Petroc Taylor
Research expert covering global developments in the use of data
Get in touch with us nowStarlink is owned and operated by SpaceX, the California-based firm founded by Elon Musk. The firm operates by far the largest satellite internet constellation, which consists of small satellites in low earth orbit (LEO). LEO satellites are favored for satellite internet applications as a low altitude allows fast broadband to be provided with minimal latency. However, a large constellation must be deployed to achieve global coverage, with Starlink planning to expand its fleet to up to 42,000 active satellites.
Starlink’s closest competitor is the London-based service OneWeb, which had 628 satellites in operation as of October 2023. In September 2023, the long-established French geostationary satellite firm Eutelsat completed a deal to merge with OneWeb, creating Eutelsat OneWeb. The new firm is significant in that it has major operations in both the LEO and geostationary markets and sees a major establishment player mount a direct challenge to Starlink. Eutelsat, which generated 1.13 billion euros in revenue in the 2023 financial year, expected the newly created firm to generate around 2 billion euros by 2027.
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