GS 3, Sci & Technology, TLP-UPSC Mains Answer Writing
1. What is the Starlink internet venture? How is different from other internet services? Discuss. (10 Marks)
स्टारलिंक इंटरनेट उद्यम क्या है? अन्य इंटरनेट सेवाओं से किस प्रकार भिन्न है? चर्चा करें।
Approach-
Candidates need to write about the starlink internet services how it works and how it’s different from the other internet service.
Introduction
Starlink is a SpaceX project to build a broadband network with a cluster of orbiting spacecraft that could eventually number thousands. Starlink currently has 1,385 satellites in orbit and has already started beta testing in North America and initiating pre-orders in countries like India.
Body
Difference from other internet services:
- Space Infrastructure: Satellite Internet is the technology that beams the internet down from a satellite that’s orbiting the earth. It will use geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, while Starlink and OneWeb use low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
- As LEO satellites orbit closer to the earth, they are able to provide stronger signals and faster speeds than traditional fixed-satellite systems.
- Latency: The service offers low-latency broadband internet to remote areas across the globe, using a constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit. Will help to bring the lag down to 20-30 milliseconds, roughly the time it takes for terrestrial systems to transfer data.
- Speed difference: The premium service of starlink claims to provide internet speeds ranging between 150 and 500 mbps. The latency of the premium service is between 20-40ms.
- Duration and accessible difference: According to Starlink’s website, the premium offering will come with 24×7 support and assist features through a mobile app. In other words, it allows users to connect to the internet beamed from space onto a dish antenna, much like satellite TV.
- Coverage area difference: The reason telecom firms want to explore satellite internet is that there are areas where fibre connections just can’t reach. Hence, satellite networks are being used to bring connectivity to such areas, which include hills and remote islands.
- Easier Connectivity: As satellites appear to be stationary, it is easier to link to them.
Conclusion
While in the short term satellite broadband may only be targeted at remote areas where terrestrial networks haven’t reached, in the longer term it could end up competing with these networks even in the developed regions given one key benefit, which is that signals travel faster through space than they do through optic fibre cables.
