Marine internet connectivity has always been an issue. There are some options out there like LTE if you are near shore, or satellite if you are far at sea, but both of these options are slow, and have extremely high latency. In the case of conventional satellite, the bandwidth provided can’t even support basic streaming, and if it could it would be prohibitively expensive.
Enter SpaceX and their Starlink project – a new play at global broadband internet. SpaceX claims to be able to offer it’s customers high-speed internet from anywhere in the world. The project launched (literally) earlier in 2019, and as of November 2019 they have 122 satellites deployed. They plan to deploy 60 new satellites at each launch, at a rate of one launch every two weeks. The total constellation is expected to be 12,000 satellites by mid-2020!
SpaceX hopes to begin commercial operations by 2020, which means that soon users will be able to enjoy broadband internet speeds, regardless of where they are in the world. This is a huge advantage for marine connectivity, and will provide a great alternative to LTE or marina WiFi transport for our Northstar shipboard network customers!
Contact us for a free consultation to get your vessel connected!