Rather than a “winner takes all” fight between LEO and GEO, the future of resilient connectivity will look like a sky stack — HAPS for rapid deployment, VLEO for latency-sensitive services, MEO for trunking, and GEO for broadcast. This blog lays out the comparative metrics and the boardroom decisions you should be making now.

In September 2025, SpaceX sought FCC approval for 15,000 VLEO satellites, leveraging its recently acquired EchoStar MSS/AWS-4 & H-block spectrum. This blog traces the deal details, the regulatory filing and timelines, and what MNOs must consider on roaming, device band support, and spectrum sharing.

Using the Friis/FSPL framework, we compare GEO, LEO and VLEO to show why very-low altitudes unlock satellite-to-phone and efficient backhaul. We walk through dB-level examples, highlight real-world losses, and map the board-level trade-offs in power, antennas and spectrum.

VLEO satellites sit closer to users than classic LEO, delivering better link budgets and lower latency — perfect for direct-to-device and resilient backhaul. But atmospheric drag, atomic oxygen, and duty-cycle propulsion make VLEO a different business. This brief explains the tech, risks, economics, and the 2025 regulatory context.