Mikhail Kotov — about the advantages and dangerous places of satellite Internet development
The Russian private space company Bureau 1440 and the mobile operator Megafon have signed an agreement to connect a network of ground-based communications base stations to satellites in low-Earth orbit. The technology will allow subscribers to receive next-generation broadband Internet services even in the most remote areas.
The Internet comes to the fore
Satellite telephone communication has been known for a long time and has already become the norm. Initially, it was created for voice communication, having received an additional opportunity to exchange small files, for example, text messages. Using the Internet on Iridium or Globalstar is surprisingly inconvenient, it can get annoying even before you try to load a couple of pages.
In 2018, Starlink turned the market around by starting to create a satellite constellation focused primarily not on voice communication, but on broadband Internet access. Using an Internet connection, as you know, you can forward videos and communicate via voice and video calls. However, there are a couple of points to consider here.
For an Internet connection, signal latency is very important, and it should be lower than that of voice communication. It is possible to communicate more or less normally with a voice with a delay of up to several tenths of a second, half a second of signal delay still allows you to talk normally. But this is not enough for the Internet.
Comfortable network operation requires less latency — up to 100 milliseconds. For example, when working with a remote desktop, the slow response speed is very annoying. Gaming and automatic trading on the stock exchange require even less delay — up to 10-50 milliseconds.
SpaceX managed to implement all this during the launch of the Starlink satellite constellation. To minimize the delay, they chose an operational satellite orbit with a height of only 550 km, which is lower than that of the "previous generation" satellite communication systems focused on voice communication. For example, the satellites of the American companies Iridium, Globalstar, Luxembourg 03b and the Russian Gonets are located in orbits with an altitude of 800-8,000 km, and the British Immarsat, which provides communications for ships, has satellites in a geostationary orbit with an altitude of almost 36,000 km. The higher the orbit, the more time it takes for the signal to travel from Earth to the satellite. and back. But at the same time, distant satellites have a much larger coverage area, and the lower they are, the faster they fly over the Earth. And in order to ensure constant communication without interruptions, despite the very fast flight of the spacecraft over a specific location, a large number of satellites were launched. Currently, Starlink has more than 6.5 thousand spacecraft and has become the standard for providing satellite Internet.
A small and convenient terminal, an adequate monthly subscription cost, laser communication equipment for spacecraft, which reduces the need for ground base stations, and the gradual introduction of Direct to Cell technology (transmitting data from a satellite directly to a mobile phone, without a terminal). Therefore, it is natural that the emerging competitors initially try to take the best that is available in Starlink.
A project from Russia
In Russia, Bureau 1440 is creating a satellite constellation to provide broadband Internet access. The company began as a Megafon project office to study the potential of low-orbit satellite groups, eventually it became independent and became part of the X Holding structure.
To date, Bureau 1440 has conducted two experimental missions, Rassvet-1 and Rassvet-2, which have shown significant achievements in the development of a satellite communications system. First, the spacecraft — developed from scratch in just three years — experimentally confirmed the work of communication between ground subscribers. A few figures: the speed of data download from the satellite was 48 Mbit/s with a delay of 38 ms, transmission — 12 Mbit/s with a delay of 42 ms. Secondly, during the Rassvet-2 mission, the company tested 5G communication technology between the subscriber terminal and the satellite, which was traveling at a speed of 27,000 km/h at an altitude of 800 km. During the tests of inter-satellite laser communication, 14 tests were conducted at a distance of 30-220 km, a total of 1.5 TB of data was transmitted.
In other words, the Russian company initially develops its satellites with laser communications in mind, unlike Starlink (it began this process after several years of operating satellites that operated exclusively through ground-based base stations). It is planned that Bureau 1440 will start providing communication services in 2027.
What is laser communication for? The satellite provides communication between the consumer and the base station, where fiber-optic Internet connection is suitable. Such a station may be located several hundred kilometers from the subscriber. On the satellite itself, the Internet can't come from nowhere. Therefore, ground stations are required, which is expensive and sometimes very difficult logistically. With the help of laser inter-satellite communication, the signal can be transmitted from device to device until it detects the one that at that moment has a good connection with the ground station. Thus, the system requires fewer base stations and the Internet can be accessed even, for example, in the middle of the ocean, where there are no islands for thousands of kilometers around.
Also in January, Bureau 1440 announced the release of its own satellite subscriber terminals. Terminals, especially their size and weight, are very important for convenient use of satellite Internet. The finished devices have not yet been shown to the general public, but it is reported that they have a length and width of up to 60 cm and a weight of less than 15 kg.
And here is an agreement to connect a network of ground-based communications base stations to satellites in low-Earth orbit. It is logical that the company does this with its strategic partner Megafon. It is assumed that as part of the first stage, by 2027, 500 Megafon base stations, which are currently powered by geostationary satellites, will receive a signal from low-Earth orbit. This will make it possible to provide modern communications and broadband Internet access to those settlements where it is currently far away, difficult and unprofitable to lay a traditional fiber-optic communication line. Considering the size of Russia, this is very relevant.
A few words about the competition
By the way, when creating the Starlink project, Elon Musk expected to receive customers all over the globe. However, the issue of national security has severely limited the spread of American development. Russia, China, Iran and several other countries have not approved the operation of Starlink in their countries. India also stopped implementing the system from the USA.
There are many reasons: SpaceX is working closely with the Pentagon (for example, to create a special Starshield secure military communications network), and there is a significant threat of data leakage, as well as the potential danger of disconnecting such communications in the interests of the United States.
At the same time, Starlink, one might say, took an active part in Ukraine after the start of its work. Many terminals were delivered there, and Starlink has been used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) since 2022 for communication between units and guidance of weapons, drones and artillery.
Therefore, the creation of a national satellite Internet access system for Russia (and beyond) is a settled issue. And it's not just about providing communications to remote settlements, but also about national security. Starlink development from Russia is not a competitor here, simply because our military will never be able to use it safely, the chance is too high that the data will go to the likely enemy. But the system from the Russian Federation can go far beyond the borders of the country.
With all this, it is a bit unusual that the creation of such a system fell on the shoulders of a private company rather than a government organization, but this has its advantages. Bureau 1440 shows a high speed of development and a good understanding of what users expect from it first of all. Now it remains to wait for the launch of the spacecraft and the first results.
Mikhail Kotov
