Fight for space: what is happening in the satellite Internet market
In mid-December, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the LeoSat satellite Internet project. The network will begin to deploy in 2019. SpaceX Ilona Mask also launches its devices into orbit. We talk about the plans of companies and talk about why a large number of spacecraft in orbit is not such a good idea.
/ Flickr / NOAA / PD
The LeoSat network will consist of 78 satellites. They will be located at an altitude of 1,400 kilometers from Earth, which is ten times lower than the orbits of other satellite systems (for example, GLONASS or GPS). According to the company, the proximity of the devices to the Earth will allow data to be transferred between different points of the planet one and a half times faster than via optical fiber. For example, from London to Singapore, the signal on LeoSat will reach 119 ms, and on optical fiber - only 181 ms .
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Next year, LeoSat will launch the first two satellites into space, which will immediately be available to users. Completely plan to expand the network by 2022.
Each LeoSat spacecraft is equipped with four lasers, with which it communicates with neighboring devices. Also satellites have ten antennas. They are needed for communication with Earth terminals using Ka-band radio waves. It is expected that the data transmission speed will be 1.6 Gb / s .
LeoSat customers will be 5G communications operators. According to representatives of the telecom industry, for the networks of the new generation of land communications will not be enough - the required signal transfer rate of 5G is 15 times higher than the average Internet connection speed in the world. Satellites can complement a communications system and significantly speed up data transfer.
In addition to LeoSat, several other satellite Internet projects have received FCC approval. Of these, Starlink and OneWeb are the most famous.
Starlink is a project by Ilona Mask and SpaceX, which we described in more detail earlier . SpaceX has already launched two prototype satellites into orbit and is preparing to deploy the first 1,600 spacecraft in 2019-2020. The company is now closing a deal for an additional $ 500 million in investments that will be used to develop the network.
In OneWeb satellite technology has invested many companies, including Airbus, Virgin Group, Qualcomm and others. The launch of spacecraft prototypes is scheduled for 2019. On February 7, a Soyuz rocket with ten OneWeb satellites on board will be sent from orbit to the orbit. The total number of devices will be 600 pieces.
Another project that received FCC approval is TeleSat Canada. The company will launch 117 satellites into orbit. Network plan to deploy by 2021.
/ Pixabay / Free-Photos / PD
Facebook is also working on its Internet for developing countries. In July 2018, the company confirmed that it was creating its own satellite and had already submitted an application to the FCC. Another project is LinkSure. This is a Chinese company that is working on the global free satellite Internet system. The first spacecraft will be launched in 2019, and LinkSure plans to deploy the entire network by 2026.
Opinions about whether such a number of satellite systems will benefit are quite different. A number of representatives of the IT industry believes that technology will help people who live in rural areas or developing countries. Crystal Wilson (Krystal Wilson) from the non-profit organization Secure World Foundation, engaged in the field of space projects, says that in this case it will be important to find specialists who can serve the ground infrastructure of the network.
The same opinion was expressed by Prof. Mark Handley from University College London, who modeled the work of Starlink. According to him, the launch of only one satellite costs tens of millions of dollars. Therefore, SpaceX customers will be international companies that are willing to pay big bucks for the fastest Internet connection speed.
Some technology experts even doubt the concept of satellite Internet. According to Stanford University professor Zack Manchester (Zac Manchester), in the late 1990s, several companies attempted to replace cellular communications with a network of low-orbit satellites. Space systems were developing more slowly than ground systems - therefore satellite projects could not attract customers and closed.
Manchester believes that the current situation with satellite Internet is no different from the experience of telephone operators - therefore, SpaceX and OneWeb projects may not meet the expectations of creators and investors.
Experts note that satellite Internet companies will have to solve not only the issues of the cost of their services. There are two significant technical difficulties. The first is space junk.
And considering that hundreds and thousands of satellites of other companies will be in Earth orbit, the danger to the inhabitants of the Earth is only increasing. In this case, the wreckage will simply clog the orbit. Given that Starlink satellites will need to be replaced about every five years, the volume of space debris will be huge.
At the end of November, the Federal Trade Commission even proposed to develop a number of regulatory documents to resolve the problem of space debris. And the governments of Europe and the USA are developing systems for tracking debris and “cleaning” the orbit.
/ Flickr / NASA / PD
The second difficulty is the information security of systems. If a signal to one of the satellites is intercepted by intruders, they can affect the operation of the entire network. This can lead not only to failures of the Internet connection, but also to collisions of spacecraft devices. Although the solution to this problem is already working. Options are to encrypt the radio signal or introduce mandatory command authentication from ground stations.
Competition in the field of satellite Internet will continue to grow. Already, some companies are in such a hurry to overtake rivals that they launch spacecraft without the approval of state bodies. For example, the American startup Swamp Technologies, which sent satellites into orbit from the Indian spaceport, did not wait for the FCC's confirmation of the application.
At the same time, the potential of the technology is still unclear. Experts estimate that satellite Internet will indeed manifest itself in the next 4–8 years . Only then will it become clear whether the companies have managed to find a replacement for the fiber-optic connection, or have put too high hopes on the satellites.
