Satellite connectivity complements and enhances existing terrestrial networks, and it’s starting to play a significant role across the industry due to recent advancements in the technology.
The motivations for using satellites are clear, as they extend coverage into areas that have traditionally been considered economically unviable, typically characterised by low population density, challenging terrain and remote geographic locations. Satellites also strengthen resilience during outages and natural disasters and support the growing expectation that users should be connected wherever they are. Alongside these drivers, falling launch costs, advances in phased array antenna and beamforming technologies and a rapidly expanding partner ecosystem are making satellite services more commercially viable.
In February, VMO2 partnered with Starlink to launch a direct-to-device (D2D) package as an optional add-on for customers, while VodafoneThree and EE have also announced plans to introduce satellite connectivity later this year.
This momentum will be further accelerated once all mobile devices, even legacy models, are able to connect to satellites – and this technology isn’t too far away.
Coverage validation must remain a priority
Like terrestrial mobile networks, coverage models and performance predictions are useful for approximating satellite coverage. However, real-world experience is shaped by many variables, including environmental conditions, physical obstructions, equipment quality and network congestion. A prediction map may suggest excellent performance, while the real user experience may tell a different story.
Satellite is most valuable in places where connectivity can be critical, yet these locations are also the most challenging for validating coverage through traditional methods. Drive and walk testing across thousands of kilometers of remote or challenging landscapes is neither economical nor practical. Fortunately, the same technologies used to validate terrestrial networks can be applied to validate non-terrestrial networks.
As direct-to-device satellite services mature, connected smartphones themselves can become a powerful source of real-world performance data. The same principles that have transformed terrestrial monitoring can be extended to satellite connectivity: using real devices, in real environments, to capture the true service availability and user experience.
By collecting experience data directly from user’s devices, operators are provided with insights into the true performance of the network, including where handovers from the terrestrial to the satellite network take place.
This real-world data provides operators with the ability to validate coverage and connectivity performance, manage partner-delivered services and inform strategic network planning should an extension to the terrestrial network be required. Without it, visibility into the service being delivered to customers remains limited.
Commercial satellite connectivity presents an exciting opportunity, yet network monitoring and visualisation technologies will be just as essential for satellite connectivity as they are for terrestrial connectivity. As satellite services become part of the mainstream mobile proposition, operators will need the same level of visibility, assurance, and actionable insight across both network layers to validate the service they are delivering to their customers.
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