Satellite connectivity

There are two types of satellite connectivity available at present (or planned) these are known as either Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). The difference between the two is how far away they are from the Earth’s surface which impacts what connectivity they are used to provide.

As the name suggests, these satellites are closer to the Earth and therefore require a less powerful signal to connect when compared to GEO. Also, as they are much closer the signal does not need to travel as far (therefore reduced travel time) making them ideal for data access and real time applications such as voice.

However, these satellites need to orbit around the planet and, as such are a moving target that needs to be tracked. This means that to connect you must use a satellite that is passing overhead of your location. Operators address this by increasing the number of satellites in the sky, in effect building a constellation of them. As the number of satellites has increased the offering from broadband satellite providers has become more usable and reliable. 

At the time of writing the two leading companies that offer satellite data connectivity at present in the UK are Starlink and OneWeb and their capabilities are summarised below:

Starlink

Starlink have thousands of satellites in orbit with more being launched, and new satellites providing additional services on the way. Starlink currently offer service packages that providing up to 200Mbps download and 25Mbps upload. These can be offered with a latency of 25ms (as of 2024). Starlink’s satellites orbit the earth at an altitude of c340 miles.

OneWeb

OneWeb have hundreds of larger satellites in orbit with a small number yet to deploy. OneWeb currently offer services packages that can give up to 150Mbps download and 30Mbps upload.

This service can be offered with a latency of 70ms (as of 2024), so consideration needs to be given to real time applications. OneWeb’s satellites orbit the earth at an altitude of c750 miles. As they are farther from the earth surface than Starlink’s satellites they cannot offer, at present, similar latency speeds as Starlink (as the signal takes longer to travel the distance).

This is a consideration should you require extensive real time applications such as voice and video calling or conferencing.

There are other providers, but these tend to be for specific data services and usually offer much lower data rates or are at the very early stages of deploying constellations.

GEO satellites are put into orbit in such a way that they match the rotation of the earth. This makes the satellite appear to be in a permanent, fixed location in the sky.

Typically, GEO satellites are positioned c36,000km above the earths surface. This distance affects the speed and latency of 2-way connections. The size, and cost, of installations necessary for reliable 2-way connections is also significant at present.

As the dish needs a clear view of the sky overhead (and at the correct azimuth) and may need to track moving satellites to maintain a seamless service, they are not really suited to being mounted on the side of buildings or in other locations with a restricted view. They are usually installed either on the ground where there is a flat area (e.g. a field/garden) or on the top of buildings. Some services may require multiple antennae to connect to different satellites simultaneously to maintain service as the satellites move overhead.

To help prevent ice and snow buildup some of the dishes have built-in heating elements that come on when a temperature drop is detected. However, this can have an unintended outcome as animals, especially cats, see these as heated beds and set up home on them. 

When installed on the ground, consideration should be given to how they are secured from natural phenomena (such as high wind speeds) and human interactions (such as theft, or accidental damage due to poor placement).

As the dish may contain motors and other moving parts then they may require more maintenance so they may need to be easily and safely accessible. 

It is becoming increasingly easy to purchase and install the equipment as well as self-setup to connect to satellite. It can now be ordered direct from suppliers with next day delivery in some cases.