Satellite connectivity in smartphones will see significant growth as non-terrestrial networks (NTN)-capable devices are projected to account for 46 per cent of global smartphone shipments by 2030
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NEW DELHI — Satellite connectivity in smartphones will see significant growth as non-terrestrial networks (NTN)-capable devices are projected to account for 46 per cent of global smartphone shipments by 2030, a report said on Wednesday.
The report from Counterpoint Research said that nearly one in two smartphones is expected to support satellite connectivity by 2030.
Research Vice President Peter Richardson said that Apple, Google and Samsung will lead in terms of overall penetration, but Android brands targeting the entry and mid-price segments will see less penetration. Satellite offerings by more Android players and telecom operators beyond developed markets will play a key role in accelerating global adoption, he added.
The report forecasts proprietary solutions to drive the market in the near term as 3GPP NTN faces challenges around chipset readiness, operator certification and service maturity.
“Apple remains the leading smartphone OEM in terms of NTN-capable smartphone shipments, while Samsung leads the Android ecosystem. Similar to Apple, Huawei and Google follow the proprietary NTN approach,” said Principal Analyst Soumen Mandal.
"3GPP" will help expand mass adoption across brands in the premium segment, while mass adoption in the mid-price segment is expected only with Release 19, the report said.
The satellite smartphone market is mostly driven by the premium segment, but the lack of killer use cases is limiting mass adoption, it noted.
The recent acquisition of Globalstar by Amazon provides immediate scale and opens up a new revenue stream for Amazon around connectivity-as-a-service.
Regarding the satellite smartphone SoC market competitive landscape, Senior Analyst Shivani Parashar said that higher participation from chipset players will increase competition and help scalability.
“The partnerships entered into by North American telecom players have helped bring satellite connectivity to smartphones, making North America an early leader in the field,” the report said.
Though telecom operators in other regions, like Europe and China, are not rushing to offer satellite connectivity, satellite operators are increasing capacity to cater to the mass market, it added.