5G NTN Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Type of Orbit (Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geostationary Orbit (GEO)), By Component (Hardware, Software, Services), By End User (Telecommunications, Aerospace & Defense, Maritime, Agriculture, Transportation & Logistics, Others), By Region, By Competition 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 7.98 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	34.38%
Fastest Growing Segment	Hardware
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 46.99 Billion

Market Overview

The Global 5G NTN Market will grow from USD 7.98 Billion in 2025 to USD 46.99 Billion by 2031 at a 34.38% CAGR. 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) encompass the integration of space-borne vehicles, such as satellites and High-Altitude Platform Systems, with standard terrestrial 5G infrastructure to deliver ubiquitous wireless connectivity. The primary drivers fueling this market include the escalating requirement for continuous coverage in maritime and aeronautical sectors, alongside the critical demand for resilient communication systems capable of operating during terrestrial network failures or natural disasters. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, in 2025, there were 170 publicly announced partnerships between mobile operators and satellite vendors across 80 countries and territories.

Despite the clear operational benefits, the sector faces a significant impediment regarding complex regulatory frameworks and spectrum allocation. Divergent international policies governing frequency usage create substantial barriers to the seamless cross-border deployment of satellite-based solutions, often requiring intricate negotiations to prevent interference with existing terrestrial services. Consequently, navigating these rigorous licensing requirements remains a formidable challenge for stakeholders aiming to establish global service interoperability and mass adoption.

Key Market Drivers

The rapid deployment and expansion of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations is fundamentally reshaping the Global 5G NTN Market by resolving historical latency and capacity limitations. Unlike traditional geostationary systems, LEO constellations operate closer to Earth, enabling the low-latency signal transmission required for seamless 5G integration and real-time applications. This architecture provides the critical backhaul infrastructure to extend 5G standards into remote geographies where fiber deployment is economically unfeasible. According to Space Daily, December 2024, in the 'SpaceX launches final mission of 2024' report, the company completed 134 orbital missions in that year, deploying over 7,000 active Starlink satellites to establish a robust global mesh network. Such aggressive fleet expansion significantly reduces data delivery costs, directly accelerating the technical and economic feasibility of continuous global NTN coverage.

Concurrently, the emergence of Direct-to-Device (D2D) capabilities in consumer smartphones is transitioning satellite connectivity from a niche industrial utility to a mass-market standard. This trend drives market growth by integrating satellite antennas directly into standard handsets, eliminating the need for proprietary hardware and facilitating automatic switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. According to Total Telecom, November 2024, in the article 'Globalstar lands $1.1 billion deal with Apple', Apple committed a total of $1.5 billion to expand satellite infrastructure specifically for enhanced iPhone services. This consumer-centric demand is encouraging extensive cross-industry collaboration to secure necessary orbital capacity. According to GSMA Intelligence, in December 2024, the number of mobile operators formally entering the satellite space reached nearly 100, effectively covering 70% of the global mobile connections base.

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Key Market Challenges

Complex regulatory frameworks and spectrum allocation issues constitute a significant barrier hampering the growth of the Global 5G NTN Market. Unlike terrestrial infrastructure which operates within clear national borders, non-terrestrial networks function on a global scale, requiring harmonization across disparate legal jurisdictions. Securing frequency rights is particularly arduous as satellite spectrum often overlaps with existing terrestrial services, leading to interference risks and prolonged technical negotiations. This regulatory fragmentation forces vendors to navigate a fragmented landscape of country-specific licensing requirements, which severely delays deployment timelines and escalates operational costs for stakeholders attempting to provide seamless cross-border connectivity.

The impact of these regulatory bottlenecks is evident in the substantial lag between initial industry interest and the actual delivery of active services. While the sector sees high levels of strategic cooperation, the rigorous compliance demands significantly slow the transition to operational status. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association, in September 2025, only 34 mobile operators in 25 markets had successfully launched commercial satellite services. This low conversion rate underscores how intricate licensing and spectrum policies directly stifle market expansion and limit the availability of ubiquitous coverage.

Key Market Trends

The standardization of 3GPP Release-compliant NTN chipsets is driving the market away from proprietary technologies toward a unified, interoperable ecosystem. This technical evolution enables manufacturers to integrate satellite capabilities directly into standard 5G modems, allowing seamless connectivity across different vendors and networks without requiring specialized, non-standard hardware. The establishment of these rigorous technical baselines is essential for mass commercialization, as it ensures devices can reliably execute handovers between terrestrial and non-terrestrial signals. According to Keysight Technologies, November 2025, in the 'Keysight Validates First PTCRB New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks Conformance Test Cases' report, the company successfully validated the initial set of 5G New Radio NTN test cases for 3GPP Release 17, providing the first trusted certification path for device makers to verify compliance and accelerate market entry.

