Satellite broadband connectivity was considered something of a novelty by the global telecoms community, if not simply an outright failure. The expense of launching numerous satellites into orbit, coupled with the relatively poor service they could deliver to customers, meant that these solutions were widely overlooked in favour of alternative infrastructure deployments, even in the most hard-to-reach areas. Now, however, the landscape is changing. Satellite broadband technology is becoming more viable, offering much higher quality connectivity, and launches at scale are no longer as bank-breaking as they once were. SpaceX’s Starlink is perhaps the most well-known of these deployments, with around 1,700 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites already in orbit, with goals of achieving global coverage.
One of the largest advantages of these constellations is their broad reach and ability to overcome issues of difficult geography, delivering services to areas where traditional infrastructure deployment would be economically unfeasible. With this in mind, perhaps it should come as no surprise that Chile has now been announced as the first country in Latin America to begin making use of the Starlink constellation. Chile spans some 2,700 miles across the west coast of South America and contains some of the most challenging terrain in the world, from a vast desert to the north, to the peaks of the Andes that rise to 22,600 feet above sea level. In this environment, deploying fibre or wireless connectivity can be difficult, especially for rural communities. Subtel, has announced that the government has partnered with Starlink to explore the feasibility of conducting pilot projects in rural and isolated communities. Starlink will initially deliver connectivity to schools in Caleta Sierra (Coquimbo region) and Sotomo (Los Lagos region), with plans to extend this coverage if the trials prove successful.