We commit ourselves to staying appraised of the latest advancements in communications technology. LEOs propose an opportunity to deliver reliable, cost-effective connectivity in Alaska. As next-gen LEO constellations come online, we will continue to closely monitor the major providers and evaluate the best options to meet the unique challenges of Alaska and our customers.
Our priority is always to deliver the best available services to our customers — whether satellite, terrestrial, or a new alternative.
LEOs (Low Earth Orbit) satellites operate from approximately 200 to 1,200 miles above the earth's surface, constantly moving and communicating with each other to create a constellation of satellites that continuously moves traffic across the network. Traditional communications satellites are in a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) and operate at approximately 22,000 miles from Earth.
Because LEO satellites are closer to Earth, the round-trip delay to and from the satellite, is shorter than a satellite in GEO. That translates to data and voice communications that are faster and have lower latency than they would with a traditional satellite. An added advantage of LEO is that signals travel faster through the vacuum of space than through fiber optic cable. This means LEO satellites have the potential to be comparable to the performance of terrestrial networks.
Elon Musk's group, SpaceX, has started to launch its Starlink constellation. The company has a planned launch date in Alaska in 2022.
OneWeb had planned to be operational in Alaska in 2020. However, on March 27, 2020 the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection. OneWeb has successfully sold their company to the UK government and a consortium of telecommunications operators, and they resumed launching satellites. OneWeb plans to bring LEO satellite connectivity to Alaska in October of 2021.
Telesat plans to provide LEO satellite connectivity to all of Alaska. Based on their current plans and estimates, they will be operational in the state at the end of 2022.
GCI is the leader in satellite connectivity in Alaska. As LEO satellites come online, we are in active talks with every major provider. Our goal is to enable our customers to get reliable, cost effective connectivity and we will be ready to provide LEO to our customers when it is ready for market in Alaska.
More specifically, as we monitor the progress of proposed LEO satellites, we're evaluating:
In any region, LEO is an expensive technology to deploy. This is because LEO constellations require a high number of satellites to function, all of which need to be launched and maintained. Additionally, earth stations will need to be established and maintained—a timely and expensive logistical and technical challenge when working in an Arctic climate.
Satellite technology is advancing quickly, and LEO satellites are an exciting part of the mix. GCI will continue to work with every major provider of LEO satellite technology and will offer LEO connectivity to our customers when the constellations are operational, tested, and ready to provide consistent and continuous service at a reasonable cost.
For more than 40 years, GCI has partnered with organizations small and large, to pursue their goals and overcome technological barriers to success. Get in touch to learn about the ways we can help your organization meet its objectives.