S5E16 | Is satellite internet a good business? Why is everyone launching satellites?
Key
- Starlink: A low - Earth orbit satellite internet project proposed by SpaceX.
- Low - Earth orbit satellite internet: Using low - orbit satellites to provide internet access services.
- Space - terrestrial integration: A communication model that integrates satellite internet with terrestrial 5G/6G networks.
- New Network Company: The China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. established in China.
- Mass production: A key strategy to reduce satellite manufacturing costs.
Abstract
This issue of What's Next: Early Insights into Technology focuses on satellite internet, exploring its commercial prospects and technological advantages. Experts point out that projects like Starlink are driving satellite internet towards global coverage, solving the problem of internet access in remote areas and special scenarios. Compared with traditional 5G/6G technologies, satellite internet has the advantage of a wide coverage area and can achieve a space - terrestrial integration communication model. China is also actively deploying satellite internet, establishing the New Network Company and planning to launch a large number of communication satellites. Despite facing technological challenges and resource competition, by reducing costs through mass production, satellite internet is expected to be commercialized within the next 10 years, deeply integrating with terrestrial networks to jointly build the 6G era.
Insights
The rise of satellite internet not only reflects technological progress but also represents an important direction in the construction of global information infrastructure. It fills the coverage blind spots of terrestrial networks, providing reliable internet access for remote areas and special scenarios, and has significant social value. In addition, the integration of satellite internet with terrestrial networks will drive the arrival of the 6G era, bringing broader application prospects to all industries. However, the development of satellite internet also faces challenges such as resource competition and environmental pollution, which require global cooperation to address.
Views
01 "Complementary, not substitutive"
Satellite internet is not intended to completely replace terrestrial networks but to complement technologies such as 5G/6G, jointly building a space - terrestrial integrated communication network.
02 "Mass production is the key"
Reducing satellite manufacturing costs and achieving mass production are important prerequisites for the commercialization of satellite internet.
03 "Standardization is the trend"
Unifying satellite communication standards to achieve interconnection is the only way to build an open and shared satellite internet ecosystem.
In - depth Analysis
Satellite Internet: A Race for Space - Terrestrial Interconnection
At the Mobile World Congress on June 28, Elon Musk was confident about the future of the Starlink project. He estimated that this project, aiming to provide global internet access through low - Earth orbit satellites, would require an investment of 20 - 30 billion US dollars and would ultimately cover the entire world except for the North and South Poles. Meanwhile, Amazon also announced its entry into this space race, planning to launch 3,200 satellites. In China, the establishment of the China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. marks China's official entry into this space - terrestrial interconnection race.
What is Satellite Internet?
Simply put, satellite internet is to move the base stations of the terrestrial mobile internet into space, forming a global - coverage, seamless mobile communication system. Through a constellation of low - Earth orbit satellites, global internet access can be achieved. Dr. Lin Guangrong of the GalaxySpace Constellation Communication System Architecture pointed out that satellite internet is not intended to replace terrestrial networks but to form a complementary relationship. Currently, there are still a large number of people around the world who cannot access the terrestrial internet, mainly in remote areas such as Africa. In these areas, the cost of laying fiber - optic cables and building base stations is extremely high. In addition, special scenarios such as aviation and navigation are also difficult to fully cover with terrestrial networks. The emergence of satellite internet provides a new solution to these problems.
Low - Earth Orbit Satellites: The Key to Technological Breakthroughs
Early satellite communication systems mainly used geostationary orbit satellites, which are about 36,000 kilometers from the ground. These satellites have high communication latency and high costs, making large - scale applications difficult. In recent years, the emerging low - Earth orbit satellite internet has lowered the satellite orbit to 300 - 2,000 kilometers, greatly reducing communication latency and energy consumption, allowing terminal devices to be smaller and have higher data rates. Dr. Lin Guangrong introduced that low - Earth orbit satellite internet actually uses artificial satellites as communication relay stations to forward radio waves from terrestrial communications, enabling people everywhere to access the internet through terminals.
Resource Competition: Frequency and Orbit
As more and more companies join the competition in satellite internet, the frequency and orbit resources in space are becoming increasingly scarce. Since the frequency and orbit resources of low - Earth orbit satellites follow the "first - come, first - served" principle, companies are actively launching satellites to occupy favorable positions. Musk once proposed a plan to deploy 10,000 or even more than 40,000 satellites in space, which has raised concerns about space congestion and collision risks. Although international organizations are working hard to coordinate global satellite resources, the challenges faced by latecomers are still huge.
Technological Challenges: Mass Production and Cost Control
In addition to resource competition, the development of satellite internet also faces technological challenges. How to achieve mass production of satellites and reduce manufacturing costs is the key to the commercialization of satellite internet. The traditional satellite manufacturing model is similar to the hand - crafted old - style Rolls - Royce, with high costs and no mass - production capabilities. To achieve large - scale application of satellite internet, satellite manufacturing must be transformed into an industrial production model, making full use of the terrestrial industrial supply chain system to reduce manufacturing costs. Companies such as GalaxySpace are actively exploring the mass - production model of satellites. By using industrial - grade raw materials and chips and a pipeline - style production method, they have significantly reduced the manufacturing cost of satellites.
Application Prospects: The Future of Space - Terrestrial Interconnection
The application prospects of satellite internet are very broad. In addition to providing internet access services for remote areas and special scenarios, satellite internet can also be integrated with terrestrial 5G/6G networks to build a space - terrestrial integrated communication network. Dr. Lin Guangrong believes that the future 6G network is likely to be a combination of 5G and satellite internet, achieving seamless coverage in the air, space, and on the ground. In vast areas, satellite internet provides comprehensive coverage; in key hotspots, more advanced technologies such as 5G/6G provide high - speed, low - latency communication services.
China's Speed: Concentrating Resources to Achieve Goals
Although China's Starlink - like project currently lags behind SpaceX in terms of the number of satellite launches, with the establishment of the China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd., the construction of China's satellite internet will enter the fast lane. Dr. Lin Guangrong is very confident about the prospects of China's satellite internet. He said that China has significant advantages in large - scale strategic projects. As long as satellite internet can develop, a large number of companies will surely participate and jointly promote the development of China's satellite internet.
Forward - looking Thinking: Sustainable Development
The development of satellite internet should not only focus on technology and business but also on sustainable development. How to avoid the generation of space debris, reduce light pollution and electromagnetic pollution are issues that must be addressed in the development of satellite internet. The future satellite internet needs to find a balance between technological innovation, business models, and social responsibility to achieve sustainable development and bring greater benefits to human society.