Cloud-Based, Software-Defined Satellites will Redefine Global Connectivity - ABI Research

A new report from ABI Research forecasts that more than 10,000 cloud-native, software-defined satellites will launch by 2031, driven by next-gen LEO constellations and a push for unified terrestrial-satellite networks.

The U.S., Europe, and China are investing heavily in flexible digital space operations, shifting the focus from hardware to software-defined satellites, ground stations, and SD-WANs. These are technologies which can enable dynamic spectrum sharing, real-time reconfigurability, and interoperability across telecom and space ecosystems.

Major players including Starlink, Project Kuiper, Eutelsat OneWeb, and Chinese satellite operators are embracing 3GPP NTN standards and cloud-native architectures to support national, commercial, and defence applications.

ABI’s report, Software-Defined NTN: Architecting the Space Backbone of Unified Networks, predicts that the future of space connectivity will be software-defined, cloud-enabled, and interoperable, delivering ubiquitous, real-time global access for everything from consumer mobile devices to defense-grade communication systems.

SOURCE: https://www.abiresearch.com/press/10000-software-defined-satellites-to-power-the-next-era-of-intelligent-sovereign-ntn-by-2031