New WTA Report Explores the Growing Shift Toward Teleport Operators Providing Managed Network Services

New York City, June 11, 2025 – The World Teleport Association (WTA) today released From Teleport to Network Service Provider: The Search for Tomorrow’s Business Model, a new research report that examines how teleport operators are shifting from providing traditional uplink and downlink services to managed network services and the drivers, enablers, challenges and opportunities presented by that shift. The report is sponsored by Kratos.

“This report captures a pivotal moment for the teleport industry as it evolves from infrastructure provider to integrated network service partner,” said executive director Randall Barney. “The rise of LEO, virtualization, and managed services is reshaping what it means to be competitive, and operators are responding with innovation, collaboration, and a renewed focus on people. The future belongs to those who can blend infrastructure, partnerships, and talent into a seamless service offering.”

WTA members can access the report by signing into their accounts on the WTA website. The report is free for WTA Members and available for purchase by others. Members may directly download the report by following this link and logging in with their user name and password.

A satellite technology executive noted: “The pressure from Starlink is pushing everyone in the industry to be more creative and open. Before operators were competing with each other. Now they realize it’s better to cooperate to survive.”

An executive with a teleport operator and solutions provider summed it up: “There’s a very noticeable shift in our industry that has been taking place over the last few years towards end-to-end network. Customers are looking for more comprehensive solutions that cover every possible communication need and contingency. Customers want to create more seamless and simplified management of their infrastructure and reduce the need to contract with multiple vendors or manage multiple pieces of equipment.”

The business of basic uplinking long ago lost most of its commercial value, and teleport operators moved into value-added services tailored to the unique needs of niche markets to ensure their future. Today the industry stands on the brink of a transformation every bit as big: from operating these technical facilities and niche-market services to becoming network service providers. The two models are hardly exclusive. In fact, the biggest opportunities of the future will require the technology and business practices of network operators to integrate multi-orbit satcom in all its complexity with the multiple paths of terrestrial telecom in a seamless whole.

The open API standards emerging from the TM Forum and Metro Ethernet Forum will enable such integration to cross networks and power infrastructure sharing where it makes business sense. At the same time, new categories of customers will find benefit in satellite’s ability to connect without touching the terrestrial network, so that private networks for critical infrastructure can be truly safe from cyber threats. Ultimately, having the technology, structure and knowledge to adapt to these changing opportunities will become the greater competitive advantage of all.

The World Teleport Association (www.worldteleport.org) has been helping its members aim higher since our founding in 1985. Today, WTA is the leading partner in growth for teleport operators, advocating for their commercial interests and promoting excellence in their business practices, technology and operations. The association publishes best-practice reports and presents webinars on technology changes and their business and market impacts. It also presents events and awards and provides global certification and assessment programs to validate excellence and drive improvement. Aiming higher creates opportunity. Aiming higher brings risk. WTA is dedicated to helping its members seize the opportunities and manage the risks to find the paths to growth in a massively changing market.