By: Ali Al Hashemi, Chairman GSOA and CEO Space Services – Space 42
For the first time in the history of telecommunications, the technical foundations are being laid for satellites to operate as native components of mobile networks. Chipset manufacturers are building NTN-capable silicon, major device makers have committed billions to satellite-ready handsets, and 3GPP standards now define how satellites and terrestrial systems can work as a single, integrated network. The promise of seamless connectivity anywhere on Earth, delivered to an unmodified smartphone, is no longer speculative. It is an engineering programme with commercial timelines measured in years, not decades.
But technical readiness alone will not determine whether this moment delivers on its potential. The satellite industry faces a choice: pursue fragmented, proprietary approaches that replicate the limitations of the past, or build shared, open infrastructure that extends the proven tower-company model into space. The commercial frameworks, regulatory environments, and sustainability commitments that take shape over the next few years will decide which path prevails, and whether the 2.2bn people still without connectivity are finally reached.
As Chairman of the GSOA, and as someone who has spent over two decades building connectivity solutions globally, I believe the answer depends on three things: accelerating the integration of non-terrestrial networks into the mobile ecosystem, modernising licensing frameworks to match the pace of technology, and ensuring that the industry earns the trust required to operate at scale through responsible stewardship of the space environment.
The convergence imperative
The connectivity gap remains one of the defining challenges of our time. According to the ITU’s Facts and Figures 2025 report, 2.2bn people remain without connectivity globally. Progress is real: that figure has fallen from 2.6bn in just two years. But the remaining unconnected populations represent the hardest cases. They are concentrated in low-income countries, rural areas, and regions where towers and fiber will never be economically viable.
Satellites are the only technology that can close this gap at the scale and speed required. But the satellite industry of the past, built on closed architectures, proprietary terminals, and fragmented spectrum, was not designed to serve billions of consumers. What has changed is the emergence of standards-based Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) that integrate directly with the mobile ecosystem. The 3GPP, through Releases 17, 18, and now 19, has built the technical foundation for satellites to operate as native components of 5G Advanced and eventually 6G networks. Release 19, whose functional freeze was approved in September 2025, formally introduces regenerative satellite architecture and inter-satellite links, a significant step toward making NTN a seamless extension of Terrestrial Network (TN) coverage.
The commercial implications are substantial. Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite connectivity, which enables standard smartphones to connect to satellites without modification, is projected to grow from $0.57bn in 2025 to $2.64bn by 2030. Consumer subscribers for D2D services are expected to surge from 600,000 to 23.5m over the same period. The 5G coverage disparity adds urgency: while 84% of people in high-income countries already have access to 5G, just 4% in low-income countries do. NTN can bridge that gap far faster than any terrestrial buildout.
This is why the industry’s approach to infrastructure matters as much as the technology itself. The mobile sector’s own history offers a useful lesson. The transition from proprietary 2G systems to open, standards-based architectures did more to accelerate global adoption than any single network deployment. Interoperability, roaming, and common device ecosystems created scale that no closed system could achieve alone. The satellite industry now faces a similar inflection. As NTN becomes embedded in 3GPP standards, the question is whether the sector will embrace the collaborative, ecosystem-driven models that drove terrestrial mobile to five billion subscribers, or default to vertically integrated approaches that limit participation and slow adoption. The answer will shape how quickly and how equitably the next generation of connectivity reaches the people who need it most.
The regulatory unlock
Technology alone will not deliver universal connectivity. The most advanced satellite constellation is ineffective if licensing frameworks prevent it from operating across borders, if spectrum access is uncertain, or if regulatory processes take years to complete. Today, the regulatory environment for satellite services remains fragmented. In many countries, licensing is opaque, biased toward terrestrial services, or simply absent for the kinds of integrated TN/NTN services that are now technically feasible.
This is the critical bottleneck. Investment follows regulatory certainty. Operators need clear, predictable, and internationally harmonised rules to justify the capital commitments required to build shared NTN infrastructure. That means technology-neutral licensing, proportionate obligations, transparent processes, and fee structures based on cost recovery rather than revenue extraction.
GSOA has published comprehensive Satellite Licensing Best Practices to support governments in accelerating access to satellite services. This guide provides a practical blueprint for satellite authorization, spectrum management, and service licensing, drawn from successful models in jurisdictions that have already adopted enabling frameworks. The goal is not to dictate policy but to offer regulators a resource built on real-world experience, one that helps them unlock their digital economies while maintaining full sovereignty over infrastructure, data, and deployment.
We view policymakers and regulators as essential partners, not obstacles. The satellite industry cannot fulfill its potential without their leadership, and governments cannot achieve their universal connectivity ambitions without the satellite industry. The convergence of these interests should produce urgency on both sides.
Responsible growth
The expansion of satellite constellations brings a corresponding obligation: to operate responsibly in a shared environment. Space is a finite resource. As more satellites are launched across all orbits, the risks of collision, debris proliferation, and interference with scientific observation increase. An industry that asks for greater regulatory trust and commercial access must demonstrate that it can be trusted with that responsibility.
The choices the industry makes about how it builds will also determine how sustainably it grows. As orbital congestion increases, regulators and the international community will likely scrutinise whether new deployments demonstrate spectral and orbital efficiency, or whether they add unnecessary pressure to an already crowded environment. Sustainability and smart system design are increasingly inseparable.
GSOA’s Code of Conduct on Space Sustainability, adopted by the industry in 2023 with further commitments in 2024, establishes best practices across four pillars: mitigating in-orbit collision risk, minimising non-trackable debris, preserving human life in space, and limiting satellite reflectivity to protect optical astronomy. These represent binding commitments that operators across all orbits have endorsed, backed by measurable practices and accountability mechanisms.
Beyond voluntary standards, GSOA is actively engaging with regulators to develop globally consistent rules grounded in peer-reviewed science. We have commissioned research with academic institutions on the impact of space activities on the Earth’s atmosphere, and on ground-based optical astronomy. The results of these studies will inform the evidence base for proportionate, science-based regulation that balances the societal benefits of satellite connectivity with the imperative to protect the orbital environment.
Without credible environmental stewardship, the connectivity mission loses its foundation. Shared infrastructure models require shared responsibility. If the industry fails to demonstrate that stewardship, it will lose the regulatory goodwill and public trust on which its growth depends.
A collective commitment
The technology is maturing rapidly, the standards are advancing, and market demand is undeniable. What remains is the collective will to act. Closing the connectivity gap permanently requires a triad of collaboration: the innovation of the satellite industry, the integration efforts of mobile operators, and the leadership of governments and regulators who understand that connectivity is a foundation for economic growth, social inclusion, and human development.
I have always believed that connectivity is a human right. The tools to make it a universal reality now exist. It is our shared responsibility to ensure they are deployed wisely, equitably, and sustainably.
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