Imagine living in a remote village in the Himalayas where there are no nearby mobile towers and laying an optical fiber cable would be extremely difficult. You still want to attend a video call, watch a YouTube video, access online classes, or simply browse the internet. Traditionally, getting a fast and reliable internet connection in such a location could be a major challenge.
Now imagine installing a small satellite antenna on the roof of your house and getting high-speed internet without waiting for a fiber cable to reach your village.
This is the idea behind satellite internet. Companies such as Starlink are building large constellations of satellites designed to provide broadband connectivity from space, while companies such as Jio are exploring satellite-based connectivity to extend internet access to remote parts of India. Jio’s partnership with SES uses a multi-orbit satellite network involving geostationary and medium Earth orbit satellites, with the goal of extending broadband connectivity to areas that terrestrial networks may not easily reach.
But satellite internet isn’t a completely new idea. Satellites have been used for communication and television for decades. What has changed is where the satellites operate, how many satellites are used, and how the user’s antenna communicates with them.
This is where LEO, or Low Earth Orbit, satellites become particularly interesting.
What Is LEO?
LEO stands for Low Earth Orbit. It refers to satellites operating relatively close to Earth compared with traditional geostationary satellites.
Traditional communication satellites used for services such as satellite television are often placed in geostationary orbit, roughly 35,786 kilometres above the Earth’s equator. At that distance, a radio signal has to travel a very long way between the ground and the satellite.
LEO satellites operate much closer to Earth. Starlink’s current constellation uses several orbital shells, with many broadband satellites operating hundreds of kilometres above the Earth’s surface. Starlink has been moving much of its constellation toward altitudes below 500 kilometres, with major broadband shells planned around roughly 330–360 km and 450–490 km.
The difference in altitude might sound like a technical detail, but it has a major impact on internet performance.
Why Does Satellite Distance Matter?
Think about sending a message to someone standing a few metres away compared with sending the same message to someone thousands of kilometres away. The information itself might travel at the same fundamental speed, but the distance it has to cover is very different.
The same principle applies to satellite internet.
With a geostationary satellite, a signal from your home has to travel thousands of kilometres upward to reach the satellite and then travel back down to a ground station or another location. When a response needs to return, the signal has to make another long journey.
This creates latency, which is the delay between sending information and receiving a response.
LEO satellites dramatically reduce this distance. Because they are much closer to Earth, the signal has a shorter path to travel. This can allow LEO satellite internet systems to achieve latency that is much more suitable for modern applications such as video calls, streaming, and online gaming.
Starlink currently reports typical land latency in the range of around 25–60 milliseconds, although actual performance varies by location and network conditions.
Why Not Just Use Traditional Satellites?
Traditional satellite internet isn’t useless. In fact, satellites in higher orbits have an important advantage: they can cover enormous areas with relatively few satellites.
A geostationary satellite stays over approximately the same point on Earth because it orbits at a specific altitude and speed. This makes it useful for applications such as satellite television and certain types of communications.
The problem is that the enormous distance between the satellite and the ground introduces significant latency.
LEO systems take the opposite approach. Instead of relying on a small number of extremely distant satellites, they use large constellations of satellites much closer to Earth.
The satellites move rapidly across the sky, so the network needs many of them to provide continuous coverage. As one satellite moves out of range, another can take over the connection.
This creates an interesting engineering trade-off: higher numbers of satellites and more complex network management in exchange for lower latency and potentially better broadband performance.
How Does Starlink Work?
Starlink is one of the best-known examples of LEO satellite internet. The system uses a large constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit and connects them to user terminals installed at homes, businesses, vehicles, and other locations.
The basic process is fairly straightforward.
Your device first connects to your local Wi-Fi router. The router is connected to a Starlink user terminal, which communicates with satellites passing overhead. The satellite then connects the traffic into Starlink’s wider network and ultimately to the internet.
The interesting part is that the satellite isn’t simply acting like a giant Wi-Fi router in space. The entire system includes satellites, user terminals, ground infrastructure, networking equipment, and software working together to route data efficiently.
Starlink’s network can also use laser links between satellites, allowing some traffic to move through space between satellites rather than always travelling down to a ground station immediately.
How Does a Satellite Know Where to Send Your Data?
This is where things become much more interesting.
Imagine that you’re using satellite internet to open a website. Your request starts at your device and travels through your Wi-Fi router to the satellite terminal. The terminal communicates with an available satellite overhead.
