In an increasingly contested, connected, and data-driven world, ensuring mission-critical communications in remote or disrupted environments is not just a technical challenge, it’s a national and operational imperative. Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), particularly those enabled by advanced Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, are emerging as indispensable infrastructure for critical telecom networks.
Ericsson’s recent white paper, NTN for Mission-Critical Communications, outlines a compelling vision for how NTNs can extend secure, high-performance connectivity to first responders, defense applications, and public safety organizations. Telesat agrees with its central theme: LEO networks offer the low latency, reliability, and global reach needed to support vital communications.
Telesat leverages a MEF 3.0 Layer 2 service-based framework to integrate satellite networks into the broader network ecosystem. This enables seamless interoperability across terrestrial and satellite domains through standards-based orchestration, performance guarantees, and cloud-centric architectures. As a result, we align satellite networks with the service and operational models used by enterprises and governments today.
Aligning with industry consensus: The role of LEO in mission-critical networks
Telesat and Ericsson agree that NTNs are essential for extending secure, resilient connectivity to areas where terrestrial networks fall short, whether due to geography, infrastructure limitations, or natural disasters.
From backhauling deployable tactical networks to supporting ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and disaster response, LEO satellites deliver the combination of low latency, high throughput, and persistent coverage that mission-critical users require. The ability to maintain communications across air, land, and sea domains, and to do so across national and organizational boundaries, is a prerequisite for modern public safety, defense, and critical infrastructure missions.
Mplify (formerly MEF Forum): Open telecom standards-based integration framework
Telesat enables NTN integration using MEF 3.0, a globally adopted service standard for enterprise-grade networking that provides several advantages, including:
- Service-centric design: MEF abstracts the underlying transport and provides deterministic, SLA-driven services that align with enterprise and government IT frameworks.
- Secure and scalable: MEF supports quality-of-service enforcement and multi-domain service orchestration—all essential for secure and reliable mission-critical operations.
- Interoperability by design: MEF’s standardized APIs and service models facilitate seamless networking across terrestrial, satellite, and cloud environments.
As we discussed in “LEO and MEF: The solution for integrated space-terrestrial networks,” MEF enables a new level of programmability and automation—critical features for fast-moving mission-critical operations.
This approach positions Telesat Lightspeed not just as a transport network but as a secure, programmable service fabric that extends digital infrastructure to the edge of the operational theater.
Mission-critical use cases enabled by Telesat Lightspeed
The Telesat Lightspeed architecture—combining high-throughput, low-latency links with intelligent routing and end-to-end QoS—enables a range of mission-critical applications. Here are four key examples:
1. Deployable and remote network backhaul
Telesat Lightspeed provides high-capacity backhaul for temporary and mobile command centers, enabling real-time data sharing, situational awareness, and interoperability with central command—even in communications-denied environments.
2. ISR and tactical edge applications
ISR operations demand low-latency links to stream high-resolution video, sensor data, and analytics in real time. Telesat Lightspeed supports these requirements with beam agility, secure overlays, and application-aware traffic shaping.
3. Maritime interoperability
Whether coordinating rescue operations at sea or joint defense missions across borders, Telesat’s MEF-aligned services enable network interoperability among national agencies while maintaining policy control and data sovereignty.
4. Resilient infrastructure for government and defense
Telesat’s LEO architecture ensures that government services—from defense C2 networks to emergency management systems—remain operational during terrestrial outages, cyber threats, or physical infrastructure failure.
Strategic alignment with public sector priorities
Telesat is actively collaborating with government agencies, enterprise partners, and standards organizations to accelerate the deployment of secure, sovereign-capable NTN services.
Through these engagements, we have found that MEF 3.0’s alignment with modern network and security architectures, such as SD-WAN, SASE, and Zero Trust, is particularly compelling for public sector and defense stakeholders seeking to modernize and secure their communications infrastructure.
Learn more about the collaborative opportunities ahead in The growth opportunities amid telecom and satellite operator partnerships.”
Mission-critical operations demand more than connectivity; they demand assured performance, security, and interoperability at scale. While 3GPP offers one model for NTN evolution, Telesat’s MEF-based approach provides a more service-oriented, flexible, and enterprise-aligned pathway for rapidly integrating LEO networks into the broader communications network fabric.
As government agencies and critical infrastructure providers rethink their resilience strategies, Telesat Lightspeed is uniquely positioned to deliver the secure, standards-based, and globally available connectivity they require now and in the future.
