01 Increased Seaborne Threats and Ambiguous Maritime Security Policies Maritime security is essential for national and human security and economic prosperity as it influences maritime traffic. The Indo-Pacific has received attention due to various connectivity initiatives focusing on the region, including those of the United States, China, Russia, Japan, Australia, India, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.Following the end of the Cold War, the Indian Ocean's maritime security ecology changed, resulting in non-traditional security threats such as piracy, human and drug trafficking, and maritime terrorism. Almost all ships operating in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, and Southeast Asia have been impacted by piracy operations in the shipping and petroleum industries. As a result of rising seaborne threats and uncertain maritime security regulations, satellite communication will become more important, as will defensive and military interference. This will drive market growth.
02 Deployment of High-Throughput Satellite (hts) Systems Innovations in the satellite industry have been growing with the launch of high-throughput satellites using Ku-band aimed at aerospace, defense, and maritime applications. Similarly, the deployment of high-throughput satellite (HTS) systems from established players, such as Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Telesat, have been instrumental in driving the satellite capacity supply, which is anticipated to be around 15 times more over maritime regions over the next few years. This incremental supply is expected to augment the growth of the market.
01 Rising Demand for Military and Defense Satellite Communication Solutions Satellite communication has gained significant traction due to its excessive use in the defense and military sectors for transmitting information and establishing communication between military personnel. It also helps with satellite-asset tracking and remote sensing. For instance, life safety at sea has been gaining importance in the defense sector. The governments of various countries are investing in communication technology, such as navigation systems and vessel tracking. The governments of countries like China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia play a vital role in promoting maritime security, as the maritime industry adds to the region's economic growth.Partnership agreements can be noted between service providers to address the increasing demand for satellite communication in the military and defense fields. For instance, in December 2021, Airbus and OneWeb signed a distribution partnership agreement to offer LEO (low Earth orbit) satellite communication services for military and government utilization. Airbus aims to offer new military satellite communication services leveraging the OneWeb constellation to select the European and UK armed forces, civil protection forces, and security forces. These factors create opportunities for market growth.
June 2026 The U.S. Space Force awarded Viasat and Intelsat General Communications contracts worth USD 437.7 million under the Protected Tactical SATCOM–Global (PTS-G) program to manufacture and deploy the first operational anti-jam military communication satellites, advancing resilient satellite communication capabilities.
May 2026 Eutelsat announced a 10-year satellite communication contract with the French military while reporting continued expansion of its OneWeb LEO connectivity business, strengthening its position in secure government and defense satellite communications.
July 2025 SES completed its USD 3.1 billion acquisition of Intelsat, creating one of the world's largest multi-orbit satellite communication operators with an integrated GEO and MEO satellite fleet serving government, enterprise, aviation, maritime, and mobility markets.
July 2025 AST SpaceMobile and Vodafone entered into a joint venture agreement to establish SatCo, a European satellite communication company that will distribute space-based broadband connectivity to mobile network operators across Europe.