Telesat Joins C Spire Rural Broadband Consortium

Satellite broadband provider Telesat has joined the rural broadband consortium that Mississippi wireless and broadband provider C Spire established in 2019. The consortium was created with the goal of spurring broadband adoption and deployment. Other consortium members include equipment providers Airspan Networks, Microsoft, Nokia, and Siklu. Telesat will provide “analysis tools” and expertise in low earth orbit (LEO) technology to “help the consortium work on new business models designed to encourage and promote third-party engagement,” a press release explains. The term “third-party” apparently refers to broadband providers such as wireless ISPs (WISPs) or mobile carriers deploying high-speed services.

Canada-based Telesat has worked with the Canadian government to provide backhaul connectivity to remote areas. The company operates a traditional geostationary satellite fleet but also plans to launch broadband service using LEO satellites in 2022. While geostationary satellite service has relatively high latency, the LEO approach, which requires many more satellites in non-geostationary orbits, provides lower latency.