Future Satellite Networks: Virtualisation, Standards-Based Orchestration and AI Adoption

"Standards-aligned orchestration and AI are essential for multi-orbit satellite networks to scale, stay competitive and meet SLAs."

This report examines why the satellite communications (satcom) industry must tackle slow network modernisation, rising complexity and fragmented architectures by focusing on virtualisation, standards-based orchestration and AI adoption. Virtualisation comes first, standardised orchestration unifies operations to enable multi-orbit interoperable networks and AI improves efficiency and unlocks new services. Executing these technological steps decisively ensures agile, efficient and competitive multi-orbit, multi-vendor satellite networks.

The report also explains why hardware-bound networks cannot achieve the same service level as a multi-orbit, multi-service network, and how virtualisation, supported by standards and modular software, provides the foundation for cloud-native satcom. It highlights the role of network software vendors in driving the shift from hardware-bound networks to cloud-native networks via both technology and new software-as-a-service business models. It outlines how infrastructure abstraction and standards-based orchestration unlock agility, efficiency and service scalability for operators.

Questions answered in this report:

• Which strategies should vendors and operators adopt to build modular, cloud-native and AI-ready satellite networks?
• Why is a phased, ecosystem-aligned approach critical for deploying virtualisation, orchestration and AI across multi-orbit and multi-service networks?
• What role does standards-based orchestration play in reducing network complexity and ensuring service-level agreement (SLA) compliance across diverse satellite networks?
• How can AI transform satellite operations from being reactive to being predictive and optimised? What are the technical prerequisites?