GVF webinar: Demand grows for multi-orbit terminals

Customers are demanding terminals capable of connecting to satellites in multiple orbits to ensure they can stay on the network, even if one constellation becomes unavailable.

Panelists spoke to the demand on Thursday during a webinar co-hosted by satellite trade association GVF and Connectivity Business News.

“We’re talking to everyone from mobility providers to traditional fixed-infrastructure services providers, and they all have a demand for multi-orbit solutions,” said Sean Yarborough, vice president at ground segment provider ST Engineering iDirect.

Ground services need to provide an infrastructure that can seamlessly move between satellites located at different orbits, Yarborough said.

Not every customer is going to be willing to pay a premium for that assured connectivity. There are now enough constellations on the market for companies to offer customers a portfolio of options responsive to their connectivity needs and price points.

Mobility services are an exception, however, with aero and maritime adding greater value for multi-orbit terminals with less cost sensitivity, Yarborough said.

Similarly, the U.S. government could be a big driver of demand for terminals capable of linking to multiple constellations at varied orbits. Government customers may not require multi-orbit connectivity, but they do require assured connectivity — and they’ll pay a premium to get it, said panelist Todd Brown, director of business development at antenna manufacturer AvL Technologies.

“It’s very hard for certain individuals to have the funding to have multiple orbits standing by, ready to go at any time that they need that. And that takes some financial backing,” said Brown. “The government is one of that places that you can look at that will pay for that to have that assured connectivity.”