KT SAT Discloses New Vision to Mark 50th Anniversary

A KT SAT engineer checks a satellite antenna at the Geumsan Satellite Center in Korea.

KT SAT, a subsidiary of KT in charge of the satellite business, plans to launch its next satellite, Mugunghwa 6A, at the same orbit as Mugunghwa 6 in 2024. Mugunghwa 6A is the successor to Mugunghwa 6.

KT SAT, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, presented its new vision at the Geumsan Satellite Center on June 18 that will lead it for the next 50 years. KT SAT has thus far focused on providing relay services with satellite communication as a supplement to ground network communications. But it aims to become a platform operator through satellite networks that can connect to blind spots of telecommunication — oceans and space.

The rapidly changing telecommunications market and the emergence of new technologies shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution are accelerating the transition from the old space era led by the government to the new space era in which private companies create new demand.


"In the era of the private space business, demand for communications in the ocean and in the air is on the uptick and demand for communications in airplanes and ships as well as autonomous vehicles is spiking," said Song Kyung-min, CEO of KT SAT. "As content consumption has increased mainly based on OTT platforms, the roles of satellites have become important."

KT SAT is planning to apply new satellite technology to Mugunghwa Satellite 6A in line with the recent trend in the satellite industry. It will apply high throughput satellite (HTS) technology, which has more than 10 times more data transmission throughput than before. It is also considering using S/W defined sat technology which can change coverage even after a launch. Other satellites are unable to change the coverage of their beams after launch, but if they are equipped with variable beam technology, they can change beam coverage even after a launch. KT explains that such high capacity and variability of Mugunghwa 6A makes the satellite suitable for accommodating rapid traffic growth caused by 5G services.

KT SAT has secured more than 70 percent of South Korea's merchant ship market. It has registered a 20 percent annual growth in the maritime very small aperture terminal (MVSAT) market. KT SAT has been providing various solutions including ship internet, e-mail, CCTV, and ship operation management services. Based on this, it is planning to release the Ocean Integrated Platform in the first half of 2021.

It is also making inroads into foreign countries facing difficulties in wired communications by utilizing the characteristics of KT SAT satellites. As part of its overseas operations, it also provides satellite broadcasting services to satellite broadcasting operators in Mongolia, and is in close consultation with several other satellite operators on the provision of services.

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