SpaceNet has got you covered, pal!
SpaceNet, our planned constellation of 198 telecommunication satellites is aimed to provide broadband internet services from space. Launching 198 satellites is a steep undertaking in terms of the logistics involved, so we have divided it in three deployment phases: SpaceNet-22, SpaceNet-99 and SpaceNet-198.
Coverage and Services
While the first stage will start providing select services to a number of industries from 2022, the full constellation of 198 satellite offering the entire suit of services will be operational from 2023. SpaceNet is specifically designed to serve a majority of today’s emerging economies located between +/- 38 deg parallel latitudes. This comprehensive coverage extends over both land and oceans, including several developing countries along with all major shipping routes between North and South 38th parallels. So if you’re located anywhere in this region, be assured that we’ll find you and we’ll connect you online!
Our Serving Menu
There is an array of services that SpaceNet would offer at different stages of deployment catering to connectivity demands of a wide swath of industries and users; here is a brief account of all of our offerings:
1) Bulk Data Transfer Services
A broad spectrum of industries ranging from digital cinema, EduTech and telemedicine to mining, and construction require massive amounts of data to be transferred between different locations. SpaceNet can provide high-speed and secure bulk data transfer services for these industries.
2) IoT Services
IoT has literally become one of the most popular buzzwords of this decade (only second to “AI and ML”). A recent Cisco white paper estimated a staggering 66% growth in number of M2X connections for IoT devices by 2022. SpaceNet will cater for this huge requirement arising from spread of IoT in sectors like power plants, Oil and Gas, Maritime and logistics tracking, infrastructure monitoring etc.
3) Satellite Backhaul
Many of you may have rightfully cursed your mobile network while vacationing in remote isolated paradises. Let alone the frustration of seeing the buffer icon doing a dog-tail-chase, in many places you don’t even have an access to broadband. Access and penetration is where today’s internet (mobile and broadband alike, don’t let those ads fool you!) services fall enormously short of the demand, particularly in most of the emerging economies across the globe. The reason is always attributed to high costs of laying fibre optic cables in low user density areas. Fibre acts as backhaul to the networks. Backhaul is a telecom jargon for the part of network carrying data ‘back’ from the tower or the internet cable to some central node like an exchange. This in turn has created a digital divide, if you will, between these regions and the urban areas.
This gap is likely to widen further with expanding 4G and upcoming 5G networks as they would proportionately increase the demand for backhaul capacity. SpaceNet, with its far-reaching coverage will be able to bridge this gap and meet the growing demand for backhaul support in suburban and rural areas. Telecom operators will be able to deploy 4G/5G towers in rural areas without having to lay fibre.
4) Cloud Services
SpaceNet satellites and gateways (aka: ground stations) can be effectively used not only for storing large bulks of data for big enterprises and financial organisations but even for medium-small scale businesses generating varying proportions of data (As a startup among giants, we know your needs. #smallsatforsmallbiz). These cloud services would also be more secure and accessible.
5) DTH Internet Services
Staying true to the oath we have “taken” above, SpaceNet will provide Direct-To-Home Satellite Internet Service in most countries between 38th parallel. You will be able to avail this service with a simple, flat, box-shaped, rooftop user equipment. We will have a host of different plans giving up to 400 Mbps speeds and having both limited and unlimited data options suiting your needs. What’s more, these plans will also care for your pockets and be available at affordable prices. All you’ll have to do is sign up for the appropriate service plan from the choices available in your country.
7) Maritime Connectivity
At present day, internet services over oceans are very sparingly available (Gross understatement!) and are exorbitantly costly. Even a simple voice call from a ship is priced as high as US $1 per minute which was essentially the price of long distance landline calls in 1990s (Ah the nostalgia!). SpaceNet however, can vastly improve the current state of internet in this sector by leveraging its high capacity to provide far more affordable internet service. This service would be delivered in convenient packages, tailored to suit different types of customers like fleet operators, small vessels to larger cruise ships. This service would be available over high sea region falling within our coverage band and select regions near shore as permitted by regulations.
8) Transport and Transit
In conjunction with the satellite backhaul, SpaceNet will also be able to provide data Transport and Transit services across nations and continents to other ISPs, made possible by its inter-satellite communication. This will primarily reduce the cost of internet in the land-locked countries like Nepal and Zimbabwe who are currently not so well connected with other continents, again, owing to the high cost of laying additional optical fibre.
The full constellation of 198 satellites will offer all of these services from 2023, however, the earlier stages of the constellation will start providing some select services from 2022. SpaceNet-22 will provide Bulk data transfer, IoT services and Cloud services whereas the intermediate constellation SpaceNet-99 would also begin to offer satellite backhaul and DTH internet services in addition to SpaceNet-22.
With its far-reaching coverage and a diverse portfolio of services, SpaceNet holds a lot of promise to revolutionise the internet scenario in the developing countries, while these articles would continue giving you easy means to “connect” with our journey through space and time! Hulk Out!
Pranav Keskar,
Astrome Space Technologies
www.astrome.io
