NSR: Land Mobile Satcom Boosted by Consumer Demand During COVID Dip

Consumer Satcom Handhelds to Generate $2.8 Billion over Next Decade


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NSR’s Land Mobile via Satellite, 9th Edition (LMvS9) report, released today, forecasts despite some challenges with enterprise segments over the past 16 months, consumer handheld demand soared throughout 2020, after challenges at the start of the year. LMvS9 finds this solid base propelling the market to add over 500,000 new land mobile subscribers over the coming decade, reaching 1.2 million active subscribers in 2030.

COVID-19 caused decreased usage across some form factors analysed over the past year. “Traditional satellite telephone form factors, push-to-talk, fixed voice, and hotspot devices all experienced either a flattening of retail revenues, or a slight decline, as economic activity dropped,” states Alan Crisp, NSR Senior Analyst and lead report author.

However, social distancing has encouraged more consumers to travel outdoors and participate in eco-tourism, especially within North America. Garmin and Iridium were the biggest winners in this space given their already dominant presence in the market; however, relatively newer devices such as the ZOLEO Satellite Communicator, the Bivystick, and others are also seeing boosts, but revenue ultimately returns to Iridium as the operator.

These devices, along with Globalstar SPOT, are not without their challenges. Churn is much higher compared to other MSS narrowband services, and ARPU remains extremely low compared to all other form factors. However, carefully crafted pricing strategies and global expansion of distribution channels all point to overall strong growth.

While consumer devices have had a “head start” from the second half of 2020, nearly all other land mobile verticals are expected to get back on track to growth from later this year, from GEO-HTS COTP to MSS services. Connected vehicles are also inching their way forward with new integrated services with electronically steered FPAs.

About the Report

NSR’s Land Mobile via Satellite, 9th Edition report is the industry’s reference for trends and insights across 9 distinct land mobile verticals – both narrowband and broadband, in both consumer and commercial markets. This includes the connected car, bus, and train, offering the widest range of analysis and forecasts for in-service units, equipment, and service revenues, as well as capacity demand for land-mobile satellite-based mobility. The report is framed within NSR’s traditional depth of industry knowledge analyzing all key segments with unmatched level of detail and provides unrivalled actionable insight to decision makers across the land mobile satellite value chain.

For additional information on this report, including a full table of contents, list of exhibits and executive summary, please visit www.nsr.com or call NSR at +1-617-674-7743.

Companies Mentioned in this Report

Bicystick, Bittium, China Spacesat, Cobham, Excelerate, Globalstar, Icom, Inmarsat, Inmosat, Inster, Iridium, ITS Equant, Jeep, L3Harris, Ligado, Omnispace, Renfe, RigNet, Rumo Rail, Satpaq, SNCF, SpaceX, Thuraya, Tiantong, Valerann, ViaSat, Xcom Labs, and Zoleo.

About NSR

NSR is the leading global market research and consulting firm focused on the satellite and space sectors, NSR’s global team, unparalleled coverage and anticipation of trends with a high degree of confidence and precision than the competition is the cornerstone of all NSR offerings. First to market coverage and a transparent, dependable approach sets NSR apart as the key provider of critical insight to the satellite and space industries.

Contact us at info@nsr.com to discuss how we can assist your business.

Press Contact:
Kristen Kloster-Grady
NSR Marketing Director
KKloster@NSR.com