Here comes Starlink, the next telecommunications giant

It is now five years since Starlink first began to offer commercial service and we are only now starting to see its ability to disrupt the telecom business. Unsurprisingly, it is the legacy GEO and MEO operators that have been the first to feel the impact, facing a competitor with vastly different service capabilities and cost points. But Starlink is also starting to reach into fixed-line broadband, as we have seen with its ground-breaking bundling deal with MVNO US Mobile. Starlink can be a partner for some operators but for others it may turn out to be a competitor who can shark market share. Starlink is on pace to become the next global telecom heavyweight, with dozens of operator partners worldwide and a network that extends into almost every market.

[Robert Clark is an independent technology editor and researcher based in Hong Kong.]