Telcos, it's time to dial up your space strategy

10 years ago, the satellite communications sector lagged well behind mainstream telecoms in maturity and development. Then, in December 2015, SpaceX returned a booster to its launch pad for the first time, ready to fly again. Overnight, the cost of access to space dropped by two thirds, opening the door to a new wave of space technologies.  

The decade since has been a period of radical change. Space communications have not merely kept pace with the wider telecoms industry; in several dimensions they have leapfrogged it. Analysys Mason research data on direct-to-device (D2D) services shows that 68 operator groups around the world now have active partnerships with at least one satellite player.

But a partnership is not a strategy. And for most telecoms operators (telcos), that deeper work has not yet begun. What most organisations are missing is a space strategy that brings commercial, technical and regulatory functions together around the same goals.

Read our full article to explore the key strategic questions every telco should be asking about space – across commercial, network and regulatory priorities.