1/4
June 16 (UPI) —
Satellite Internet is bridging the gap in global connectivity, although approximately 50% of the world’s population still lacks access due to affordability issues, according to the United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union.
The UN has set a goal to provide “safe and affordable access to the Internet, including meaningful use of digitally enabled services” to every person by 2030. However, a majority of the 3.7 billion people without regular or high-speed Internet live in the least developed countries.
Starlink, a satellite Internet service operated by SpaceX, is playing a significant role in connecting the global population to the Internet. As of April, approximately 5.18 billion people, accounting for 6.46% of the global population, have access to the Internet.
With its constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites, which has grown to more than 4,000, Starlink offers high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet to around 1.5 million customers worldwide. These satellites can communicate with each other, ensuring fast and reliable Internet access.
Last year, Japan became the first Asian country to receive Starlink’s services. This year, Starlink expanded its offering to Nigeria and Rwanda, with plans to further expand to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania by December, followed by additional expansion next year.
In an interview with UPI, David Michelson, a leading expert in radio science and president of the Canadian National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science, highlighted the cost as a significant barrier to global Internet coverage. While North American service providers can invest billions in rural Internet connectivity using fiber optic cables, this approach is not feasible in sparsely populated areas.
Michelson explained, “When you have a high-density area, the cost of deploying the fiber is amortized over lots of subscribers and you can bear it. And in places where you don’t have those subscribers and you can’t amortize the cost of deploying fiber, the satellite system works. Their strengths and limitations dovetail almost perfectly.”
However, the cost remains a challenge for Starlink as well. Maintaining a satellite network is expensive, and the company needs to generate enough income to cover the operational costs. Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, previously stated that the company could not sustain financial losses incurred from providing its services in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Musk later decided to continue the service despite the losses.
The integration of Starlink into the larger goal of global connectivity and its alignment with the standards set by the International Telecommunication Union for 5G and 6G networks is also a subject of interest. Starlink operates as an outlier to these standards, raising questions about how it will fit into the vision for future telecommunications networks.
