The battle for satellite internet intensifies as Elon Musk’s Starlink faces a new competitor, Orange.
Starlink, the company led by iconic entrepreneur Elon Musk, has already proven itself in the tech arena by posing a serious challenge to traditional ISPs. With its original promise of delivering global high-speed internet through thousands of satellites launched by SpaceX, it is now a tangible reality.
For a long time, internet access of this type was prohibitive in terms of cost. Today, it is almost affordable: just spend 200 euros for the equipment and pay a monthly subscription of 40 euros, an offer now available in France.
For those who live in white areas or regions where ADSL is not sufficient, this is a godsend. In just a few years, Starlink has established itself as a viable alternative to Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free. Starlink’s performance continues to improve as new satellites are deployed, reinforcing its success.
Orange launches its satellite
Orange, however, did not sit idly by. Christel Heydemann, the head of the company, announced the imminent launch of a satellite offer under the Orange brand. To do this, Orange relies on its company Nordnet, a specialist in satellite internet access.
However, Nordnet’s strategy differs from that of Starlink. Instead of launching thousands of satellites, Nordnet relies on geostationary satellites located approximately 35,700 km from the Earth. This model drastically reduces the number of satellites needed and, therefore, the costs. However, the speeds are lower and the latency higher.
Michaël Trabia, CEO of Orange Wholesale, confirmed that the Orange Satellite with Nordnet will be launched soon. This announcement was made during a visit by Christel Heydemann to the Bercenay-en-Othe satellite station, alongside Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for Telecommunications.
The details of the offer are not yet known, but we know that the incumbent will rely on the satellite Eutelsat Connect VHTS which was launched last September.
Orange had already expressed its intention to use this new generation satellite as soon as it was launched and had signed firm commitments to this effect. Weighing 6.4 tons and having a wingspan of 45 meters, the satellite is positioned in geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km and has a capacity of 500 Gb/s, seven times more than the previous satellite.
We will have to wait a little longer to know the exact content of the offer, but it is possible that Orange will offer higher speeds than its current satellite offers via Nordnet. This could make it possible to achieve throughputs above 100 Mb/s, Starlink is aiming for 1 Gb/s for comparison. Nevertheless, Orange’s offer is complementary to its fiber optic, copper and 4G/5G networks.
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