(ORDO NEWS) — Starlink is clearly leading the race for satellite internet supremacy. Ookla’s latest internet speed analysis found that SpaceX‘s satellite service provides the world‘s fastest satellite internet and even faster download speeds than fixed broadband in most European countries.
SpaceX has deployed more than 2,200 satellites in orbit, so other companies have a lot of catching up to do if they want to compete with Elon Musk‘s firm.
On the heels of SpaceX is Britain’s OneWeb, which has deployed 428 satellites in orbit. OneWeb plans to launch a total of 648 satellites. In a test conducted in April 2021, OneWeb recorded download speeds of up to 165 Mbps.
The American Viasat operates four large satellites: ViaSat-1, WildBlue1, Anik-F2 and ViaSat-2. They are much larger than SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, although the company offers lower download speeds ranging from 12Mbps to 100Mbps. Its next satellite, Viasat-3, due to launch in 2023, will provide “download speeds up to 100 Mbps”.
Internet access in China is possible only through public providers. Satellite internet is no exception, and China’s 1.4 billion people will only be able to get it through state-owned companies.
So far, the only company that can do this is Geespace. On June 2, a Chinese Chang Zheng 2C rocket launched nine satellites into low Earth orbit for a firm that is a subsidiary of Chinese auto giant Geely.
Geespace plans to build a constellation of 240 satellites in orbit, which will primarily be used to transmit data for Geely’s autonomous driving program.
Canadian firm Telesat currently operates 15 geostationary satellites. Like OneWeb, it is focused on providing services to businesses, not consumers. However, the company plans to create a large constellation called Lightspeed, which will consist of 1,600 satellites.
Amazon is without a doubt the largest private company that can compete with Starlink on a global level. Amazon has planned eighty-three launches that will send 3,236 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites.
With the market value of satellite internet projected to reach $18.59 billion by 2030, it’s clear that SpaceX won’t be the only big player in orbit.
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