Who Uses Satellites?
Every day, billions of government and enterprise users around the world, including millions of Americans, rely on the exceptional capabilities provided by satellites, often without realizing it.1 Whether making a phone call, paying for gas at the pump, watching a live sporting event, browsing the internet on a flight, finding a nearby restaurant on a smartphone, or looking up the weather, satellite services play a vital role in enabling everyday activities. The falling cost of launch and growing interest in commercial satellite capabilities has fueled innovation: since 2020, the number of satellites in orbit has tripled, with over 12,000 active satellites in orbit as of early 2025.2
What Services Do Satellites Provide?
Satellites are used to receive and transmit a wide range of data and information. Because they operate in space, satellites have the advantage of communicating and collecting data from virtually anywhere – without being hindered by terrestrial coverage limitations. Thus they can “see” large sections of the Earth’s surface, collect data more quickly than instruments on the ground and provide services with an unmatched level of ubiquity. Here are just a few examples of the types of services provided by satellites:
- Remote Sensing & Imaging – Remote sensing satellites detect both visible light for photographs as well as electromagnetic radiation used for microwave, ultraviolet, infrared, radio, and other types of sensing. This information is used by weather forecasters, farmers, natural resources companies, geologists and other scientists, government users, and a host of other customers.
Learn more - Mobile Communications – Mobile communications satellites provide ubiquitous voice and data services to users virtually anywhere, far beyond the coverage provided by cellular or terrestrial networks.
Learn more - Broadband Connectivity – Many communications satellites provide high speed broadband services. Many more constellations (networks of satellites) are being launched and developed which will also help bridge the “Digital Divide” and provide connectivity for users on land, sea and in the air.
Learn more - GPS & Navigation – GPS satellites provide location-based services for navigation devices, including the average smartphone. They also serve billions of customers with timing information which is critical for the operation of everyday services such as cellular mobile and financial networks, power grids, FAA weather radar and more – all of it free of charge.
Learn more - Emergency Response & Disaster Relief – Because satellites fly far above the Earth’s surface, this makes space-based voice, data and broadband services ideal for use by emergency responders who often require service where terrestrial networks have been damaged or destroyed by hurricanes, earthquakes, or other disasters. Satellites also provide connectivity for average citizens in the months it may take to rebuild cell towers.
Learn more - Broadcast: Satellite TV & Radio – Broadcast satellites transmit video of live news and sporting events so that viewers around the world can watch these events take place live and as they happen. Satellite television and radio signals provide news, weather, sports and entertainment to millions of consumers in the U.S. and around the globe.
Learn more - IoT and M2M – The Internet of Things (IoT) describes devices that are networked or connected to the internet. This include laptops, tablets and cell phones but it also includes a myriad of devices such as vending machines, tracking tags, oil and gas wells, connected automobiles, and literally billions of other devices. Satellite data can connect many of these devices even when they are operating far beyond the coverage of terrestrial networks.
Learn more - Satellite Telehealth – Telehealth services are used to remotely connect patients to health care professionals via the internet, allowing them to remotely monitor the progress and condition of a patient without being onsite. Satellite data services are particularly suited to connect patients who are located in rural regions, across America and the entire world, who do not have access to terrestrial broadband coverage.
Learn more
The Impact of Satellites Around the World – Interactive Map
As you can see above, satellites provide important and critical services to Americans at home and abroad, but they also have a massive impact on the daily lives of billions of people all around the world. Courtesy of the Global Satellite Coalition or GSC, please click on the link below to view an interactive map of the globe that shows just a few examples of how satellites benefit the world’s population each and every day.
1. According to the 2024 SIA State of the Satellite Industry Report and GNSS estimate from European Union Agency for the Space Programme.
2 From the testimony of Tom Stroup, President of SIA, before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology on April 20, 2025, https://sia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Testimony25-SIA-House-EC-April-2025-Testimony-FINAL.pdf.