For years, Ukrainian officials have suggested they are Working in Starlink alternatives. But the truth is, there aren’t many options on the table.
The most discussed is OneWeb, a satellite communications network owned by French satellite operator Eutelsat. Like Starlink, the network relies on small ground terminals, with its total constellation including about 630 low-Earth satellites, providing very high connectivity and low latency. Compared to satellites at higher altitudes.
Eutelsat spokesman Joanna Darlington said OneWeb provides European-wide reports and the technology has been deployed to some extent in Ukraine despite her refusal to share details. Even though According to the reportso oneWeb can’t replace the network overnight. “It’s possible, but not instant coffee,” Darlington said. (The company claims Eutelsat’s OneWeb report in Europe has competed for Starlink.)
Although the Starlink terminal is made by SpaceX, the OneWeb terminal is provided by a third-party company. Darlington stressed: “We have terminal inventory that can be deployed, although she added, “someone has to pay for it.” ”
Poland and USAIDAmong other things, it has helped Ukraine to date fund the use of the Starlink network. Eutelsat is currently In talks with the EU In the possible extension of OneWeb in Ukraine.
Barry Evans, a professor of information systems engineering at the University of Surrey, said that while OneWeb has hope, it is difficult to see how Ukrainians, especially in battlefield conditions, rely on it in the same way as Starlink.
“We have one [OneWeb terminal] At the university, it is a very complex process that actually establishes the connection and the scope on board. He said. He added that terminals tend to be larger than Starlink and are more likely to move rapidly in conflict areas, for example, OneWeb terminals may be better deployed in fixed locations in buildings, for example.
“OneWeb’s terminals cost thousands of dollars instead of hundreds of dollars [for Starlink]Quilty said. However, OneWeb is currently the “only option” for Ukraine to use, he added.
It may change eventually. Amazon’s Kuiper Projectbecome the opponent of Stars and Stripes Links, Its first satellite can be launched later this year. Ultimately, the Kuiper project will More than 3,000 satellite. However, Evans noted that Amazon is also an American company. If the U.S. government puts pressure on domestic companies to leave Ukraine, the Kuiper program may not be used much in the short term.
The EU is underway Its own communication satellite constellationcalled Iris2. But they may not be able to operate until 2030, with only about 300 neutral and low-Earth orbit satellites. The size of the satellite constellation affects the connection speed and coverage it provides. For example, Starlink already has More than 7,000 Satellites in orbit, although the network may need A total of about 10,000 Before its coverage becomes truly global. SpaceX suggests it may start More than 40,000 satellitesif authorization is granted by the United Nations International Telecommunications Union.
Andrew Cavalier, a space technology analyst at tech intelligence firm ABI Research, said he doubted SpaceX would prevent Ukrainians from accessing Starlink, but the current question about SpaceX’s reliability is “wake-up calls” from countries using the service, and they may now increasingly invest in their own Sovereign, Sovereign, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite, Satellite Evans agreed. “The situation in Ukraine makes it a little different,” he said. “People are very worried about the dominance that Starlink has.”
In Ukraine, Ada Wordsworth said she didn’t know it might be easy to replace Starlink’s other options.
As Russia seems to be timid lately, she said that a general sense of despair is among the locals who return to the villages near the frontline. Many people have nowhere to go.
When asked what she would say to Elon Musk, she replied: “It’s not a game. It’s not a decision to deprive it of pain or out of malice or some kind of twisted sense of power. It’s the life of a real person.”
