Leaders from SES, SpaceX, Facebook, and ST Engineering iDirect agreed during the SATELLITE 2021 general session that satellite must think in new ways to become more integrated in the overall communications ecosystem.
SES CEO Steve Collar said the industry faces challenges despite overall optimism. “We need to work together in a more collaborative way — making networks virtualized and work more in the cloud.” He stressed open architecture: “We are big on making ourselves part of bigger ecosystems. We [the satellite industry] have been on an island for too long.” On lessons from telcos: “Telcos figured out network sharing was a good approach. They abandoned the philosophy of spending more and more to solve certain network problems. We haven’t really learned from that.”
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ST Engineering iDirect CEO Kevin Steen said: “We need to be open and more collaborative. If we don’t make our ground network interoperable with a telecoms network, telcos won’t want to work with us. Historically we have been proprietary and closed. We need to change this.” He wants to see the satellite industry participate in 6G standards discussions.
SpaceX VP Jonathan Hofeller said Starlink is already serving 100,000 customers across 15 countries: “There is a huge need for [broadband]. People are coming out of the woodwork with a need for connectivity.” On demand: “We want to get into a position where there is so much capacity it will open up so many more use cases.”
Facebook Connectivity lead Brian Barritt said: “Partnerships can help with the satellite value chain. Openness is key. We need to learn the lessons of the mobile telecoms industry and bring about more interoperability.” VS
