The World Teleport Association (WTA) has released Coming Out of COVID-19, a new research report that explores the widespread impact that COVID-19 has had on satellite and teleport operators around the globe.
The report examines the similar and disparate ways technology companies addressed the pandemic with new policies for both internal operations and relations with new and existing customers. The report also explores how these companies see the light at the end of the tunnel: what comes after COVID, and how is the industry preparing for it? Coming Out of COVID-19 was sponsored by Telstra.
WTA members can access the report by signing into their accounts on the WTA website. The report is free for WTA Members and available for purchase by others. Members may directly download the report by following this link.
COVID-19 fundamentally disrupted the entire global economy, and satellite and teleport operators were not exempt from its impact. The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic forced technology companies and service providers to adapt in ways few could have predicted beforehand.
Throughout 2020, the services the world came to rely on most were those enabled by teleport and satellite operators: reliable network connectivity, secure connections and additional bandwidth to allow workers to operate remotely and students to learn from home.
These service providers were not only required to provide their customers with assured access to their allocated bandwidth—and sometimes more—but they also had to ensure their own workforces received the same resources. This put pressure on companies that were in the midst of building new assets, or that had been looking to transition into new regions or markets in the coming year.
However, the situation also presented new opportunities and ways to change business processes in the long-term. Market technology trends, including 5G standards, mega constellations in LEO and new wide-area network (WAN) services were all on the horizon pre-COVID. Companies will need to be swift to adapt to those new trends for present customer needs, as well as the post-pandemic future.
“The pandemic put our industry to the test, as it did to so many parts of the economy and society,” said executive director Robert Bell. “COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last crisis we face as humanity continues to change the Earth’s natural environment. That makes this report a ‘must read’ for teleport and satellite operators charged with maintaining operations, serving customers and accessing new opportunities in the years ahead.”