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We are living in the age of the internet. Contemporary life is now entirely dependent on it. It has revolutionized communication systems, forever changed the way people around the world relate with their surroundings, and is the primary source of information access.
Access to the internet has changed since it was first launched with the annoying yet nostalgic sound of a dial-up connection.
The most used medium of Internet access nowadays is Broadband Internet.
One of the forms of Broadband Internet is an old technology that has been available for a few years. It appears that it will get a facelift and this renewed form will be accessible to the public soon.
What am I referring to? Satellite Internet. You’ve probably heard of it. The technology has been there for a while, but is limited in its scope due to high operating costs.
That may be about to change. But first, let’s cover the basics.
What is Satellite Internet?
As the name suggests, Satellite Internet is the process of accessing the Internet via communication satellites, or comsats. These geostationary satellites orbit the earth and are located at an altitude of 35,786 kilometers directly above Earth’s equator.
How does it work?
A computer sends a signal request through a modem to a satellite dish, and then up to the Internet Service Provider’s orbiting satellite, which, in turn, sends a signal to the ISP’s Network Operations Center (NOC). Then, the NOC transmits the signal back to the satellite, then to the dish, the modem, and finally, back to the computer.
So in essence, geostationary communications satellites are the ones that receive and retransmit the signal request.
Some ground-based observers mistakenly believe that these types of satellites are not moving.
That is not the case, however! They are actually orbiting the Earth at the same speed of its rotation.
As a result, they have a fixed point in the sky.
Satellite Internet Pros and Cons
Launching satellites into space is not a straightforward process. Quite the contrary actually. It is a very expensive proposition.
For example, according to Telecom company GlobalStar, a typical weather satellite can carry a price tag of $290 million, and building a satellite that carries a missile-warning device costs an additional $100 million.
Those exorbitant fees also exclude maintenance expenses and repairs.
You then have to take into consideration the cost of launching satellites into space. GlobalStar reported that it can cost anywhere between $50 million and $400 to launch a single satellite.
It is fair to assume that comsats built for the purpose of providing internet access incur similar costs.
With that being said, Satellite Internet hold many advantages; for example:
1. It can be very useful for users who are living in remote areas, and have no access to other broadband services.
2. Satellite Internet as a service, has much less network outages compared with other forms of Broadband service.
But Satellite Internet has several drawbacks as well:
1. Poor weather and some types of obstructions affect the signal path, since data is transmitted through the air. For example, on a rainy day, the moisture can reduce the signal, or anything in the way of a dish’s signal such as trees or buildings.
2. Poor signal latency. Latency is the time it takes data to transfer from one place to another. As far as Satellite Internet is concerned, since data is sent into space, then to the ISP and back again, Satellite Internet has poor latency. Average Satellite Internet latency is between half a second and nine-tenths of a second, or between 500 milliseconds and 900 milliseconds.
What is Starlink?
SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by billionaire CEO Elon Musk, is trying to launch an internet revolution.
It is trying to do so via the implementation of a project called Starlink.
The official website states that Starlink is a “global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations”. It also aims to “deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive or completely unavailable”, and its performance will “far surpass […] traditional satellite internet”.
SpaceX sought and obtained approval by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch approximately 12,000 internet-beaming satellites into orbit.
The FCC gave SpaceX a November 2027 deadline to fully deploy the constellation.
In October 2019, SpaceX also submitted paperwork to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); seeking the latter’s approval to launch and deploy an additional 30,000 Starlink satellites, bringing the total number to 42,000.
According to a report by Business Insider, in the event that the ITU grants permission to SpaceX, the number of Starlink satellites deployed will be about 20 times the number of working satellites today.
More than 500 Starlink satellites have been released so far.
Last March, the FCC also granted SpaceX the permission to roll out almost 1 million ground antennas to connect users to the Starlink network.
This essentially confirms that Starlink is itsown ISP, and doesn’t rely on a third party
The Starlink project is actually starting to take shape as well: SpaceX’s website Beta service in the United States and Canada will be rolled out next month.
The company is also seeking users to test out the internet coverage. So, if you’re a Lebanese expat living in either the U.S. or Canada, and eager to test out the service, you’re in luck!
What is the difference between standard Satellite Internet and Starlink?
There are certain differences between Satellite Internet and Starlink if we want to compare the two. Standard Satellite Internet providers rely on the aforementioned comsats to provide internet coverage.
As a result, Satellite Internet providers offer limited bandwidth, high-latency services at a relatively high price.
For example, in the U.S., there are currently only two Satellite Internet providers: Viasat and HughesNet.
Viasat provides bandwidth that ranges between 12 and 150 Gigabytes.