Concurrently, the commercial expansion of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) over Non-Terrestrial Networks is unlocking new revenue streams by providing affordable global connectivity for remote industrial assets. Unlike high-bandwidth consumer applications, this trend targets low-power, wide-area use cases such as agricultural monitoring, maritime logistics, and utility infrastructure where terrestrial coverage is often unavailable. Operators are rapidly transitioning from pilot phases to active commercial deployments, securing binding contracts that validate the economic viability of satellite-based IoT solutions. According to Sateliot, May 2025, in the 'Sateliot Brings 5G IoT To Australia' announcement, the company secured commercial contracts to connect over 300,000 IoT devices, representing more than 15 million AUD in recurring annual revenues, as it rolled out licensed NTN services to bridge regional connectivity gaps.

Segmental Insights

The Hardware segment constitutes the fastest-growing category in the Global 5G NTN market as the industry focuses on establishing essential physical infrastructure. This expansion is driven by the extensive deployment of Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations and the necessary modernization of ground station gateways. Furthermore, device manufacturers are increasingly producing user terminals with chipsets compliant with 3GPP standards to enable direct-to-device connectivity. This immediate demand for satellite payloads, antennas, and compatible mobile components necessitates high-volume manufacturing, thereby positioning hardware as the primary driver of market acceleration during this initial deployment phase.

Regional Insights

North America leads the global 5G NTN market, driven by substantial investments in satellite infrastructure and defense communications. The dominance of this region is supported by a favorable regulatory environment, notably where the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) establishes frameworks to integrate satellite and terrestrial networks. These initiatives facilitate the deployment of supplemental coverage from space, ensuring reliable connectivity for public safety and remote operations. Consequently, the active collaboration between mobile network operators and satellite providers accelerates the adoption of non-terrestrial solutions, securing the region's primary market position.

Recent Developments

• In December 2025, Keysight Technologies and KT SAT demonstrated the industry's first 5G New Radio (NR) Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) handover between a live geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite and an emulated low Earth orbit (LEO) link. The proof-of-concept was conducted at the Kumsan Satellite Network Operation Center of KT SAT in South Korea, utilizing the KOREASAT-6A satellite. This breakthrough research addressed complex technical challenges such as Doppler shifts and signal propagation delays inherent in multi-orbit satellite systems. The successful handover validated the feasibility of seamless mobility management for future networks, enabling operators to integrate diverse satellite orbits for resilient global connectivity.
• In July 2025, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and Intelsat successfully demonstrated an end-to-end 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) connection using a geostationary satellite. The collaboration involved integrating the Kratos OpenSpace software-defined satellite ground system with the satellite and ground network of Intelsat, including a cloud-native virtualized 5G core. The demonstration utilized the Galaxy 19 Ku-band GEO satellite to activate a 5G NR-NTN cell, with multiple user equipment emulators establishing traffic flows. This achievement verified that standards-compliant terminals could access 5G networks via satellite, providing critical validation for the role of satellites in delivering ubiquitous global 5G services.
• In February 2024, Rohde & Schwarz and MediaTek collaborated to demonstrate a 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) New Radio (NR) connection based on the 3GPP Release 17 specifications. The demonstration, which took place at the Mobile World Congress, employed the R&S CMX500 signaling tester to emulate a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite access node communicating with a MediaTek NTN-NR device. This joint effort validated the technical feasibility of using 5G technology to deliver reliable voice and data services in remote areas lacking terrestrial coverage. The successful test highlighted the potential for standard smartphones to access global satellite-based connectivity services directly.
• In January 2024, Skylo Technologies launched its commercial direct-to-device satellite network service across the contiguous United States and Canada. This innovative service enables users with compatible cellular devices to connect seamlessly via satellite when terrestrial networks are unavailable, without the need for additional hardware or special apps. The solution utilizes dedicated licensed mobile satellite spectrum and supports essential features such as text messaging, location tracking, and emergency SOS services. By leveraging 3GPP Release 17 standards, the company ensured compatibility with a wide range of existing smartphones and IoT devices, marking a significant step in the mass adoption of non-terrestrial connectivity.

Key Market Players

• Space Exploration Technologies Corp
• OneWeb Holdings Ltd
• SES S.A
• Amazon.com, Inc
• Telesat Corporation.
• Intelsat US LLC.
• Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Globalstar, Inc.
• Viasat, Inc.
• Lynk Global, Inc.

By Type of Orbit	By Component	By End User	By Region
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Geostationary Orbit (GEO)	Hardware Software Services	Telecommunications Aerospace & Defense Maritime Agriculture Transportation & Logistics Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global 5G NTN Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• 5G NTN Market, By Type of Orbit:

• Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
• Geostationary Orbit (GEO)

• 5G NTN Market, By Component:

• Hardware
• Software
• Services

• 5G NTN Market, By End User:

• Telecommunications
• Aerospace & Defense
• Maritime
• Agriculture
• Transportation & Logistics
• Others

• 5G NTN Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE