Terrestrial mobile and fiber networks could also be a match made in convergence heaven, however the place does satellite tv for pc match into the image?
Whereas satellites “are essentially the most thrilling factor on the market” nowadays, their position remains to be restricted in the case of general connectivity, mentioned Srini Kalapala, Verizon’s SVP and chief community officer, wi-fi.
“We see [satellite] as complementary,” Kalapala mentioned Tuesday throughout a keynote dialogue at Join(X) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Srini Kalapala, Verizon’s SVP and chief community officer, wi-fi (left), takes questions from Jeff Mucci, co-founder and CEO of Arden Media, on Could 5, 2026, at Join(X) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
(Supply: Jeff Baumgartner/Mild Studying)
For instance, assist for direct-to-device (D2D) satellite tv for pc companies dietary supplements emergency connectivity for Verizon’s cellular customers, Kalapala defined. However, he added, it clearly performs a “essential position” in rural and low-density areas the place it is troublesome to run fiber and even fastened wi-fi entry (FWA).
And satellite tv for pc’s capabilities are enhancing. Ookla reported right this moment that This fall 2025 knowledge from Speedtest customers reveals that 47.7% of Starlink customers are getting the FCC’s minimal normal for broadband (100 Mbit/s down by 20 Mbit/s up). That is nicely up from the 17.4% of Starlink customers who may get that stage of velocity in Q1 2025.
However satellite tv for pc runs into challenges in high-density areas. “In essentially the most dense areas of our community…we ship a whole lot of gigs in a one sq. mile space. Satellite tv for pc applied sciences can’t, a minimum of beneath present bodily rules, ship that type of throughput,” mentioned Kalapala.
Is MEC (lastly) prepared for prime time?
Kalapala additionally mentioned the evolution of cellular edge computing, or MEC, an acronym that has come to imply multi-access edge computing. Although MEC was forward of its time in the course of the early phases of 5G as an answer searching for an issue, it’s now poised to start out fulfilling its potential within the AI period.
MEC is reaching an “inflection” whereby AI, robotics, automation, the rising want for low latency and the potential for 6G know-how are constructing the true use case, Kalapala mentioned, including that “AI and the networks will evolve collectively.”
Execs taking part in a follow-on panel agreed that MEC is significantly better positioned for fulfillment now, after preliminary stumbles.
MEC was “a nail in search of a hammer,” however the rise of AI tech has created “actual demand and an actual use case,” mentioned Jim Poole, VP of product improvement and edge knowledge facilities at American Tower.
Ericsson’s Joe Constantine, chief technique and know-how officer, additionally sees MEC’s time coming amid the anticipated explosion of AI-based site visitors, the shift towards essential, “intent-based” workloads, and the evolution of the “trendy edge.”
Sean Farney, VP of information heart technique at JLL, a worldwide business actual property and administration firm, mentioned he believes AI inference is the “killer use case” for MEC merely as a result of “density of compute it requires,” which a smartphone can’t deal with, for instance. “We have to carpet the planet…with compute nodes,” he mentioned.
AI chatbots and different AI-driven apps “are altering the necessity for compute and the information that is generated,” added Dr. Ozge Koymen, VP of know-how at Qualcomm. He predicted that the trade is on a path that may result in agentic knowledge finally overtaking human-driven knowledge.
However the place the “edge” is and the way it’s outlined is an inexact goal, based mostly on the applying, service, latency requirement or circumstance. It may be all the pieces from the smartphone in your pocket, a macro or small cell website, a linked car, or perhaps a knowledge heart, panelists mentioned.