How Satellite Internet Works to Bring Rural Communities Online

In September, the Canadian government unveiled a $2.14 billion project to fund its own satellite internet constellation largely built out of Montreal. It’s the latest in a long line of globe-spanning endeavors that include SpaceX’s Starlink, China’s Thousand Sails, and NATO’s own backup satellite network. Find out how this new form of internet access works and why some claim it’ll be the future of the internet as we know it.

Why Take the Internet to Space?

Taking the internet to space makes a lot more sense once you understand the role it plays in modern society. In a relatively short time, the internet has become the number one platform for communicating, marketing, and researching. Every company and every county, provincial, and national government has come to rely on it. At the same time, it continues to lead the entertainment industry as streaming and iGaming find larger audiences. So, using the internet, you can play Starburst slot at Betfair and find similar casino games translated into a digital format for online users. As the internet becomes more advanced, you can expect even more games, activities, and administrative tasks will make their way online.

This can create an issue for some communities whose internet is slower than the world’s big cities. Rural places, including Indigenous communities, tend to have worse internet because the infrastructure isn’t possible in heavily wooded or hilly areas. While internet quality doesn’t impact low-intensity activities like playing a slot game, there are concerns these communities will miss out on digital experiences in the future. That’s where satellite internet can come in, to close that gap before problems arise.

How Satellite Internet Works

Satellite internet has been possible for quite some time, but the use of high-altitude, stationery satellites made it impractical for the average person to use. The new, post-Starlink internet works differently by using Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations instead. Using more satellites closer to the ground enables global internet access without sacrificing quality.

As for how they work – each connection starts with a satellite dish connected to your router. That dish is aimed at the sky, to send and receive signals from one of the many satellites orbiting overhead. Meanwhile, those who own the satellites run ground stations that are geared up with fast fiber internet. The satellite acts as a bridge between the two, so the ISP shoots the internet signal up, it bounces off the satellite, and lands in the home dish.

Using this method, someone can get internet from pretty much anywhere so long as there’s a clear sky and those ground stations are still operating. While Starlink is the clear leader in this field, other ISPs and even governments are pursuing LEO constellations to make the internet more accessible. The technology can also reinforce the internet, so satellites can kick in and keep online services online if ground infrastructure fails. For Canada’s own constellation, a lot of the necessary equipment will be built just outside Montreal.

All signs point to LEO constellations becoming more commonplace in the future. They are already proving a useful solution for certain rural areas, namely those where ground infrastructure isn’t possible or economically viable. As it develops, it could also replace traditional internet in places that already have it, as a faster alternative. For now, however, fiber-optic cables remain the fastest.