Expect More Satcom M&A, AI Progress in 2024: Analyst

2024 should bring more vertical and horizontal consolidation across the satcom industry as well as major moves in AI integration, Analysys Mason's Vivek Prasad blogged Wednesday. He said EchoStar's Jupiter-3 will drive geostationary orbit market growth in the Americas, while SpaceX's Starlink broadband growth will slow versus 2023 as it expands in emerging economies where average revenue per user is lower. Prasad predicted Eutelsat/OneWeb will make inroads in the enterprise very small aperture and backhaul markets, while Amazon will likely launch Kuiper satellites in earnest this year. He said big demand drivers in satcom this year will include network upgrades and expansion in backhaul and trunking as well as autonomous maritime platforms and unmanned aerial systems. While the video market's size will continue its slide, it will remain the largest single source of satcom market revenue, he said.