Starlink has over 6,700 satellites in orbit as of early 2025 and surpassed 4 million subscribers by late 2024 across 100+ countries. Starlink satellites orbit at about 550 km altitude and deliver typical download speeds of 50–200 Mbps with latency around 20–40 ms. Starlink Gen2 introduces inter-satellite laser links to route data between satellites, reducing…
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In February 2023 Parliament exempted UAVs from import duty and VAT, with the exemption extended through 2025 and renewed to cover defense goods until at least January 1, 2026; by early 2025, 98% of drones imported entered duty-free. A late-2022 Cabinet resolution allowed drones to clear customs with simplified procedures and no required bonds, and…
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By 2040, analysts expect the global GEO replacement rate to be 10–15 new satellites per year, totaling about 200 GEO satellites from 2024 to 2040 and replacing most of today’s roughly 350-satellite fleet. A typical GEO satellite is designed for about 15 years, but all-electric propulsion and on-orbit servicing can push operational life to 20–30…
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In February 2023 Ukraine abolished value-added tax (VAT) and import duties on drones and related equipment, with exemptions extended to at least January 1, 2025 under martial law. Under the “235 Preference,” international postal and express UAV shipments to Ukraine are fully exempt from customs duties and VAT. In early 2023 the Cabinet canceled the…
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As of 2022, about 94.9% of Estonian households could access fixed broadband, and 78.9% had gigabit-speed FTTP, well above the EU average. The government targets full gigabit coverage by 2030, with about 77% of households connected to a Very High Capacity Network by 2023. 4G coverage exceeds 99% of the population, and by 2023 5G…
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By 2030, satellite-connected IoT devices are projected to exceed 26 million and the market is expected to reach about $4 billion. The 3GPP Release-17 NTN standards were finalized in 2022, enabling a single IoT module to operate on both cellular and satellite networks. By 2027, 5G NR-NTN standards under 3GPP Releases 18 and 19 will…
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As of early 2024, about 26% of Eritrea’s 3.7 million people were internet users. Eritrea is the only coastal African nation with zero submarine fiber-optic cable landings. The telecom sector is entirely state-owned and monopolized by Eritrean Telecommunication Services Corporation (EriTel), with no private ISPs or competing mobile operators. Public mobile data is essentially unavailable;…
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In May 1999, NASA’s Deep Space 1 operated for three days with the Remote Agent AI, planning activities and diagnosing simulated faults autonomously. From 2001 to 2004, NASA’s EO-1 carried the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE), using onboard machine learning and the CASPER planner to re-task after events like volcanic eruptions. In 2013, JAXA’s Epsilon rocket…
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Equatorial Guinea is described as a digital desert due to the internet’s high cost, slow speeds, and limited availability. Internet access began in 1997 via a France-backed connection, and by 2010 only about 2% of the population were internet users. GETESA, the state-dominated operator, held about 60% ownership with Orange S.A. around 40%, and controlled…
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The global satellite bus market is projected to rise from $14.1 billion in 2023 to $23.4 billion by 2033, a CAGR of about 5.4%. Lockheed Martin is developing the LM-2100 modular bus with upgradeable components, while Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Airbus, and Thales Alenia Space remain leaders in GEO and military programs. SpaceX has mass-produced Starlink…
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