Viasat also offers introductory prices that range between $30 and $150 per month, and HughesNet between $59.99 and $149.99.
As far as Starlink is concerned, SpaceX has yet to disclose detailed data plans. But since the company will compete with other Satellite internet providers, it already has one huge advantage over them as far as pricing goes.
Other providers rely on aerospace manufacturers to build and deploy the satellites, thereby incurring huge costs. This is one of the main reasons why Internet Satellite as a service is more expensive than others.
SpaceX, on the other hand, is deploying their constellation via a fleet of rockets that the company itself manufactures: The Falcon 9.
The Falcon 9 is able to carry huge payloads, and, most importantly, is reusable, which drives down the cost of space access.
SpaceX is effectively cutting out the middleman. This enables the company to offer more competitive prices.
Regarding latency, Elon Musk stated in a tweet that it will be clocked at approximately 20 milliseconds.
Some analysts have estimated that SpaceX will provide connection speeds of up to 1 Gigabit, or 125 Megabytes per second, with latencies ranging from 25 to 35 milliseconds.
There is one factor which indicates that Starlink may be able to offer a low-latency, hi-speed Internet access that will make it stand out from the competition.
Their FCC approval application states that 7,518 out of the 12,000 satellites will be deployed into very-Low-Earth orbit (VLEO).
In other words, they will have an Orbital Height of 550 kms above Earth.
Each Starlink satellite also has a cone beam with an 81-degree range of view. And since they will fly in Low-Earth Orbit, they can cover a circular area with a radius of 500 kms.
Lowering the altitude of a satellite decreases the area it can cover, but also significantly decreases latency.
What is the difference between 5G and Satellite Internet?
5G is the term used to describe the next generation of cellular networking. It is the new global wireless standard that is set to replace the 4G Network.
Its main objectives are to deliver multi gigabits per second data speed, ultra-low latency, and a bigger and more scalable network capacity.
The 5G network is aiming to deliver ultra-high-performance benchmarks: connection speed of up to 10 Gbps in ideal conditions, and latency ranging between just 1 and 4 milliseconds.
Users will be able to do data-intensive things like livestream gaming, or enjoy a faster streaming experience on Netflix
Simply put, the 5G Network will completely transform the landscape of communication systems.
In a 5G interconnected world, cities will be able to integrate networks to manage connectivity to cars, ships, airplanes, and other devices in remote areas.
As far as ground infrastructure is concerned, this requires the building of small 5G towers that demand a lot of bandwidth.
The 5G network will be powered by what is called a millimeter wave (mmWave). The term mmWave refers to a specific part of the radio frequency spectrum between 24 gigahertz (GHz); and 100 GHz.
The current generation of cellular networking, 4G LTE, has a frequency that ranges between 800 and 3,000 Megahertz (MHz); much lower figures than mmWave margins.
But here’s the catch: The higher the frequency of any wave, the lesser the range available to transfer data.
5G connectivity also has another drawback: 5G towers, or nodes, also need a direct line of sight for optimal speed and performance.
In other words, even if the user is standing a few meters away from the node, data only travels well as long as there are no natural obstacles, such as trees, walls, buildings, that disrupt the high-frequency signal.
The signal is unable to penetrate those obstacles.
5G and Satellite Internet are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary: they complement each other.
Low-Earth-Orbit satellites will play a significant role in terms of supplementing ground-based 5G infrastructure and increase network coverage.
More importantly, satellites can serve as a backup 5G network in the event that a natural disaster occurs, such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes.
And this is where the Starlink network comes into play.
One can only assume that Starlink satellites will be 5G-enabled. Since 12,000 of them will be deployed to provide global coverage, it’s safe to say that a full and optimal implementation of 5G technology is only a matter of time.
How will SpaceX operate 12,000 satellites?
Launching and managing 12,000 satellites is no easy task. The risk of one satellite deviating from its course and colliding with another can have severe ramifications.
The Starlink project is already drawing a lot of criticism. People argued that SpaceX will eventually flood Earth’s orbit with space debris.
To tackle that problem, Starlink satellites have a built-in tracking system, which will perform flying maneuvers to avoid collision with each other.
Secondly, when a satellite reaches the end of its operational lifespan a few months after its launch, the company will utilize an “on-board propulsion system” to deorbit and bring it back to earth for maintenance, and redeploy it.
In case the system is inoperable, the satellites will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere within 1 to five years, hence reducing space debris.
The world is becoming a smaller village
No doubt companies like Starlink are reshaping how we access the internet and allowing those in remote areas the opportunity to go online.
The probabilities are limitless. Lebanon may soon have access to a modern, hi-speed internet connection that will surely catapult its startup ecosystem to the next level.
