Telecom–satcom digital network integration: the keys to new market opportunities

As a digital transformation journey focused on the customer experience is underway, new opportunities are arising for satellite players to join terrestrial and wireless carriers that have already gravitated towards multi-domain strategies.

Current disruptions in space also feed this window of opportunity driving the satellite sector to accelerate a transformation process in virtual ground networks. What's more, virtual ground systems1 can also enable satellite providers to work more effectively within the established global communications ecosystem, thereby growing an increased market share in digital services and expanding their service offerings in tandem with terrestrial providers.

Such a shift is vital for satellite and telecom players to jointly tap into new growth opportunities such as servicing remote enterprise networks, cloud extensions and eventually 5G.

This perspective analyzes the market opportunity and dives into five synergetic technology enablers that satellite operators and service providers need to adopt and adapt to be able to achieve a seamless interplay with telecoms carriers and enterprise users. These are: carrier Ethernet networks, service orchestration, resource orchestration, digital IF and universal CPE.

Seeking agile, software-driven integration with the evolving needs of telecoms carriers, enterprise users and cloud providers is vital for satcom growth. While satellite players need to play catch-up in virtualization technology, the core elements of multi-domain virtualized operation are accessible, as they have been standardized and adopted in the carrier ecosystem.