Global Satellite Internet

What is Low Earth Orbit?

The size,?orbit?and design of a?satellite?depend on its motivation and the functions of various satellites and its orbits. An orbit that’s low near the Earth, so we usually think of a low-Earth orbit as starting around about 200 kilometres in altitude and extending up to about 2,000 kilometres.

Objects in these orbitals have an orbital period (i.e. the time taken to orbit the Earth once) from 88 to 128 minutes. LEO satellites move at extremely fast speeds around the Earth.

LEO Satellites?provides high bandwidth and low communication?latency.

With low cost, ease of maintainability, small form factor and extended bandwidth all expected requirements for LEO ground segment equipment.

LEO applications fall mainly into two categories:

• Broadband internet access direct to end users/consumers

For latency critical applications for remote area e.g. Financial transactions, IoT devices, remote consultation etc LEO’s will be the first choice as the round-trip latency of a LEO satellite is roughly 10 times lower than a GEO satellite.

• Enterprise and Government?

As some planes in some LEO constellations are being laser linked this gives the possibly of a highly secure link independent of the internet. Ideal for private enterprise and government communications.

Advantages of LEO Satellite Internet

• Lower latency
• Faster upload and download speeds
• Per satellite cost is small
• Quicker and cheaper to deploy satellites into orbit
• Potential for global connectivity

Disadvantages of LEO Satellite Internet

• Thousands of LEO satellites are needed to provide internet coverage
• Higher possibility for collision (LEO is getting crowded)
• Could contribute to accumulation of space clutter
• Can interfere with astronomy observations?

Companies investing in LEO Satellite Internet

• OneWeb is claiming for : 5G band compatible and build in LTE network, Beam-centric design at millimetre wave (Ka/Ku-Band) for improved data rate and spectral efficiency, Support for 5G satellite latency, throughput 100 Mbps per user and mobility of 500 km/hr.
• Starlink
• Project Kuiper

The Future of Satellite Internet

• Satellite internet service from low Earth orbit systems will be a huge boon for the millions of people who don’t have internet service. most of the world’s population lives in areas that don’t have cell phone service or internet options.With global internet access, people in rural areas would have better access to education, healthcare, information, and financial opportunity.
• During natural or man made disasters, terrestrial infrastructure and communication networks often fail. Emergency response teams, disaster recovery units, military operations, and scientific expeditions will all benefit from having satellite internet and data services available globally.