John UM
According to foreign media reports, the next billion people may be connected to the space Internet. This is a competition to provide the Internet through satellites, led by well-known technology companies and several financially strong start-ups. The goal is to help people in developing countries access the Internet, provide faster online access to rural users, and meet the needs of enterprise customers who want real-time data from a variety of devices, such as oil rigs and ocean buoys
The most famous companies involved in the competition include social network Facebook, Elon Musk’s space exploration technology company SpaceX and OneWeb, which received the Softbank Group of Japan’s billionaire Masayoshi Son. Support. Their opponents are dozens of emerging companies, such as Swarm Technologies, Astrocast and Sky&Space Global, which want to put cheap toaster-sized satellites into orbit
Out of the vigilance of competition, existing satellite Internet providers, such as Viasat and EchoStar’s Hughes Network Systems, are taking action to defend their business. They plan to launch new and more powerful satellites
Currently, the industry scale of satellite broadband is relatively small. According to Morgan Stanley, the industry’s revenue this year will be only $4 billion. However, with the implementation of network planning and changes in consumers’ online habits, the industry’s revenue is expected to reach a high level. By 2024, the industry’s revenue is expected to increase to 22 billion US dollars, and will increase to 41 billion US dollars by 2029
Smaller and cheaper satellites.
The current space race dates back to the 1990s, when several satellite companies launched satellites with similar aspirations. Bill Gates-backed Teledesic and Iridium and Globalstar all announced their ambitious plans, but they eventually filed for bankruptcy after rising costs and exhausting investor funds
But this time it really should be different. New rocket launch companies, including SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origins, are reducing the cost of launching satellites. The miniaturization of computers has made it possible to build smaller, cheaper satellites
Depending on the size and orbital location of the satellite, companies that conduct satellite Internet services can be divided into different categories. Moreover, their target customers and Internet access methods are also different
For example, SpaceX’s Starlink program includes launching 12,000 satellites at high altitudes over the next few years, 50% more than the total number of satellites launched into space since the advent of satellites. These small, refrigerator-sized satellites will operate in 340-mile-high orbits, far below communications satellites in geosynchronous orbits at 22,300 miles
Although Starlink Internet may be difficult to catch up with the ground-based broadband speeds of companies such as AT&T and Comcast, its goal is to provide affordable coverage for the vast majority of the region from rural Arkansas to Africa. High speed service. These regions now lack a stable network connection
Last year, Starlink launched its first two test satellites – named after the names of the Belgian comic books Tintin A and Tintin B – and received US government approval to allow 12,000 satellites to be launched into space
This puts it far ahead of Facebook, which has just submitted an application to the US federal government to launch an experimental satellite in low orbit. Facebook has not promised to deploy a complete network, nor has it revealed much information about the space Internet development strategy
Who will be the winner?
As some satellite costs continue to drop, some startups are trying to build small satellites that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. This saves a huge cost compared to the usual satellites; the cost of a typical satellite can cost hundreds of millions of dollars
Sara Spangelo, an aerospace engineer who worked at Google X Labs and NASA, and Swarm CEO, told her smaller, lower-cost satellite cluster will be ahead of some big companies. It has been in operation for several years. The company has launched seven satellites and it plans to launch 150 satellites
Of course, the company’s space network is unlikely to provide high-speed Internet accesses to millions of users. Many of its original users will be businesses that want to collect data or occasionally need an Internet connection. For example, in January of this year, Swarm partnered with Ford to use its satellite network to provide emergency communications services for Ford vehicles – similar to GM’s more well-known reliance on conventional wireless network OnStar networks
Viasat plans to spend $1.4 billion to launch two satellites into space in the next two years. Each satellite is larger than a school bus. Viasat says its capacity will be twice the capacity of all 400 communications satellites in space today
Analysts pointed out that small businesses may be able to succeed in a crowded market with their cheap networks, because a firm foothold no longer requires huge upfront investment
However, Tim Farrar, president of satellite consulting firm TMF Associates, suspects that all challengers, especially those emerging, will survive. Even with cheaper technology today, they still need a lot of money to set up and maintain their networks
Faral said: “ The space internet industry will definitely reshuffle. ”