93% of Telecom Leaders Expect Bigger Satellite Role, Survey Finds
Global – October 29, 2026 -- Ninety-three percent of 350 senior telecom decision-makers surveyed globally by ST Engineering iDirect expect satellite to play a bigger role in their networks, and 88% plan to increase investment over the next five years.
Around 94% already classify satellite as essential or important to network strategy, and 85% highlight the importance of partnerships with satellite providers, according to the research cited by Shravan K Gaddam, VP Engineering in the company's CTO Office.
Operators want satellite to run inside the existing 5G core
Gaddam argues that operators do not want another network. They want 5G non-terrestrial networks (NTN) to reuse 5G core functions such as authentication, billing and policy control, and to deliver consistent service whether connectivity is terrestrial or satellite. Siloed systems with different operational models do not scale as networks grow more complex, he says.