Satellite-Enabled SOS Messaging Just the Start of Service Offerings
Satellite-provided emergency SOS messaging is just the starting point for satellite operators looking to provide direct-to-handset service, but it won't be the business plan for anyone, said Iridium Director-Legal and Regulatory Coral Faradjian Tuesday in a Smallsat Symposium panel. She said the real revenue, and business plans, seamless transitions between terrestrial mobile and satellite-enabled services.
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Panelists disagreed about using a constellation's own spectrum or relying on partner mobile network operator spectrum. Lynk Global co-founder Tyghe Speidel said it's focusing on use of the UHF band now, but it's looking at incorporating the L, S and C bands. He said a lot of mobile satellite service spectrum will find its way into phones, but there's also a need to be backward compatible with older handset technology. Sateliot CEO Jaume Sanpera said MNOs won't be prone to making their terrestrial spectrum widely available for "somebody in the middle of the mountains and wants to send a message" due to the technical costs. Omnispace Vice President-Strategy Georg Giagtzoglou said it's looking at tech development to bring its spectrum capacity into consumer devices and IoT. He said it has the capacity to go beyond emergency SOS to texting and voice services, and direct-to-handset service could obviate the need for USF funds to subsidize rural connectivity.
Satellite provision of direct-to-handset mobile service is going to rely increasingly on dual-use spectrum or spectrum being converted from terrestrial to satellite applications, Faradjian said. She said there will be regulatory battles and focus on the possibility of interference.
Lynk plans to start rolling out intermittent preliminary services in April, partnering with more than two dozen MNOs, Speidel said. Sanpera said Sateliot's 5G IoT constellation will be up by year's end.
Some satellite industry experts see a rougher economy for smallsat company launches and fundraising in 2023. "I definitely see some headwinds," with recent years of widespread success in fundraising by numerous companies "sort of past," said Abhishek Tripathi, mission operations director-University of California, Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory. He said business models will get more scrutiny, but one area that could be attractive for development is offering end-to-end solutions rather than just smallsats. Sita Sonty, Boston Consulting Group associate director, said she expects some smallsat industry consolidation, plus more focus on business fundamentals and areas like a company's access to talent and its supply chain.
SpaceX's Starhip heavy launch rocket could be a major change in the smallsat marketplace, said Tripathi. He said the smallsat market could likely support maybe one or two smallsat launchers, with rideshare likely playing a much larger future role in the industry. Smallsat makers not planning for launching on Starship are "going to be in trouble," said the former SpaceXer. "This is where the future is heading."