Gaining higher altitudes with each coming month, the burgeoning satellite communications industry is being defined by three key trends, with a Starlink-shaped shadow cast right across an industry where operators want more control, and sovereignty is becoming a competitive advantage, says research from GSMA Intelligence.
The Satellite and NTN tracker, Q2 2026: SpaceX shoots for the stars report highlighted market activity up until the end of June 2026, and found there were 132 operators with a satellite service across the world, defined as unique operators or operator groups operating a direct constellation or offering satellite connectivity through one or more partnerships. This was seven more operators than three months previously.
Of these, 43 were live, one more than at the end of March 2026, and 89 were in planning or testing up, up six quarter-on-quarter. By the end of June 2026, these services were supporting 6,120 mobile connections, representing 68% of the total mobile connections base.
Of the highlights in the industry cited in the report, most significant was SpaceX’s $75bn IPO which was seen as strengthening Starlink’s position as the dominant satellite player, but GSMA Intelligence analysis suggests its stated $740bn mobile market opportunity is far larger than the realistically addressable market, which we estimate at around $15bn annually.
All in, Starlink added around 400 satellites into orbit in the second quarter of 2026, taking the current deployment to 10,400 overall and 87% of its initial planned constellation. GSMA Intelligence said the focus was now on the forthcoming V2 and V3 satellite deployments that are anticipated to carry improved technical capabilities and capacity. Yet the analyst suggested that how it serves the capacity was an altogether different question whether via existing cellular partnerships or going direct to consumer.
Another key trend was the US satellite joint venture between the country’s three largest mobile operators which said GSMA Intelligence signalled a shift away from relying solely on external satellite providers, with neutral-host models and shared infrastructure likely to become more common globally.
Indeed, the report noted that rather than relying exclusively on external providers, operators were pursuing a shared neutral-host approach to improve economics, influence technology roadmaps and reduce dependency on any single constellation.
It added that the move also strengthens the position of wholesale-oriented players such as AST SpaceMobile, which currently has 39 planned operator partnerships despite an initial constellation of only seven satellites. This said the analyst was also the model envisaged by Viasat and Space42 with the planned Equatys JV, and it believes this could become a template for other countries, shifting satellite providers towards infrastructure and capacity-sharing roles rather than exclusive bilateral partnerships.
Another key element and trend regarding satellite partnerships was the issue of sovereignty. This was found to be being driven increasingly by national security, data ownership and regulatory considerations, particularly in Europe, where operators and governments are seeking alternatives to dependence on US and Chinese technology ecosystems.
Citing an example illustrating the emergence of regionally aligned alternatives, the report highlighted Telefónica Germany’s partnership with OQ and the launch of Satellite Connect Europe.
GSMA Intelligence emphasised that for operators, concerns around sovereignty encourage multi-partner strategies – operators now averaged 1.5 satellite partnerships each – while for satellite companies, regulatory alignment, local partnerships and spectrum access were becoming as important as technical capability to acquiring future contracts.
