Skywatch tracks the partnerships between telecoms and satellite/non-terrestrial network (NTN) players publicly announced since 1 January 2024. It is updated monthly. NTN operators include GEO, LEO, MEO and multi-orbit players, as well as HAPS platforms.
With offerings that are both competitive and collaborative with the telcos, low Earth orbit (LEO) players are the ‘new kids in town’ that telcos cannot afford to ignore. There is an understandable nervousness from telcos about partnering with a foreign-based satellite company, especially one that might have tight and changeable links with the US administration. Telcos have tended to tie up with national or regional satellite champions, but for the new LEO operators, the whole globe is the playing field.
Beyond geopolitical considerations, collaborations between telcos and satellite/NTN players are driven by commercial concerns, in particular when what is delivered through the partnerships relates to non-critical services to the consumer – as in the small but increasing number of direct-to-device (D2D) arrangements. Once the challenges of integration are overcome and customer experience is guaranteed for D2D, the main consideration for the telco is how far the new offering enhances its portfolio and brand, and whether those benefits offset the associated costs.
The tracker provides hard facts to help telcos address questions such as:
- Which satellite providers should they partner with in their home market?
- Should they try to influence their regulators to allow or prevent the entry of LEO players in their market?
- What are the risks and the costs associated with a sit-and-watch strategy?
The tracker is presented as an Excel spreadsheet in which each entry summarises the characteristics of the announcement. We also publish a short report outlining the main announcements every month and analysing the underlying trends. Below are a few stats from the latest edition:
Our telco and satellite announcement tracker includes the following information:
- Telco name
- Satellite/NTN operator name and type (GEO/MEO/LEO/HAPS)
- Type of announcement (from collaborations to commercial launches)
- Type of satellite service (D2D vs non-D2D services and further splits)
- Geography impacted by the announcements
- A description of what the announcement entails: type of services covered (messaging, voice, data, IoT connectivity, mobile backhaul, etc.)
Last publication: September 2025
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