Satellite Telecommunications Market Review

Satellite Telecommunication Market Review

This paper provides an overview of the satellite industry with a focus on commercial satellite telecommunications technology and related networks available in Australia. It also provides a summary of the related technology and industry trends.

Australia, and Western Australia in particular, is characterised by its vast geography, long coastline and substantial marine and offshore industry. This, coupled with a low population density, leads to a wide range of use cases for satellite communications. This environment sets the scene for the discussion on satellites in this paper.

Communications satellites are deployed for a range of common applications including satellite telephony services, television and radio broadcasting, enterprise data services, maritime and aviation communications, military communications, IoT applications and more recently, consumer Internet access and direct-to-mobile services.

The satellite industry is witnessing a surge in commercial activities, with new entrants to the market and traditional players diversifying their offerings. In particular there have been substantial developments in the field of low earth orbit satellite constellations, which allow vendors and carriers to introduce new and innovative products.

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