Satellite broadband is years away from mass adoption, but direct-to-mobile is just over the horizon.
internet service providers like Elon Musk’s Starlink are nascent in their development and still years away from being cost effective enough for mass market adoption.
Direct-to-mobile solutions, on the other hand, are likely to have more disruptive effects on the marketplace, with mobile operators expected to experiment widely with the technology in 2024.With direct-to-mobile services, subscribers can access satellite via their existing LTE/5G handsets and on their existing mobile subscriptions, said BMIT MD Chris Geerdts in a statement. “This is a potential gamechanger as the country will then have 100% outdoor coverage and service downtime will be reduced.
According to Geerdts, South African mobile operators will initially limit their direct-to-mobile services to SMS and gradually expand to include higher bandwidth services such as voice and streaming as the technology matures. BMIT’s perspective has been echoed by others in the industry. Speculation about the nature of the relationship between satellite providers and the mobile operators has suggested the two could end up competing head on, but industry experts expect cooperation.“With partnerships between Vodacom and the satellite providers, we can provide 100% coverage.