Satellite operators are finding ways to compete and partner with the increasingly powerful telco ecosystem, speakers said at SATELLITE 2022.
Stephane Pallez, CEO of Eutelsat’s subsidiary, noted that the operator now derives a third of its revenues from connectivity services rather than video, and that the proportion was growing. He stressed the importance of working with telcos: “If you want to reach the billions, at some point, you need the telcos as a partner.”
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Dan Goldberg, CEO of Telesat, said his company’s Lightspeed LEO constellation would offer telcos a way to extend their reach to unserved areas. “The telcos understand that we are not a threat to them. We are an extension of their network.”
Reza Rasoulian, SVP of strategy and business development for Viasat, noted that the company’s pending acquisition of Inmarsat would give it a truly global multi-orbit offering. “We’re not trying to replace anybody. We’re trying to work within the ecosystem.”
Panelists agreed that satellite operators need to move up the value chain, offering managed services rather than raw bandwidth. “The market is asking us to go further downstream,” said Goldberg. “Customers don’t want to buy megabits per second — they want to buy outcomes.” VS
