A frantic race to provide broadband internet

The world has become closer to each other with the Internet, rather it has become a small village after communication from the home and in front of the computer has become the real future for all areas of life, so companies compete to provide better services through the Internet via satellites that reach remote areas in remote parts of the world. The world.

COLORADO SPRINGS (USA) -  Satellite Internet, which has become a commercial reality, is expected to intensify competition, as thousands of satellites are deployed in low Earth orbit, providing broadband all over the world, eliminating the burden of terrestrial infrastructure.

Amazon has made great progress on its way to deploying its Kuiper constellation, which aims to provide fast Internet service, as it entrusted three space industries companies with the task of launching these satellites within the project, which has a budget of more than ten billion dollars.

Amazon said Project Kuiper aims to provide high-speed broadband Internet service to homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, disaster relief operations and in places that lack a good Internet connection.

She explained that the contracts signed with "Arianspace", "Blue Origin" and "United Launch Alliance" represent the largest cooperation operations to launch satellite-carrying missiles in history.

The American e-commerce giant seeks through this project to diversify its profitable activities in the field of information services and provide fast broadband Internet service to a wide range of customers, including those who work in places where there is no reliable Internet connection.

“Satellite-based solutions are an indispensable supplement to fibres,” said Stefan Israel, CEO of Arianespace. He noted that "there are cases where the cost of fiber is very high compared to a satellite-based service, especially when the service needs to be provided to residents of a remote area."

In addition to the satellites themselves, Amazon is planning "low cost mini-customers" to build on what it started with its Echo smart speakers and Kindle e-readers.

The group confirmed that it would provide "affordable and affordable service to customers", but did not disclose more details in this regard.

Will Amazon's striking power be able to establish itself and make a difference in a sector where competition has become fierce?

Satellite internet already exists, as is the case with “Visa Sat” and “Huggs Net” in the United States, while in Europe the subsidiary Orange Nordt uses the power of the “OtelSat Connect” satellite, among other technologies, to provide broadband to its customers.

Consumer prices start at less than 60 euros or 70 dollars a month, not counting the terminal and antenna, and increase according to the bandwidth required.

These services pass through satellites located in geostationary orbit at an altitude of more than 35,000 km, and although they are likely to provide speeds three to five times higher than those of asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), their presence At this distance it means that it cannot reach the performance of the fiber, and the delay between the request and the execution of the command is a hindrance to it. That's why Hugg's Net doesn't recommend its products to gamers.

As for the satellites that Amazon will publish in the future, they will be the same as those currently deployed by the “Starlink” company of “SpaceX” in low Earth orbit, that is, at an altitude of about 600 km.

Stephen Israel noted, “What distinguishes the presence of satellites in low Earth orbit is that it reduces the latency period. Reducing the latency period allows for maximum utilization.”

On the other hand, the presence of satellites close to Earth makes it necessary to send many of them into orbit, and from here the number of those belonging to Amazon will reach more than 3200, compared to thousands of “Starlink”, of which 1500 are currently operating.

Broadband internet is fast and reaches those who work in places where there is no reliable internet connection

The British company, OneWeb, launched 428 out of 648 satellites in its constellation, as well as in low orbit, and plans to start operating its global Internet at the end of 2022.

As for China, it plans to deploy at least 13,000 satellites of the "Guang" model, while Europe entered the game with an agreement in February to develop its own group of communications satellites.

Regardless of sovereignty issues, this high demand for the provision of Internet via satellite is accompanied by a significant increase in needs recorded recently.

And the International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations considered at the end of March that “internet connectivity, which was considered a luxury, has become critical for many people during the Corona pandemic, as people were forced to stay in their homes and many activities and businesses moved to the Internet.”

And a business executive in Colorado Springs said on the sidelines of the largest trade fair for space technologies, that "bandwidth needs have increased all over the world," expecting that "the number of satellites will not be enough to meet the demand."

But this expert in marketing the frequency, who asked not to be named, also pointed out that the satellites in low orbit are more vulnerable than the geostationary vehicles, which was recently shown by a geomagnetic storm causing the disintegration of about 40 satellites from the constellation “Starlink” upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

Thus "it will have to be replaced constantly," which is not bad news for the companies that handle the launches.