The network then needs to determine where that information should go.
Depending on the architecture and network conditions, the traffic can be routed through satellites, ground stations, and other parts of the network before eventually reaching the destination server.
The response then travels back through the network toward your satellite terminal. The terminal sends the data to your router, and your device displays the webpage.
All of this happens incredibly quickly.
You might simply see a webpage loading on your laptop, but behind that simple action, information may be travelling between your home, an antenna, satellites, ground infrastructure, and servers.
What Is a Starlink Dish?
To use Starlink, customers need a user terminal, commonly referred to as the Starlink dish. Unlike the large traditional satellite dishes that many people associate with satellite television, modern Starlink terminals use electronically controlled antenna technology.
Starlink’s terminals use electronic phased-array antennas. Some Starlink hardware is designed without the traditional mechanical movement used by older dishes, allowing the antenna to electronically control where its radio-frequency beam is directed. Starlink’s current Performance antenna specifications, for example, list an electronic phased array and a 140-degree field of view.
This is a major engineering difference.
What Is a Phased-Array Antenna?
A phased-array antenna is essentially an antenna system made up of many smaller antenna elements working together.
Instead of physically rotating one large antenna to point toward a satellite, the system can electronically control the signals being transmitted and received by different antenna elements. By carefully adjusting their timing and phase, the combined radio waves can form a beam pointing in a particular direction.
This process is called electronic beam steering.
Think of it like having hundreds of tiny flashlights working together. Instead of physically turning the entire flashlight, you can control the individual lights so that the combined beam points in the direction you want.
This is particularly useful for LEO satellite internet because the satellites are constantly moving across the sky.
Why Do LEO Satellites Need to Move So Often?
A geostationary satellite appears to remain in roughly the same position in the sky from a particular location on Earth. A LEO satellite doesn’t behave this way.
Because LEO satellites orbit much closer to Earth and travel at very high speeds, they move across the sky relatively quickly.
That means your satellite terminal can’t simply connect to one satellite forever.
Instead, the network needs to continuously manage connections. When one satellite moves away from the best position, another satellite can become the better choice. The system performs a process known as handoff, moving the connection from one satellite to another.
For the user, this can happen in the background without any obvious interruption.
This is one reason why a large LEO constellation requires sophisticated software. The challenge isn’t simply putting satellites into orbit. The network has to coordinate thousands of moving satellites and ground terminals while routing huge amounts of data.
What About JioSpaceFiber?
When discussing satellite internet in India, JioSpaceFiber is another important name. However, it is important to understand that JioSpaceFiber should not simply be described as an Indian version of Starlink using only LEO satellites.
Jio Platforms and SES formed a joint venture called Jio Space Technology to provide satellite-based broadband services across India. The system is based on a multi-orbit satellite network, combining geostationary and medium Earth orbit satellites rather than relying exclusively on LEO.
The goal is similar in one important respect: extending connectivity to places where traditional terrestrial infrastructure can be difficult or expensive to deploy.
SES says its partnership with Jio is intended to help bring high-speed satellite connectivity to remote Indian communities and support applications such as digital education, telemedicine, and economic activity.
So while Starlink is a strong example of LEO satellite broadband, JioSpaceFiber represents a multi-orbit approach to satellite connectivity.
Why Is Satellite Internet Important for India?
India has a huge and geographically diverse population. Major cities and towns can have extensive fiber and mobile connectivity, but providing the same infrastructure to every remote village, mountain region, island, or difficult-to-reach location can be challenging.
Laying optical fiber requires physical infrastructure. Roads need to be dug, cables need to be installed, equipment needs to be maintained, and difficult terrain can make deployment expensive.
Satellite connectivity changes the equation.
Instead of physically connecting every location to a large terrestrial network, a satellite can provide connectivity from above. A user in a remote location primarily needs the appropriate satellite terminal and a clear enough view of the sky.
This doesn’t mean satellites will replace fiber or mobile networks. Fiber remains extremely important for high-capacity terrestrial connectivity, while mobile networks are essential for everyday smartphone access. Satellite internet can instead complement existing infrastructure by reaching locations where terrestrial networks are difficult to deploy.
Can LEO Satellite Internet Really Provide 100 Mbps?
Potentially, yes, but it is important not to treat 100 Mbps as a guaranteed speed.
