Software-Defined Satellite Channel Emulators to Drive NTN Partner Testing Market to $70M by 2031 — Allied Business Intelligence, Inc.

Event summary

ABI Research forecasts the software-defined Satellite Channel Emulators (SCEs) market will grow to $70M in annual shipment revenue by 2031, up from $48M in 2023.
Software license sales are expected to increase from 23% of total SCE sales in 2025 to over 75% by 2031, with about 2,100 software licenses sold over that period.
Telecommunications companies are projected to become one of the largest end-user groups for SCE solutions, accounting for over 31% of total annual shipment volume by 2031.
SCEs are becoming essential for testing equipment and protocols before and after satellite partner selection, allowing for benchmarking of LEO, MEO, and GEO systems without live testing.

The big picture

The growth of software-defined SCEs reflects a broader industry trend toward cost-effective, reliable pre-deployment testing for NTN services. As telecom operators expand into satellite partnerships for Direct-to-Device, IoT, and cellular backhaul services, the ability to validate performance in lab settings will be critical. The market's shift toward software licenses highlights the increasing importance of flexible, lower-cost solutions in the satellite testing ecosystem.

What we're watching

Market Adoption: How the shift toward software-defined SCEs will affect the pace of NTN service deployment and partner evaluations.
Vendor Competition: Whether vendors like Keysight, Viavi, and Rohde & Schwarz can sustain momentum in the SCE market amid increasing software-centric demand.
Technological Evolution: The pace at which containerized emulation and distributed infrastructure testing will scale for future 5G and 6G satellite services.