BLOG — Nov 6, 2025
The State of Satellite Connectivity (2025)
Satellite communications providers' capabilities cast a wide net, ranging from home broadband connectivity, mobile communications, integration with critical infrastructure and machine-to-machine connections. The broad scope of satellite communications (SATCOM) also makes it an essential service provider in rural and/or underserved markets where deploying fiber is cost-heavy and labor-intensive.
- Satellite connectivity is evolving to reduce latency, dead zones and improve internet of things devices.
- Interest in residential satellite broadband resurged as LEO satellites proliferated the skies — made possible by Starlink.
- The race to go-to-market among SATCOM providers is heating up as more satellite capacity is allocated for direct-to-consumer (D2C) and direct-to-device (D2D) purposes.
- Consolidations have made new SATCOM titans primed for government, defense and enterprise needs.
Legacy operators traditionally have positioned satellites in geostationary earth orbit (GEO) 22,200 miles above Earth's equator. GEO satellites orbit above the same point relative to Earth, matching the Earth's rotation and appearing stationary to those on the ground.
However, the newer generation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites is 100 miles to 1,000 miles above the ground, improving both speed and latency. LEO satellites are evening the playing field for Starlink and other LEO operators, with speeds typically in the 100 Mbps-200 Mbps range. Aeronautical manufacturers like Space Exploration Technologies Corp. have made it possible in recent years to lower the costs of deploying satellites with reusable rockets such as the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and upcoming Starship megarocket.
Residential (business-to-consumer)
Starlink, EchoStar Corp.'s HughesNet and Viasat Inc. are the three providers with retail satellite broadband services in the United States. Starlink leads the race, ending the second quarter of 2025 with 72% market share out of 2.4 million households. It is the largest any satellite ISP has ever been at least since 2014. Echostar, which was the largest provider before Starlink, peaked at 1.25 million in the first quarter of 2020. The operator started launching its LEO satellites in 2020 and has over 8,000 in orbit.
Amazon.com Inc.'s Project Kuiper is also set to enter the fold in the second half of 2025. The Amazon subsidiary launched the first 27 satellites of its 3,000-plus LEO constellation in April this year. Since then, it has brought five batches of satellites into space, with the last batch launched on Sept. 25, aboard the United Launch Alliance vehicle Atlas V 551. Project Kuiper had over 100 satellites in orbit as of September 2025.
Mobile (D2C, D2D, NTN)
More LEO satellite capacity is being utilized for consumer services other than home broadband. Smartphones with satellite services are more prolific as more people demand connectivity even when out of terrestrial cellular coverage. For example, Apple partnered with LEO-owner Globalstar Inc. for emergency messaging starting in 2022. Meanwhile, other satellite companies are pivoting to partner with mobile network operators instead.
Starlink's partnership with T-Mobile US Inc. gave way to T-Satellite, launched July 2025, after beta testing in 2024. According to T-Mobile executives, 1.8 million people signed up for the beta phase, which included customers from top carriers AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. Afterward, T-Satellite users are bound to a $10/line monthly fee.
SpaceX's recent $17 billion spectrum acquisition from Echostar further heated D2C competition. Over 600 Starlink satellites were exclusively designed for direct-to-cell services as of third quarter 2025. These satellites are used by partner carriers such as T-Mobile (USA), Rogers (Canada), KDDI (Japan), Salt (Switzerland), Entel (Chile/Peru) and more. In an official SpaceX update dated Sept. 8, the next generation of Starlink D2C satellites will be designed to fully operate on the AWS-4 and PCS-H (or 50 MHz S-band) acquired from Echostar.
Meanwhile, LEO operator AST SpaceMobile Inc. is preparing to launch its upcoming D2C service in the US around early 2026. It owns and operates five LEO satellites. The company is currently pre-revenue, but commitments from Verizon and AT&T have positioned it as a formidable player. Verizon is expected to provide D2C AST SpaceMobile service beginning 2026, while there is no definitive date of a D2C launch for AT&T customers.
American-based Skylo Technologies Inc. is competing in the D2D space with its Verizon partnership inked in 2024. The company launched in 2024 and partnered with companies like Viasat and Echostar to utilize their spectrum. According to Verizon's press release, they were the first carrier to launch a commercial D2D service, underscoring the significance of cellular and satellite convergence.
Skylo's non-terrestrial network (NTN) is also available for emergency messaging on select devices from partner mobile virtual network operators Comcast Corp. (Xfinity Mobile) and Charter Communications Inc. (Spectrum Mobile). As of August 2025, the NTN provider had 8 million activated devices globally.
Enterprise/government/others (business-to-business)
Other providers for enterprise, maritime, aviation, government and wholesale clients are all strategically shifting to the new baseline — multi-orbit connectivity. The fusion of GEO, medium-earth orbit (MEO) and LEO will enable hybrid flexibility in an era where faster/real-time data is top of mind. Many are harnessing the power of LEO for its low latency and shifting away from broadcast video as its main driver for revenue.
Eutelsat Communications SA-OneWeb, Inmarsat (a wholly owned subsidiary of Viasat), and Intelsat SA are among the top players strategically shifting into a multi-orbit focus. All companies have undergone recent M&A, with consolidation being a key strategic move to access these newer LEO constellations and achieve scale properly. Successful mergers will likely determine the big players in the era of multi-orbit connectivity.
Niche strategies are being executed by providers L3Harris Technologies Inc. and Iridium Communications Inc., both headquartered in the US. L3Harris is pursuing its own strategy of being the top defense technology provider, incorporating itself into critical defense infrastructure for the US government and allies. Iridium's core business puts its satellite phone at the forefront, alongside expanding into IoT, aviation safety and satellite time and location (STL).
US Broadband & Pay TV Trends is a regular feature from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan.