Satellite Internet – So Many Choices

Prior to Donald Trump’s election, Elon Musk’s Starlink was front runner for low-cost satellite internet service. Now, many people have become anti-Musk and are looking to boycott Starlink. If you are concerned, what are your choices for satellite communications? Your best option will depend on the exact services that you’re looking for.

By Tony van Wouw

Tony van Wouw is an electrical engineer and wireless communications expert with global experience on microwave, broadcast cellular & other systems. His experience includes Canadian regulatory environment, wired transmission & switching techniques.

Who’s Not Buying?

The Financial Post reports that more than half of Canada’s provincial and territorial governments buy critical internet and emergency communications services from Starlink. However, the Ontario government has cancelled a $100 Million Starlink contract. BC Ferries is continuing with its Starlink pilot project until they complete a procurement process to provide reliable operational communications. The BC government has directed Crown Corporations to buy goods and services from non-US sources where possible.

What Is Starlink?

Starlink operates its LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites in orbital shells from 340km to 614km. Many of the satellites can inter-communicate – which is particularly useful for the much lower altitude, where few of the satellites in the constellation can link back to an earth station at any time.

Most of the ‘issues’ with Starlink are geopolitical – it remains a good technical solution. There are many more satellite options to choose from, but which is the best one for your particular needs depends on what those needs are.

What Are The Choices?

There are now more than 10 companies operating satellites in GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) at 35,786 kilometers – most with at least 3 satellites in their constellation to give near global coverage. We have had access to the Internet, albeit at significant cost, via Inmarsat’s Broadband Global Access Network (BGAN) service since 2005.

Globalstar operates a constellation of LEO satellites at a height of 1400km. Their satellites simply provide a link between the end user and a ‘Gateway’ Earth Station (like the ‘last mile link’ in a terrestrial network) – so a working service requires that the serving satellite can see both the user and a gateway station. Service cannot be provided in remote areas (such as areas of the South Pacific and the polar regions) if there are no gateway stations to cover the area.

Iridium operates a satellite constellation at 781km. Like Starlink, and unlike Globalstar, the satellites can inter-communicate – allowing a small number of earth stations to serve the entire globe.

Both Globalstar and Iridium are working with standards groups to provide 5G connectivity by satellite – with wide area Internet of Things (IoT) service in mind. They currently offer popular telemetry services to fleet operators.

Eutelsat/OneWeb operates a LEO constellation at a height of 1,200 km. OneWeb does not market directly to end users. Instead, it offers wholesale services to intermediate operators, who then sell to users. As of 2025, the OneWeb capacity is much lower than Starlink, as their design includes fewer satellites covering larger areas. Therefore, its costs are lower and could lead to lower pricing.

Amazon’s Kuyper constellation is targeted to be much closer to Starlink in size and technology – but it is early in its rollout cycle. As they say – watch this space.

In early 2024, O3b mPOWER (the O3b refers to the ‘Other 3 billion’ people who do not have access to terrestrial broadband) began commercial service with a constellation of MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) satellites at a height of 8,000km. More satellites have been added since, with the aim of having a full constellation in place by 2026. Like OneWeb, O3b does not sell to end users. Their claim to fame is that they have provided internet service to cruise ships and cell service backhaul from remote areas, replacing microwave transmission lines.

What Should You Do?

If you are looking for a simple, portable solution then Inmarsat BGAN remains a good choice. It is not the lowest cost, nor does it offer the fastest speeds, but it does work virtually anywhere on the planet (except the high latitude polar regions – greater than 82⁰ north or south).

If cost is a significant factor, then one of the LEO offerings will be a front-runner. Look at OneWeb as an alternative to Starlink if you want to widen choice. However, the available bandwidth will be shared between all users connected via a given satellite – so the data rate available might not always be what the spec sheet suggests the service provides.

If you must have bandwidth, such as where you are supporting many users (like on a cruise ship or aeroplane), then contract with a provider using an MEO service. The terminal is more sophisticated (expensive) but you will get massive dedicated bandwidth not available via other services.

There is overlap in all cases. Starlink does offer cruise line packages, as well as designs for aircraft. The best recommendation is to prepare an RFP documenting what is important in your specific case. You can then take that to one or more specialist resellers, as well as key satellite providers directly. That way, you will be able to see what specific options are available in locations that are important to you and at what cost. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the options change almost monthly.

If you’d like to comment on this article or explore these ideas further, contact me at tony.