The latency of satellite communications is primarily determined by orbital altitude, as the distance a signal must travel directly impacts the time it takes to complete a round trip between the ground and space.
The differences in latency between the three main orbital regimes are as follows:
Explore module →To understand the regulatory challenge, consider the “Radio Border Patrol” analogy: currently, radio frequencies are like strictly fenced territories where terrestrial carriers and satellite operators are kept apart; D2D providers are attempting to remove these fences, requiring a massive, slow-moving legal effort to rewrite the rules of the land so that they can share the same space without causing a diplomatic incident (interference).
Explore module →AST SpaceMobile’s operational strategy relies on a small constellation of very large satellites designed to deliver broadband, voice, and messaging services directly to unmodified devices. This approach differs significantly from competitors like Lynk, which utilise larger constellations of small satellites primarily targeted at messaging. The use of large satellites provides a specific technical advantage: they allow standard smartphones to browse the internet and receive high-speed data without requiring massive external antennas.
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