Satcom Leaders Must Pair Sovereignty With Open Multi-Orbit Networks
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Global – October 28, 2026 -- ST Engineering iDirect SVP Brian Jakins argues that sovereignty, multi-orbit resilience and open ecosystems, not satellite count, will decide who leads satellite communications in the next decade.
More than 120 mobile operators now partner with satellite players, yet customers still struggle to get capacity
Jakins says customers in Asia, LATAM and the Middle East keep asking why capacity is so hard to obtain when GEO, MEO and LEO supply is greater than ever. He cites mega-constellation launches, Europe's IRIS2 moving into production and Amazon Leo scaling up. By his account, customers want less complexity, not more connectivity.