As the satellite industry continues its rapid transformation, several key trends are reshaping the landscape for connectivity, data processing, and communications. That’s according to two recently published articles from Via Satellite and the research firm Analysys Mason. Specifically, these trends are:
- The coming surge in LEO deployments
- Artificial Intelligence in Space
- Adoption of laser communications
- Virtualization of network functions
Together, these trends are changing the value proposition of space-based connectivity for enterprises, governments, and consumers, creating new possibilities never before possible.
LEO Satellites: Redefining Global Connectivity
The continued expansion of LEO constellations is revolutionizing satellite communications, offering low-latency, high-capacity connectivity on a global scale. Starlink has validated the competitive advantage for LEO broadband, transforming the competitive landscape and pushing the boundaries of what satellite networks can achieve. The total addressable market for next-generation space-based connectivity is massive, and multiple providers will be required to meet the global demand of consumers, enterprises, and government requirements.
The Telesat Lightspeed Low Earth Orbit (LEO) network is uniquely positioned to lead in this new era. Designed from inception to meet the mission-critical connectivity needs of the telecom, enterprise, mobility, and government sectors, Telesat Lightspeed offers:
Standards-Based Connectivity: Telesat Lightspeed will be certified under MEF 3.0 Layer 2 Carrier Ethernet standards, streamlining the fusion of LEO and terrestrial networks. This breakthrough opens avenues for creating hybrid terrestrial/non-terrestrial 5G fixed and mobile infrastructures, allowing telecom companies to easily procure and integrate new, software-defined digital services.
Security: Telesat Lightspeed is designed to protect customer data and provide assured communications in an environment with increasingly challenging and rapidly growing cybersecurity threats. Telesat is building in over 400 cybersecurity controls of the U.S. Space Force’s IA-Pre program to achieve a high security classification under the program.
Flexibility and Control: Unlike some LEO providers, Telesat’s approach is to work through existing service providers and equipment manufacturers. These companies know what their customers want, and one of those things is choice. We will deliver choices to their customers – choices for new, advanced services and how to integrate LEO into their environments.
Telesat Lightspeed was designed as the best non-terrestrial solution when deploying fibre is not cost-effective or feasible. Simply put, enterprise-class means delivering high throughput data links with guaranteed performance, including service availability and low latency, that is on par with terrestrial fibre. Services will be delivered with guaranteed service level agreements (SLAs) rather than best-effort.
This highly flexible and scalable LEO backhaul network connects remote communities, airplanes, and ships to the core telecom network and puts service providers in control of where, when, and how they serve their customers. It also ensures that enterprise and telecom service providers can provide their customers with a city-like broadband experience, no matter how rural or remote their location is.
AI for Autonomous Operations: Enhancing Efficiency and Safety
The complexity of managing LEO constellations in a crowded orbital environment requires advanced tools to ensure efficiency and safety. By 2025, AI will play a critical role in enabling autonomous satellite operations and real-time decision-making. From collision avoidance to space domain awareness, AI transforms how satellites are managed and optimized.
Telesat Lightspeed will deploy its next-generation Constellation Network Operating System (CNOS) software to orchestrate the efficient customer traffic flow over the Telesat Lightspeed satellite constellation. Telesat’s CNOS is an advanced software platform that leverages machine learning and AI.
The topology of LEO networks is dynamic due to the constant movement of satellites over the earth to maintain their low-altitude orbits. Efficient real-time network orchestration is critical for delivering the highest quality of service and meeting service commitments on availability, latency, bandwidth, and jitter to customers. Telesat’s CNOS finds the most robust and reliable routing of customer data between any two points on earth through real-time analysis of millions of possible paths, autonomously evolving antenna link scheduling, dynamic network traffic routing, and spectrum resources based on changing network requirements.
Laser Communications: Redefining Speed and Security
Laser communications have reached technical maturity and are now part of mainstream deployments in space, offering faster data transfer, enhanced security, and energy efficiency. Unlike traditional radio frequency signals, laser connections use shorter wavelengths to transmit large volumes of data with minimal power consumption.
Each Telesat Lightspeed satellite has four 10 Gbps optical inter-satellite links (OISLs) that interconnect the constellation with laser communications, forming a global mesh network in space. Mesh networks offer increased resiliency. Each satellite has four data routing paths and the ability to “skip over” a satellite to the next one in the event of a satellite anomaly in the network. This creates a self-healing network that assures data is delivered to its final destination.
Network Virtualization: Unlocking the Future of Flexibility
Virtualization transforms satellite networks, enabling operators to move away from rigid hardware-based systems toward more agile, software-driven architectures. By virtualizing key network functions, satellite operators can:
- Enhance Scalability: Deploying resources dynamically to meet changing demand.
- Streamline Operations: Simplifying network management and reducing operational costs.
- Enable Innovation: Supporting next-generation applications like 5G, IoT, and cloud services.
Telesat Lightspeed is built on a foundation of network virtualization, allowing for rapid provisioning and optimization of services. This approach ensures a superior user experience and provides the flexibility to adapt to evolving customer needs. For example:
- Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation: Telesat Lightspeed can concentrate multiple Gbps of throughput into a demand hot spot.
- Edge Computing Integration: Large-scale edge computing places compute and storage resources near the location where data is generated. Next-generation LEO gives enterprises the massive amount of low-latency, high-speed connectivity edge computing devices need.
Telesat Lightspeed: Pioneering the Future
We’ve anticipated many of these industry trends in the design of our next-generation Telesat Lightspeed LEO constellation. As these trends converge, Telesat stands at the forefront of innovation, delivering customer-centric solutions that leverage the latest advancements in satellite technology. Our commitment to innovation and collaboration ensures we meet today’s demands and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.
Next-generation LEO technology is accelerating the rate of innovation in the space industry. We’re charting a new course for space-based connectivity, and it will be an exciting ride.
