Five alternatives to Starlink: What speeds do Elon Musk's competitors offer?

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, SpaceX has sold Ukraine around 40,000 Starlink terminals. However, Elon Musk, who is attempting to maintain business relations with both the American and Chinese governments, is difficult to consider a reliable and predictable partner. In 2022, the owner of SpaceX refused to activate satellite internet in Crimea upon the request of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In response, the Pentagon approved an agreement to purchase up to 500 new Starlink terminals only in June 2023, which Musk will not be able to deactivate at his own discretion.

So, Ukraine has long been seeking alternatives. Recently, one of them became known: the provision of about 100 terminals from the Swedish company Satcube to our country, which operate on the satellite network of the international operator Intelsat. Is this the only alternative? Theoretically – no. In the world, besides SpaceX and Intelsat, there are around ten other major companies (Iridium, Globalstar, OneWeb, SES, ORBCOMM, Eutelsat, Telesat, Inmarsat, Thuraya, etc.) that provide internet from their own satellites. Mind looked into which of them Ukrainians can use in practice and whether they have a russian 'trace'.

What are the starting positions? Currently, SpaceX is leading among competitors in terms of the number of satellites (over 2,400 units). Moreover, all of Musk's company's satellites are in low Earth orbit (about 550 km above the Earth's surface). In contrast, most colleagues in the market have satellites in geostationary orbit (36,000 km). The higher the orbit, the longer the signal delay, the slower the data transmission speed, and the higher the cost of the internet.

What is known about Musk's 'accessible' competitors? Mind has monitored all operators. Currently, in Ukraine, you can find equipment and use the internet from five international players (most companies provide services through local dealers and mobile satellite communication service providers: Sattrans, Satphone, Vega, etc.):

Iridium. The company was founded in 1991. Initially, it was owned by Motorola. Later, the majority of shares were acquired by investors from Japan, Germany, and… russia. However, after declaring bankruptcy in 1999, the Pentagon bought out the company. The US Department of Defence decided to use the satellites not only for their own needs; in order to save on costs, the military continued commercial usage as well.

Intelsat. The oldest international consortium for satellite communication, founded in 1964 with the involvement of former US President John F. Kennedy. Over time, more than 140 countries around the world became members of Intelsat. In 1965, the organisation launched the world's first commercial communication satellite, the Early Bird. In 1969, it transmitted television images of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. "We walked on the Moon with Neil Armstrong," they don't joke around at Intelsat.

In 2001, this intergovernmental organisation became a private company. All member countries transferred their assets to the newly formed Intelsat Ltd. There were several deals that followed. In the end, more than 76% was acquired by the BC Partners fund. In 2013, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2022, it successfully weathered the threat of bankruptcy.

Eutelsat. This company was founded in 1977 by 17 European countries to develop and operate satellite telecommunications infrastructure in Europe. In 2001, the assets, liabilities, and operational activities of Eutelsat were transferred to the private company Eutelsat SA. Currently, its major shareholders are British Telecom, France Telecom, and Deutsche Telekom. The headquarters is in Paris.

Eutelsat started launching satellites back in 1983. It currently sells the capacity of 36 satellites in geostationary orbit and provides coverage for the European continent, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and America. However, coverage and the number of satellites may soon expand significantly: in the summer of 2022, Eutelsat announced the beginning of a merger with the satellite internet operator OneWeb (details about this company below). The merger is planned to be completed this summer.

Inmarsat. Founded in 1979 by the International Maritime Satellite Organisation. It later changed ownership several times. The latest $7.3 billion deal was finalised in the spring of 2023. The new shareholder is the American company Viasat Inc (not to be confused with the British Viasat World, which is associated with russia). The headquarters is in London.

Thuraya. Founded in 1997. Its parent company is YahSat, which, in turn, is owned by the investment company Mubadala. All these firms are based in the United Arab Emirates.

Will the list of competitors be expanded? Two more companies may launch services in Ukraine in the near future:

OneWeb (formerly WorldVu). Founded in 2012. The headquarters is in London. It has a joint venture with Airbus Defence and Space for satellite manufacturing in Florida. After a lengthy series of investments and bankruptcy, it is currently owned by the Indian transnational company Bharti Global, French Eutelsat, the UK government, and Japanese SoftBank.

In March 2022, OneWeb was planning to launch 36 satellites into orbit from russia, despite UK sanctions. The terrorist country demanded assurances that the satellites would never be used for military purposes. The British government rejected this demand. russia did not return (stole) the satellites. OneWeb received insurance payments for them. At that time, the company also signed an agreement with SpaceX for the launch of the remaining satellites using Falcon 9 rockets.

SES. Founded in 1986. The headquarters is in Luxembourg. The company's shares are listed on the Euronext exchange in Paris and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The company's first satellite, Astra 1A, was launched into orbit in 1988. Currently, SES operates around 70 satellites in geostationary and medium orbits, providing coverage for 99% of the Earth.

SES entered the Ukrainian market over 10 years ago with satellite television services. Last year, the company announced the launch of internet access services in our country after placing 11 new O3b mPower satellites into orbit. So far, only four have been successfully launched. In June 2023, the launch of the fifth and sixth O3b mPower satellites was postponed.

What speeds do they provide? It varies. The highest speeds are again offered by Starlink (up to 100 Mbps). The manufacturer of Satcube terminals, operating based on Intelsat, claims speeds of up to 70 Mbps. Other providers offer significantly lower speeds: Thuraya – up to 444 Kbps, Inmarsat – up to 240 Kbps, Iridium – up to 88 Kbps, and Eutelsat – up to 56 Kbps. However, during the ongoing war, this metric takes a back seat in situations where mobile or fixed internet disappears.