eMarketer predicts that there will be nearly 70 million broadband households in the US in 2008 -- "Convergence, once only a futuristic dream, is a growing reality in homes across the continent, and it is changing the character � product offerings and competitive alignment � of some of the most powerful corporations in North America. The broadband market is no longer about only high-speed Internet access, says Ben Macklin, eMarketer Senior Analyst and author of the report. A new market is being created, including voice and video � a market worth nearly ten times the value of the Internet access business alone."
From my vantage point, few areas are evolving as rapidly and with such profound implications as the space sector. For decades, satellites were essentially fixed hardware – powerful, expensive, but ultimately immutable once launched. That paradigm is undergoing a transition driven by Software-Defined Satellites (SDS). A recent market study by ABI Research underscores this transition, painting a picture of technological advancement and a fundamental reshaping of global connectivity, security, and national interests. LEO SDS Market Development The core concept behind SDS is deceptively simple yet revolutionary: decouple the satellite's capabilities from its physical hardware. Instead of launching a satellite designed for a single, fixed purpose (like broadcasting specific frequencies to a specific region), SDS allows operators to modify, upgrade, and reconfigure a satellite's functions after it's in orbit, primarily through software updates. The ABI Research report highlights ...