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NBN is set to replace its beleaguered geostationary satellites with Amazon’s rival service to Starlink, according to reports.
The Australian Financial Review claims the upcoming “Project Kuiper” LEO constellation has emerged as the “leading candidate” to succeed the two Sky Muster spacecraft, although a decision still needs to be signed off by federal government ministers.
The two GEO satellites, which launched in 2015, are due to be decommissioned in 2032, but customers have complained the service isn’t good enough to consistently handle video or online gaming. Already, reports suggest thousands of Sky Muster customers have switched to SpaceX’s rival Starlink service.
A federal government decision to back Amazon’s Project Kuiper service would be a huge coup to the Jeff Bezos-founded company, which hopes to begin launching satellites imminently.
Amazon blasted off two prototype satellites on a United Launch Alliance rocket in October 2023 and said the mission was a “100% success”. Its long-term goal is to establish a constellation of 3,200 satellites focusing on providing internet to remote and regional areas.
Sky Muster, meanwhile, has been plagued with complaints in recent years over its slow performance.
However, questions were raised even before blast-off as to whether the technology would be able to keep up with the high speeds required by internet users. A shift to video calling during COVID-19 then greatly increased users’ expectations of their internet service.
Despite the criticisms, then-communications minister Mitch Fifield said in 2015 that the $2 billion program would provide “high-speed broadband” to meet the “bulk of needs” for people in regional Australia.
It follows an ACCC-backed report earlier this year revealing that Sky Muster struggles with many basic internet tasks and has an average latency of 664.9 milliseconds across all hours, compared to 29.8 milliseconds on LEO rival Starlink.
“While the latency is stable during busy hour congestion, its high duration is likely to hinder activities that require real-time responsiveness,” said the Measuring Broadband Australia program on Sky Muster’s service.
“Users relying on Sky Muster for such applications may experience delays, but the service remains predictable in its performance.”
Low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, such as Starlink, offer quicker services than traditional geostationary satellites, such as NBN Sky Muster, because they are closer to Earth.
The lower height, though, also means LEOs effectively cover a smaller area and, therefore, need to operate in larger, connected constellations to be effective.
Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has the advantage of being able to launch thousands of satellites without paying external customers because it operates its own reusable rockets.
It’s currently thought there are nearly 7,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, with plans for a constellation of 40,000.
Late last year, Optus joined Telstra in offering customers Starlink via a satellite dish, and both telcos signed up to launch straight-to-mobile services when they become available.
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