PS A couple of publications from the corporate blog VAS Experts:
PPS Publications on the topic from our Habrablog:
/ Flickr / NOAA / PD
Satellite Internet LeoSat
The LeoSat network will consist of 78 satellites. They will be located at an altitude of 1,400 kilometers from Earth, which is ten times lower than the orbits of other satellite systems (for example, GLONASS or GPS). According to the company, the proximity of the devices to the Earth will allow data to be transferred between different points of the planet one and a half times faster than via optical fiber. For example, from London to Singapore, the signal on LeoSat will reach 119 ms, and on optical fiber - only 181 ms .
')
Next year, LeoSat will launch the first two satellites into space, which will immediately be available to users. Completely plan to expand the network by 2022.
Each LeoSat spacecraft is equipped with four lasers, with which it communicates with neighboring devices. Also satellites have ten antennas. They are needed for communication with Earth terminals using Ka-band radio waves. It is expected that the data transmission speed will be 1.6 Gb / s .
LeoSat customers will be 5G communications operators. According to representatives of the telecom industry, for the networks of the new generation of land communications will not be enough - the required signal transfer rate of 5G is 15 times higher than the average Internet connection speed in the world. Satellites can complement a communications system and significantly speed up data transfer.
Who else launches satellites into space
In addition to LeoSat, several other satellite Internet projects have received FCC approval. Of these, Starlink and OneWeb are the most famous.
Starlink is a project by Ilona Mask and SpaceX, which we described in more detail earlier . SpaceX has already launched two prototype satellites into orbit and is preparing to deploy the first 1,600 spacecraft in 2019-2020. The company is now closing a deal for an additional $ 500 million in investments that will be used to develop the network.
In OneWeb satellite technology has invested many companies, including Airbus, Virgin Group, Qualcomm and others. The launch of spacecraft prototypes is scheduled for 2019. On February 7, a Soyuz rocket with ten OneWeb satellites on board will be sent from orbit to the orbit. The total number of devices will be 600 pieces.
Another project that received FCC approval is TeleSat Canada. The company will launch 117 satellites into orbit. Network plan to deploy by 2021.
/ Pixabay / Free-Photos / PD
Facebook is also working on its Internet for developing countries. In July 2018, the company confirmed that it was creating its own satellite and had already submitted an application to the FCC. Another project is LinkSure. This is a Chinese company that is working on the global free satellite Internet system. The first spacecraft will be launched in 2019, and LinkSure plans to deploy the entire network by 2026.
Clogged orbit
Opinions about whether such a number of satellite systems will benefit are quite different. A number of representatives of the IT industry believes that technology will help people who live in rural areas or developing countries. Crystal Wilson (Krystal Wilson) from the non-profit organization Secure World Foundation, engaged in the field of space projects, says that in this case it will be important to find specialists who can serve the ground infrastructure of the network.
There are those who are convinced that satellite Internet is more likely intended not for the poor, but for rich people. This is claimed even by the developers of such solutions. LeoSat CEO says his company is creating a premium service for large corporations.
The same opinion was expressed by Prof. Mark Handley from University College London, who modeled the work of Starlink. According to him, the launch of only one satellite costs tens of millions of dollars. Therefore, SpaceX customers will be international companies that are willing to pay big bucks for the fastest Internet connection speed.
Some technology experts even doubt the concept of satellite Internet. According to Stanford University professor Zack Manchester (Zac Manchester), in the late 1990s, several companies attempted to replace cellular communications with a network of low-orbit satellites. Space systems were developing more slowly than ground systems - therefore satellite projects could not attract customers and closed.
Manchester believes that the current situation with satellite Internet is no different from the experience of telephone operators - therefore, SpaceX and OneWeb projects may not meet the expectations of creators and investors.
Experts note that satellite Internet companies will have to solve not only the issues of the cost of their services. There are two significant technical difficulties. The first is space junk.
According to the FCC, debris spaceX devices with a probability of 45% will fall on a person every six years.
And considering that hundreds and thousands of satellites of other companies will be in Earth orbit, the danger to the inhabitants of the Earth is only increasing. In this case, the wreckage will simply clog the orbit. Given that Starlink satellites will need to be replaced about every five years, the volume of space debris will be huge.
At the end of November, the Federal Trade Commission even proposed to develop a number of regulatory documents to resolve the problem of space debris. And the governments of Europe and the USA are developing systems for tracking debris and “cleaning” the orbit.
/ Flickr / NASA / PD
The second difficulty is the information security of systems. If a signal to one of the satellites is intercepted by intruders, they can affect the operation of the entire network. This can lead not only to failures of the Internet connection, but also to collisions of spacecraft devices. Although the solution to this problem is already working. Options are to encrypt the radio signal or introduce mandatory command authentication from ground stations.
What's next
Competition in the field of satellite Internet will continue to grow. Already, some companies are in such a hurry to overtake rivals that they launch spacecraft without the approval of state bodies. For example, the American startup Swamp Technologies, which sent satellites into orbit from the Indian spaceport, did not wait for the FCC's confirmation of the application.
At the same time, the potential of the technology is still unclear. Experts estimate that satellite Internet will indeed manifest itself in the next 4–8 years . Only then will it become clear whether the companies have managed to find a replacement for the fiber-optic connection, or have put too high hopes on the satellites.
PS A couple of publications from the corporate blog VAS Experts:
- Implementing IPv6 - FAQ for Internet Providers
- Thicker “pipe” - more problems, or how 5G networks and DDoS are connected
- Internet to the village - we build radio-relay Wi-Fi-network
PPS Publications on the topic from our Habrablog:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/434538/
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