The countdown to the issuance of satellite internet licenses in China has begun as it catches up with Elon Musk's Starlink.

Since late July, the construction of China's satellite internet has significantly accelerated.

From July 27th to August 17th, in just over twenty days, China SatNet's GW constellation has successfully launched five groups of low - Earth orbit satellites into space. The launch interval has been significantly shortened from the previous 1 - 2 months to 3 - 5 days, and the cumulative number of launched satellites has also increased significantly from 34 before July to the current 72.

Domestic securities institutions analyzed that the SatNet project is entering a phase of intensive launches. US media also commented: "This marks another crucial step for China in its ambitious plan to compete with SpaceX's Starlink."

Meanwhile, reporters from "IT Times" learned that relevant departments will issue satellite internet licenses in the near future. A senior technical expert in the satellite internet field said: "The issuance of licenses means that China has taken the first step in the commercial operation of satellite internet. However, it will still take about 2 - 3 years to provide satellite internet services like Starlink."

Unprecedented Speed

The GW constellation and the Qianfan constellation are two low - Earth orbit constellations with ten - thousand - satellite scales being promoted in China, which are constructed and operated by China SatNet and Shanghai Yuanxin with Shanghai state - owned assets background respectively. According to the long - term plan, the total number of networking satellites in the GW constellation and the Qianfan constellation will reach 13,000 and 15,000 respectively.

After successfully launching three high - Earth orbit satellites using the Long March 3B carrier rocket in February, August, and October 2024, in December of the same year, the first group of low - Earth orbit satellites for the satellite internet was successfully launched into orbit in a "ten - satellite - per - rocket" manner, marking that China SatNet has officially entered the stage of large - scale networking. The previously launched high - Earth orbit satellites serve as supplementary points for the low - Earth orbit satellite constellation.

Image source: China Aerospace Science and Technology

In the first half of 2025, China SatNet launched the second to fifth groups of low - Earth orbit satellites on February 11th (nine satellites per rocket), April 29th (ten satellites per rocket), and June 6th (ten satellites per rocket) respectively. The rhythm of launching one group of satellites every 39 days on average seemed relatively slow.

However, since July, China SatNet's launch rhythm has significantly accelerated. Within 22 days from July 27th to August 17th, five batches of satellite launches were completed in succession, and this speed has attracted wide attention in the industry.

Industry experts analyzed that there are mainly two reasons behind the acceleration:

On the one hand, it is to meet the requirements of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). "Although the space orbit and frequency resources follow the 'first - come, first - served' principle, these resources are extremely precious, and the phenomenon of 'only staking a claim without actual development' is not allowed. The ITU has made corresponding regulations. For example, 10% of the total planned satellites must be launched in the 9th year after submitting the constellation plan; otherwise, the project may face reduction or even cancellation." The expert pointed out.

Public information shows that the GW constellation submitted a low - Earth orbit internet constellation plan to the ITU in September 2020, planning to launch 13,000 satellites. This means that before September 2029, China SatNet needs to launch about 1,300 satellites, and the task is still quite arduous.

On the other hand, China SatNet may plan to complete the networking of the first - generation constellation this year. "The first - generation satellites consist of more than 100 satellites, which will give priority to meeting the needs of core fields such as diplomacy to ensure that the independent satellite internet system can be used in emergencies. At present, the technical system of the second - generation satellites of the GW constellation has not been fully demonstrated." The person added.

License Issuance Is Counting Down

While the low - Earth orbit satellite networking is accelerating, another key issue - "when will the domestic satellite internet license be issued" - is becoming increasingly clear, and the answer is expected to be "within this year".

At the end of July this year, the 2025 National Symposium of Heads of Industry and Information Technology Departments was held in Beijing. The meeting proposed to "promote the high - quality development of the information and communication industry and consolidate and enhance the competitive advantage and leading position", and one of the specific measures was to "optimize the access to satellite communication services".

