ONEWEB  

 

Established in 2012, OneWeb is dedicated to offer and expanding global connectivity.
OneWeb has brought high-speed, low Earth orbit connectivity with low latency for primary, backup and hybrid capabilities. Founded in 2012 under the name WorldVu, OneWeb began the process of building its constellation in 2020. It’s been a rough ride for the British company, but with OneWeb declaring bankruptcy in March 2020 and declaring the covid-19 pandemic as a major factor.

The OneWeb constellation was just 10% complete at that time.
The company caame up from bankruptcy in late 2021 because of large investments from the UK government, India’s Bharti Enterprises, Hughes Network Systems, and SoftBank Group.
The investments allowed OneWeb to continue with its project, with its satellites going up on Russian Soyuz rockets as per usual. But then Russia invaded Ukraine, putting the project into a  STOP  once more. Western sanctions prompted the Kremlin to stop launching OneWeb satellites, and it refused to return 36 units, causing OneWeb to lose millions $$. In response, the company turned to SpaceX and India Space Research Organization for launch services and hasn’t looked back, merging with French satellite operator Eutelsat in July 2022 and completing its phase one constellation on March 25.

OneWeb’s satellite communications network features more than 630 satellites on 12 synchronized orbital planes with 49 units /plane in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Each satellite connects seamlessly to the antennas (user terminals) and ground network below, transmitting data in real-time and at high speed as they fly-by in Orbit.

OneWeb excels by providing the option to purchase Committed Information Rate (CIR), ensuring dedicated bandwidth . THis is a  must  for business !
Also users can choose the location of their ground station, allowing them to route traffic to a specific area without traversing the internet.

PERFORMANCE

As part of a demonstration for the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), Oneweb performed a Proof of Concept (PoC) test, establishing connectivity with its LEO constellation. The test achieved seamless streaming of 4K video feeds and simultaneous operation of various applications, ei: Microsoft Teams, Twitch, and Google Earth. Download speeds got to  195Mbps, uploads to 32Mbps, and latency dropped to as low as 70ms.

In challenging geographical landscapes where traditional broadband have a hard time, OneWeb stands out as a dependable solution. It ensures that users in remote and hard-to-reach areas get consistent and robust internet connections.

SUPPORT

OneWeb excels in customer support with 24/7 phone assistance, ensuring accessibility and robust troubleshooting capabilities.

FUTURE:

OneWeb is not stopping at 616 Ku-band satellites. For phase two, the company plans to deploy 6,372 satellites, raising the total satellite swarm to 7,000 units, down from the 48,000 it proposed in 2020.

     STARLINK

 

Starlink’s performance, driven by a massive user base, has experienced breaks-ups and fluctuations. Large-scale events or disasters lead to noticeable degradation in speeds. Instances of performance decline have become more prevalent, impacting users in critical situations.

PERFORMANCE

Starlink users commonly encounter download speeds ranging from 25 to 220 Mbps, with a significant majority experiencing speeds surpassing 100 Mbps. upload speeds typically get within 5 to 20 Mbps.

However, Starlink lacks a Bandwidth Assurance feature, raising concerns about the implications for users who depend on consistent and reliable internet speeds. They do not  offer  CIR  and some users have reported that it can occasionally fail or suffer from hiccups, breaks, potentially impacting its suitability for critical situations and disasters like the Lahaina fires.

SUPPORT

Starlink relies exclusively on email support, that is a serious limitation in providing real-time assistance, especially in urgent situations. We dont know yet if this will be applicable to aviation. That said, not everyone gets great service with Starlink, and the service is slowing down as the user base increases.

Starlink, is committed to delivering high-speed internet accessibility for all. With a primary focus on residential customers, it also serves businesses but emphasizes individuals in rural areas lacking traditional land-based infrastructure.

 THE FUTURE OF SPACE :

The new race for space is the result of affordable access to Earth orbit, with other companies to think about. Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Iridium Certus, Telesat, and Facebook Athena are also moving for a piece of the mega-constellation ultra connectivity  pie.