NGSO constellations can increase satellite internet capacity more than 10-fold and can provide service more evenly across the planet.
Appropriate customer sets can experience terrestrial-like connectivity for applications that rely on high-speeds and low latency, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, high-definition video conferencing, or remote operation of machines.
The additional coverage and capacity of NGSOs can expand your options for redundant or backup connections.
Experience scalable, ubiquitous coverage with the addition of NGSO connectivity to Speedcast’s Unified Global Platform, the largest technology agnostic network in the world, joining GEO, MEO, LEO and 4G/5G for high-demand applications.
| LEO | MEO | GEO | |
| Also known as | Low Earth Orbit | Medium Earth orbit | Geostationary Earth Orbit or Geosynchronous Orbit |
| Coverage | Small | Large area | Much larger area |
| Global Coverage | Pole-to-pole (+/- 56° latitude for current Starlink constellation) |
+/- 45° latitude | +/- 80° latitude |
| Antenna Speed |
10-min fast tracking | 1-hour slow tracking | Stationary – tracking not required |
| Elevation angle variation |
Rapidly varying elevation angle | Slowly varying elevation angle | No variation in elevation angle |
| Round-trip latency time |
40ms | 150ms | 600ms |
| Data Gateways |
Local, Numerous | Regional, Flexible | Few, Fixed |
| Application | Broadband communications, Internet of Things and Earth Observation | Communications and navigation purpose | Telephony, data/TV distribution, mobile communication, broadcasting |
Speedcast’s NGSO satellite portfolio blends LEO satellite connectivity with MEO and GEO capacity, so applications ride the orbit that suits them best.
Starlink is rolling out next generation LEO satellites that promise faster speeds and increased throughput. Speedcast is actively trialing Starlink services, and is developing our platforms to accommodate Starlink through our unified global remote, including SD-WAN, to provide users the 100% uptime reliability and guaranteed bandwidth throughputs of alternate satellite services.
Find out more
OneWeb is implementing a constellation of LEO satellites with a network of global gateway stations and a range of user terminals to provide an affordable, fast, high-speed and low-latency communications service, connected to the IoT future and a pathway to 5G for everyone, everywhere.
Find out moreExplore frequently asked questions about LEO, MEO and GEO satellite network solutions for remote operations.
A low earth orbit satellite operates roughly 500–2,000 km above Earth — more than 17 times closer than geostationary satellites. That proximity slashes signal travel time, enabling low-latency, fiber-like broadband, but requires large constellations of satellites working together to maintain continuous coverage.
Amazon Leo vs. Starlink: Which Satellite Solution is Right for Your Enterprise?
The main difference is orbital altitude and the performance trade-offs it creates. LEO satellites (500-2,000 km) deliver the lowest latency but require large constellations for continuous coverage. MEO satellites (~8,000 km) balance latency, coverage, and capacity. GEO satellites (35,786 km) can cover roughly one-third of the Earth's surface from a single satellite, but with higher latency. Multi-orbit networks combine the strengths of all three.
Why Your VSAT Internet Feels Slow
Speedcast integrates proven NGSO services, including Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb LEO constellations, alongside MEO and GEO capacity through its Unified Global Platform. Customers benefit from a single point of management and support across all network layers.
Speedcast Webinar on Demand: Debunking LEO and Cloud for Maritime Industry
No single orbit is best for every application. Multi-orbit networks can route latency-sensitive traffic over LEO, high-availability traffic over MEO, and bulk data over GEO, while automatically failing over between paths when network conditions change. This delivers greater resilience, flexibility, and performance than any single constellation alone. Speedcast manages the entire architecture so it operates as one seamless network.
COSL Drilling’s Hybrid Solution
We’re bringing Starlink and OneWeb to Speedcast’s energy, enterprise and passenger and commercial maritime customers as the new LEO services continue to expand. As a trusted, agnostic integrator of next-generation technologies for customers, we’re excited to add these next-generation options to our toolkit to make ubiquitous connectivity a reality for remote operations around the world.
Starlink is rolling out next generation LEO satellites that promise faster speeds and increased throughput. Speedcast is now authorized by Starlink to bring the new LEO service to customers. The new non-geostationary orbit constellation will be integrated through Speedcast’s SIGMA network management platform and leading SD-WAN solutions.
Speedcast has been working hard to take the mystery out of LEO solutions through comprehensive assessments across several Non-geostationary satellite (NGSO) constellations coming to market.
Speedcast’s Engineering team met with OneWeb for a live LEO demo in our Melbourne, Florida facility. The demo highlighted the constellation’s connection performance, antenna tracking, handovers and available satellites for service.
For updates on Speedcast’s NGSO testing and assessments, sign up for the company’s quarterly Speedcast Source newsletter.
The Speedcast team joined OneWeb for important service demonstrations and planning meetings to further validate the capabilities of the new LEO offering. OneWeb is set to enter customer trials in mid-2022, bringing in LEO service for Speedcast’s energy and enterprise customers followed by maritime mobility in 2023.
Learn more about Speedcast’s OneWeb offerings.
Speedcast partnered with Telesat to complete industry performance testing on Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite for Brazilian petroleum company, Petrobras. The evaluation measured overall performance of throughput, latency, packet loss and jitter across applications including videoconferencing, video streaming, web browsing, file transfer, voice and remote desktop.
If you missed the full report on our exciting test results with Telesat and Petrobras, check it out here.
Read about Speedcast and Starlink's partnership
Check out what's in the Starlink Maritime Satellite Internet Kit
Read about Speedcast and OneWeb’s partnership announcement
Read Speedcast's take on taming the complexity of multi-path, multi-orbit connectivity whitepaper
Read Speedcast's strategy on meeting the challenge of multi-orbit, beam forming networks
Read Speedcast's take on LEO innovations coming to market
Read about how LEO satellites will change the world of remote connectivity
Learn more about LEO satellite statistics and updates
Read about Speedcast’s testing on Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO Satellite for Petrobras
Check out the MEO terminals time lapse video
Watch our video interview on what to expect from 5G and LEO
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