New Entrants to the Arctic Freeze-Out Current Broadband Offerings

Due to the high cost of last-mile broadband infrastructure, the Arctic has largely been left out of the loop. CircleID reported that historically, Iridium Communications had offered low-bandwidth connections and was the only option available. However, additional satellite broadband providers —  Starlink, OneWeb, Telesat, SES, The Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), and The Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) —  are entering the market to spur competition. 

Starlink and OneWeb already have polar-orbiting satellites in place to serve the area. Telesat has partnered with the Canadian government to connect to indigenous communities, reported CircleID. The deal brings $690 million in preferred equity, $790 million in loans, and $400 million from the Quebec government to Telesat Lightspeed to complete its low-orbit satellite constellation, which will begin with 298 satellites to deliver speeds up to a gigabit across Canada. Continue Reading