The race to build space-based internet networks is accelerating. But as thousands of low-Earth orbit satellites enter orbit, a more fundamental question is taking shape: who will control access to the customer?

Taiwan Mobile told shareholders on May 29 that direct-to-cell satellite services are not an urgent need for Taiwan and that the satellite-to-phone business model still requires proof, while the company outlined priorities around AI infrastructure, power-supply risks, and data-center expansion. Executives said continuing terrestrial base-station buildout limits direct-to-cell (D2C) utility for everyday use, and that direct satellite links are more suited to emergency communications and wartime scenarios.

AUO said its automotive business has entered a high-growth phase, with annual orders for in-vehicle products now exceeding current-year revenue. The company expects revenue benefits from orders secured over the past two years to begin in the second half of 2026 or 2027, supporting growth at AUO Mobility Solutions.

SpaceX's IPO prospectus details an early-stage "Terafab" initiative to build large-scale AI chip manufacturing capacity. Still, the company warns of significant execution uncertainty, unfinalized partnerships, and capital intensity risks. The plan, still in preliminary form, depends on future agreements and could face delays, cost overruns, and supply-chain constraints.

Tmytek, a Taiwan-based specialist in millimeter-wave phased-array technology, has formally filed for listing on Taiwan's Innovation Board — a tech-focused public market for high-growth companies — becoming the first applicant for the exchange's 2026 intake. The move comes as the company pursues a broad expansion into satellite communications, defense systems, and next-generation wireless infrastructure.

Brussels is preparing to redraw the competitive landscape for satellite communications in Europe. This move could reshape the balance of power between European space ambitions and the rapidly expanding networks of SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper.

The global solar industry remains trapped in a low-price competition ruled by Chinese manufacturers, but geopolitical shifts are creating new opportunities for differentiated players. GlobalWafers Chairwoman Doris Hsu stated after the company's shareholder meeting on May 26 that the company has successfully expanded its solar products into diversified applications across marine, terrestrial, and aerospace sectors through specialized solar technologies. Hsu explained that three main factors give reason for a significant portion of GlobalWafers' solar cell shipments to be exported to the US market.

Taiwan-based Daxin Materials posted stronger revenue and profitability in 2025 as rapid growth in semiconductor materials offset a still-cautious display market recovery, with AI- and HPC-driven demand emerging as the company's primary growth engine.

At the Plug and Play May Summit in Sunnyvale, a Taiwanese startup called Aegiverse quietly made its case to US defense and aerospace investors — not with flashy slides or moonshot promises, but with a 16-year track record and a business model built to last.

At its annual shareholders' meeting on Sunday, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Kinpo Electronics provided new details on its transition toward higher-value ODM businesses, alongside updates on AI server racks, satellite communications systems, and emerging investments in quantum computing.

Japanese space startup Axelspace has formally announced plans to launch up to seven next-generation GRUS-3 Earth-observation microsatellites in as early as July 2026 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket operated by SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base, significantly expanding the company's commercial satellite constellation.

At DIGITIMES' Tech Forum 2026 this week, Taiwan's top space official delivered a blunt assessment of the island's growing role in the global space economy: Taiwan has become an increasingly important supplier to the American space industry, but it still lacks control over the systems that define the sector's highest-value opportunities.

SpaceX's long-awaited initial public offering filing landed on Wednesday with all the spectacle investors expected from Elon Musk — and all the contradictions that have come to define his empire. The document revealed a company burning billions on artificial intelligence (AI), wagering its future on technologies that do not yet exist, and asking public shareholders to trust almost entirely in Musk's vision of humanity's future in space.

SpaceX plans to follow through with its acquisition of Cursor, which provides AI coding tools, 30 days after the space company launches its IPO. The deal, worth US$60 billion, would shore up SpaceX's recently acquired xAI unit, whose Grok models are reportedly considered to be behind those of competitors Anthropic and OpenAI.

Far EasTone Telecommunications held its 2026 shareholders meeting on May 20. They announced that it had achieved year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue and profit in 2025, while signing a cooperation agreement with Amazon Leo, Amazon's low-earth-orbit satellite network service, to introduce LEO connectivity to Taiwan, pending regulatory approvals. Executives said the company will focus on scaling group synergies, expanding service offerings, and amplifying AI benefits to sustain its growth trajectory in 2026.

U-leam said LEO satellites will remain its primary growth engine for the next few years, while quantum computing, medical devices, robotics, and drones will form the company's second wave of expansion. The firm reported full-year 2025 revenue of NT$5.88 billion (US$185.58 million), a 52% gross margin, operating profit of NT$233 million, and earnings per share of NT$4.69. It disclosed that about 90% of current revenue came from a single LEO satellite customer.

South Korea's leading defense contractor, LIG Defense & Aerospace, and the state-backed Agency for Defense Development are accelerating efforts to move quantum defense technologies from labs into operational deployment, as industry players argue that military and public-sector demand will be the key catalyst for commercialization before broader private-sector adoption takes hold.

The global satellite communications industry is accelerating the deployment of next-generation infrastructure, unlocking the commercial potential of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) networks, while speculation that SpaceX could bring forward its initial public offering is adding fresh momentum ahead of the anticipated debut of the Starship V3 launch system.

SpaceX's IPO preparations are accelerating the commercialization of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, renewing global attention on satellite communications. The LEO sector's sharp growth in 2025 and expected expansion in 2026 could reshape connectivity worldwide, as rising demand for inter-satellite, satellite-to-gateway, and satellite-to-mobile links drives higher frequencies and services.

In April 2024, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) executed one of the most significant overhauls of its military architecture in decades. The former Strategic Support Force was disbanded and reorganized into three distinct branches: the Military Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, and the Information Support Force. Together with the existing Joint Logistics Support Force, these constitute a new four-branch support structure — one designed not merely to support terrestrial warfare, but to dominate the space domain itself.

Foxconn used its first quarter of 2026 earnings call to signal that its long-term "3+3+3" strategy is transitioning from technical validation into commercialization, highlighting growth in AI servers and advances across smart manufacturing, electric vehicles, semiconductors, and low-Earth-orbit communications. The group also framed its COMPUTEX 2026 positioning as a "Token Factory" to signal a broader role in the AI era, executives said.

The global satellite industry is entering what many executives and analysts describe as a historic turning point, as telecommunications operators increasingly integrate satellite connectivity into mainstream communications infrastructure and commercial services.

The emerging space arms race toward 2030 is no longer defined simply by the number of satellites nations can launch into orbit. Increasingly, it is being shaped by breakthroughs in advanced communications, artificial intelligence (AI), orbital logistics, and rapid launch systems, technologies that could redefine military power in space over the next decade.