Space internet: Competition for Elon Musk's Starlink

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The race for supremacy in the field of high-speed satellite internet in space is gathering pace. A company backed by the Chinese government and Amazon's Kuiper space-based internet constellation are increasingly competing with SpaceX's Starlink system. The news agency Reuters refers to this in a lengthy article.

The Shanghai-based company SpaceSail in particular is expanding its presence in numerous countries around the world. In November last year, the Chinese company signed an agreement with the Brazilian state-owned company Telebrás to provide satellite communication and broadband internet services. Separately, the government in Brasília is in talks with Project Kuiper, an internet service financed by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and the Canadian company Telesat. This was reported exclusively by the news agency Reuters on Monday, citing a Brazilian official involved in the negotiations.

In the past, Brazil has relied on billionaire Elon Musk's US space company SpaceX to bring the company's Starlink internet to remote areas such as the Amazon. However, the provision of satellite internet there also led to unforeseen problems. Above all, Brazil's judiciary and companies controlled by Musk have been at loggerheads for some time. Just last week, Musk's short message platform X was sentenced to pay a fine by the Brazilian Supreme Court. Against this backdrop, the Brazilian government is likely to welcome the emergence of competition to Starlink, which opens up further options for satellite internet.

Concerns in China

However, SpaceX's Starlink project with its thousands of satellites is still in pole position. Musk's ambitious project aims to deliver high-speed internet to consumers all over the world. According to Reuters, Starlink has launched more satellites into low-Earth orbit since 2020 than all of its competitors combined. According to the Reuters report, Starlink currently has around 7,000 satellites. By the end of the decade, it is expected to have 42,000.

The supremacy of SpaceX and Starlink is perceived as a threat by Beijing, according to the report. According to the report, the Chinese government is investing heavily in companies to provide satellite internet as well as in military research into instruments that detect satellite constellations. This is according to Chinese company documents and academic papers, the details of which have not yet been published, according to Reuters.

Concerns about China

Chinese Starlink competitor SpaceSail has announced plans to launch 648 satellites this year and up to 15,000 by 2030. It is China's “first international foray into satellite broadband”, according to Reuters. Three other Chinese constellations are currently under development. According to the report, Beijing plans to launch 43,000 satellites in the coming decades and is investing in rockets that can carry multiple satellites.

The Chinese ambition has in turn caused concern among Western decision-makers. According to Reuters, they fear that this could extend the reach of Beijing's internet censorship. Researchers at the US think tank American Foreign Policy Council recently stated in a paper that Washington should increase cooperation with countries in the Global South if it wants to “seriously challenge China's growing push for digital dominance”.

Use for military purposes

There is also the military component. The rapid expansion of Starlink and its use in the war in Ukraine has led to significant state funding of competing satellite networks in China, writes Reuters. The Starlink service was launched there a few days after Russia's attack on Ukraine. According to reports, the Ukrainian armed forces are using the technology in the drone war against Russian tanks and troops.

According to a Reuters report, China's research into near-Earth satellite technology is focusing on cost-effective satellite networks and low-latency communication systems. This underlines China's efforts to close the technology gap, it says. Some Chinese research appears to be aimed at Starlink, according to Reuters. In a patent application, the US satellite system is described as crucial for reconnaissance and military communications, while also posing “a threat to network, data and military security”. As Reuters reports about a study published in a Chinese trade journal, Beijing is also developing instruments to track and monitor the Starlink constellation.

(akn)