In response to the measure of "optimizing the access to satellite communication services", a communication industry expert revealed at a recent meeting that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will officially issue satellite internet licenses to three basic telecom operators in the near future, further promoting telecom operators to expand their emerging business scope and explore new growth points.

Among the telecom operators, China Telecom has been the sole operator of China's independently built Tiantong satellite mobile communication system for many years and has launched the mobile phone direct - to - satellite service. In May this year, China Telecom jointly launched the mobile phone direct - to - satellite service in Vientiane with the Lao communication company ETL, marking its official entry into the overseas market.

China Mobile has also actively deployed in the satellite field. Last year, it launched the "China Mobile Satellite 01", a low - Earth orbit test satellite for integrated space - ground communication, which is equipped with an on - board base station supporting the 5G integrated space - ground evolution technology. "As far as I know, China Mobile is currently in talks with a private satellite enterprise for cooperation. This private enterprise has launched several satellites and established the first - phase constellation of the low - Earth orbit satellite Internet of Things communication." The above - mentioned satellite internet technology expert said.

"In addition to the three telecom operators, there is no doubt that China SatNet, as an important state - owned backbone enterprise for the design, construction, and operation of the satellite internet, will definitely obtain the satellite internet license. Shanghai Yuanxin, the construction and operation party of the 'Qianfan' low - Earth orbit satellite internet constellation with Shanghai state - owned assets background, should also be able to obtain the license despite the pressure," the person said. The enterprise he works for currently has cooperation with both China SatNet and Shanghai Yuanxin. "In our cooperation with Shanghai Yuanxin, we should come up with a DEMO prototype before the end of the year."

However, even if the license is issued, it is only the starting point of the commercialization of China's low - Earth orbit satellite internet. "It may still take two or three years to meet users' needs for accessing the satellite internet anytime and anywhere." The above - mentioned expert emphasized.

The reference is Elon Musk's Starlink project.

In October 2020, after launching more than 800 Starlink satellites in total, SpaceX opened the test application for satellite internet services to the public.

Image source: unsplash

In October 2021, after launching more than 1,800 Starlink satellites in total, SpaceX announced the end of the beta service and officially switched to commercial use.

"Currently, the number of our low - Earth orbit satellites is insufficient, and the application terminals are not rich enough. There is still a long way to go before full commercialization, and the license issuance is just the beginning." The above - mentioned person said.

High - Throughput Satellites Temporarily Take the Lead

Before the full commercialization of the low - Earth orbit satellite internet, currently, China mainly relies on high - throughput satellites to provide satellite internet services, such as AsiaSat 6D and ChinaSat 26. The former was successfully launched in July 2020. It is China's first geostationary orbit high - throughput communication satellite using the Ku/Ka system and the world's first high - throughput satellite customized for mobile carrier communication. The latter was successfully launched in February 2023. It is China's first high - throughput satellite with a capacity of over 100 Gbps, mainly providing high - speed broadband network communication and internet access services for industries such as aviation, navigation, emergency response, universal service, energy, forestry, and grassland.

At the Mobile World Congress Shanghai (MWC Shanghai) held in the past two years, many domestic manufacturers have demonstrated satellite internet service solutions of different specifications and for multiple scenarios based on high - throughput satellites.

An exhibitor introduced to reporters from "IT Times" that its satellite internet device is connected to the AsiaSat 6D satellite and provides satellite data services, aiming to make it more convenient for the public to use satellite communication products and services.

Generally speaking, the satellite internet services based on high - throughput satellites are not targeted at all ordinary consumers but focus on meeting the networking needs in specific scenarios, such as short - term entertainment or office work for outdoor tourists in signal - blind areas. If users want to use the satellite internet anytime and anywhere, they still need to wait for the low - Earth orbit satellite internet to reach mature commercial use.

Images /  China Aerospace Science and Technology  unsplash  Jimeng AI

This article is from the WeChat official account "IT Times" (ID: vittimes), author: Qian Lifu, published by 36Kr with authorization.