Chief Executives of the world’s leading satellite operators have announced in Paris that global satco body the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA) is expanding to include satellite operators from all world regions and will change its name to GSOA or the Global Satellite Operators’ Association.

The name change also brings on board new members like Amazon, APT, ARSAT, Intersputnik, Lockheed Martin, Omnispace and Star One, which all have agreed to join the GSOA.

GSOA will remain the only CEO-driven satellite industry association.  It will focus on a core mission of providing a unified voice and a platform for collaboration for satellite operators globally to ensure their continued success and for broadening the opportunities for policymakers and industry players to leverage satellite services to fulfill their objectives.

“The creation of GSOA reflects a strong belief in the satellite communications sector that a strong, global voice is needed to ensure that the sector is well positioned to help create a more connected and sustainable world,” said Stephen Spengler, ESOA Chairman and CEO of Intelsat.

“The fact that new members are already joining us is a demonstration of support for GSOA’s mission and the need to ensure that, together, we have a strong voice in shaping the communications ecosystem of the future,” he added.

GSOA is structured to drive industry leadership in the face of three key trends: unparalleled innovation in the space sector, an insatiable demand for all types of connectivity, and a need to bring sustainability to space.

What will the name change mean? With the industry’s multi-orbit offering, the satellite sector will respond to the great majority of connectivity requirements presented by the data driven economy of tomorrow. From bridging crippling social, education, healthcare and other divides that exist due to the lack of communications infrastructure on all continents to enabling a host of 5G and IoT use cases for different vertical sectors, an official statement from ESOA stated.

Satellite operators will continue to build on the successes of ESOA which include providing the support the industry needed to push ahead with 5G standards and vital leadership on issues such as satellite spectrum and space sustainability. Through GSOA, the satellite sector will now be able to drive such global activities leveraging a global operator base.

GSOA will provide its members with the opportunity to shape the future of the satellite communications industry and the frameworks in which it operates by participating in key activities that impact the sector. Specifically, GSOA members will be able to engage in cross-sector initiatives, drive common positions, represent the industry on topics such as spectrum and 5G in events on all continents and contribute to ITU work concerning the development agenda, emergency communications and of course spectrum.

The association will continue to have a CEO-led Board, which has proved invaluable to the success of the ESOA to date, a strong Secretariat, and member-driven working groups that execute the broad agenda set by the Board.

“This is an important change that will help ensure the industry is positioned well into the future,” said Aarti Holla-Maini, the secretary general of ESOA.

“We also recognize that there are other industry associations who will want to understand the implications of this change and we look forward to working with them to ensure the satellite communications sector has the strongest possible, unified global voice,” she added.

The Global Satellite Operators Association members include Airbus CIS, Amazon, Amos Spacecom, APT, Arabsat, Arsat, Avanti, Azercosmos, Echostar-Hughes, HellasSat, Hispasat, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Intersputnik, Lockheed Martin, Nigcomsat, Nilesat, Omnispace, OneWeb, Rascomstar, SES, SSI-Monacosat, Star One, Telenor, Telesat, Telespazio, Thuraya, Turksat, Viasat and Yahsat, apart from representatives of the broader space industry, including Airbus Defence and Space, Arianespace, Astroscale, Mansat, ST Engineering iDirect  and Thales Alenia Space.