The telecoms sector of 2026 is more or less equally divided in its interest in expansion in the satellite sector and improving network security. The two subjects are already deeply intertwined, which leads us to a topic that the telecoms sector is willfully overlooking: the vulnerability of existing satellite systems. Before more investment is made into 5G direct-to-device partnerships, the sector needs to address the vulnerabilities in the existing system. Critical satellite systems were designed and launched many years ago, without robust cybersecurity protections. They were designed with payload and not cybersecurity in mind. Given the limitations of size and weight, onboard compute resources are restricted, which meant that traditional security monitoring demands have been overlooked. “These systems are traditionally…