Starlink currently states that users typically experience download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, with a majority of users experiencing speeds above 100 Mbps. Actual speeds depend on factors such as location, network congestion, service plan, and other conditions.
So the idea of a remote village receiving 100 Mbps through a satellite terminal is technically plausible, but the exact performance depends on the network and location.
This is an important distinction when writing about emerging technologies: advertised or typical performance is not the same thing as a guaranteed speed for every user.
What Are the Advantages of LEO Satellite Internet?
One of the biggest advantages of LEO satellite internet is coverage. Because the connection comes from satellites rather than a nearby cellular tower or underground fiber cable, it can potentially reach areas where traditional infrastructure is difficult to build.
Another major advantage is lower latency compared with traditional high-altitude satellite systems. The shorter distance between the satellite and the user reduces the time required for signals to travel.
LEO systems can also provide useful connectivity during situations where terrestrial infrastructure is damaged or unavailable. This can make satellite connectivity valuable for remote operations, disaster response, ships, aircraft, and other locations where conventional networks may not be reliable.
Finally, satellite internet can complement existing broadband infrastructure rather than requiring every remote location to be connected using the same physical network.
What Are the Challenges of LEO Satellite Internet?
LEO satellite internet also comes with several challenges.
The first is cost. Building and launching large satellite constellations requires enormous investment. Ground terminals also contain sophisticated electronics and need to be powered.
Another challenge is the sheer complexity of operating a large constellation. LEO satellites are constantly moving, which means the network needs to manage satellite handoffs, routing, orbital positioning, and communication between satellites and ground infrastructure.
Weather can also affect satellite internet. Heavy rain, snow, or hail can weaken radio signals and temporarily reduce service quality. Starlink itself notes that significant weather can cause signal attenuation and occasional service interruptions.
There is also the challenge of space congestion and orbital sustainability. As more companies launch satellites, managing the growing number of objects in low Earth orbit becomes increasingly important.
LEO vs GEO: What’s the Difference?
The easiest way to understand the difference is to compare distance, latency, and coverage.
GEO satellites operate extremely far from Earth, around 35,786 kilometres above the equator. They can cover enormous areas and appear relatively stationary from the ground, but the long distance creates higher latency.
LEO satellites operate much closer to Earth. Their shorter distance allows lower latency, but they move rapidly across the sky and therefore require large constellations and sophisticated network management.
There is also MEO, or Medium Earth Orbit, which sits between LEO and GEO. Jio’s partnership with SES is an example of a multi-orbit approach that combines different satellite orbits to provide connectivity.
There isn’t one orbit that is perfect for every application. Each has different engineering advantages and trade-offs.
Is Satellite Internet Going to Replace Fiber?
Probably not.
Fiber-optic networks can provide extremely high capacity and are incredibly important for internet infrastructure. Satellite internet has a different strength: reaching places where physical infrastructure is difficult to deploy.
Think of it less as a replacement and more as another layer of the connectivity network.
Cities can continue using fiber and mobile networks, while remote villages, ships, aircraft, rural businesses, disaster-response teams, and other difficult locations can use satellite connectivity where appropriate.
The future of internet connectivity is therefore likely to involve several technologies working together rather than one technology replacing everything else.
The Future of Internet Could Come From Space
For decades, getting internet access meant connecting a physical location to a terrestrial network using cables, fiber, or radio towers. Satellite internet changes that model by allowing connectivity to come from above.
LEO constellations take the idea even further by placing satellites much closer to Earth than traditional geostationary systems. The result is a satellite network designed around lower latency, high-speed connectivity, and constant movement between satellites.
Starlink is one of the clearest examples of this approach, using a large LEO constellation and electronically controlled user antennas. JioSpaceFiber represents a different approach, using SES’s multi-orbit satellite infrastructure to extend broadband connectivity across India.
The engineering behind these systems is far more complicated than simply putting a satellite in space. Satellites have to communicate with ground terminals, users need reliable antennas, networks have to manage moving satellites, and enormous amounts of data need to be routed efficiently.
But the basic idea is surprisingly simple:
Instead of waiting for the internet to reach you through a cable or a nearby tower, what if the internet could come to you from space?
That is the promise of modern satellite internet — and with LEO constellations becoming an increasingly important part of the technology landscape, the answer could change how some of the world’s hardest-to-connect places get online.