lead, and fierce price competition.
Some are less obvious. Spectrum rules can change. Orbits are getting crowded. Phone makers may pick one satellite partner over another. And older operators carry debt that limits how fast they can respond.
We put a likelihood and an impact on each risk, so you can see which ones could reshape the market.
Earlier, we give a realistic growth rate for SATCOM. Here, we explain what would drive it, because a growth rate needs reasons.
Some drivers are obvious: demand for coverage everywhere, Wi-Fi on planes and ships, and defense needs for secure links. Others are quieter: cheaper terminals, phones that connect to satellites out of the box, and governments that want networks they control.
Before building or investing, you should know what makes customers switch to satellite connectivity, and what keeps them paying once they do.
Big money is flowing into SATCOM, but much of it goes to a few very large players.
We'll compare funding for direct-to-device services, terminals and satellite-network software. We'll also look at mobile operator partnerships and why access to spectrum matters.
You'll see where investors think SATCOM companies will make money, based on the latest spectrum deals and funding rounds.
SES and Viasat are names most people in satellite communication know, but the market is much wider than the big operators.
Many interesting companies sell the pieces around the satellite. Some build flat antennas for cars, trucks and planes. Others run ground stations as a service, or write software that moves traffic between satellite and cell networks.
They're hard to spot because they sell to operators and carriers, not to the public. Their names rarely appear on the service people actually use.
Our market grids and ecosystem maps are below, from payloads to terminals and ground networks, so you can place each company and spot the ones gaining ground.
In SATCOM, you pay for the network years before the first customer pays you.
So we looked at why SATCOM startups struggle. Some ran out of cash before their satellites were in place. Some never secured the spectrum they needed. Others built terminals too costly for their market, or depended on one carrier deal that didn't renew.
If you're building, you'll see why spectrum, cash for the long build and a cheap enough terminal come first. If you're investing, you'll know what to check about funding needs, partner deals and regulatory rights.
Iridium, Gogo, Viasat… a few SATCOM companies have built steady businesses, each in its own way.
Iridium serves remote places, including the poles. Gogo focuses on business jets. Viasat grew through large satellites and government contracts. Their growth rates vary, but all serve customers who need reliable connections.
We'll look at how SATCOM companies choose customers they can serve better than anyone, and keep them for years.
It's for founders, investors, satellite operators, mobile carriers, equipment makers, and strategy teams who want a clear view of the satellite communication market.
It helps if you're weighing broadband, direct-to-device or IoT, deciding whether to build terminals, payloads or ground networks, or trying to understand spectrum, funding, competition, and risks across the whole market.
It has 190+ pages. It is designed to be comprehensive enough to support serious market evaluation, while still being fast to read and easy to use.
We prioritize signal, structure, and visual clarity over unnecessary length.
We define the satellite communication (SATCOM) market as systems and services that transmit information through satellites.
We include satellite broadband, direct-to-device connectivity, communications payloads, terminals and dedicated ground networks.
We exclude Earth observation, satellite navigation and launch services without a communications offering.
Yes. All key data points and assumptions are explained and sourced in the document.
All sources are tier-1: company filings, funding databases, public datasets, expert interviews, industry reports, etc.
Yes. The report was last updated on October 24, 2026 with the latest market signals.
Yes. This is a one-time purchase. There is no subscription required to access the document.
Yes. You can use NEWMARKET for 20% off when purchasing two reports, or NEWMARKETMAX for 30% off when purchasing five or more.
If a market you care about is not currently on the list, email us at team@newmarketpitch.com and we may be able to cover it.
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Connecting the world from space takes billions before the first bill goes out, and one player already has a big lead. This report walks through the full SATCOM market: its size, customers, technology, business models, funding, key companies, risks, and where the openings are now.
