Communication is essential, especially nowadays in our society, where the exchange of information happens in a few seconds around the globe. This is also true in the Arctic, where, however, the infrastructure for fast communication channels via fiber optic cables has traditionally been sparse. New, faster satellite connections offer an alternative. And one of the two big players has now been able to secure an Arctic key player as a partner, putting it ahead in the race for Arctic communications.
British-Indian OneWeb, one of the two major providers of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity along with Starlink, recently announced a partnership with Greenland’s largest telecommunications provider, Tusass. Together, the two companies aim to close the digital communications gap in Greenland and provide a secure, fast and cost-effective communications network for the approximately 56,000 inhabitants of the largest island. OneWeb thus secures a key Arctic player in the race to close the communication gaps in the Arctic.
For Tusass, the partnership is an important step toward better securing communication between the individual communities. The company already operates the broadband and mobile network in Greenland, connecting around 75 percent of the population to the outside world. In addition, Tusass also operates the fiber optic cable along the West Coast. Allan Lynge, who is responsible for the deal with OneWeb, explains that the partnership with OneWeb now offers his company and the residents of Greenland opportunities to get fast and better reception in places where it was not possible before. OneWeb also states in a communiqué, “With our satellite constellation, we can reach everywhere”, and they offer speeds of 195 Mbps (megabits per second) for download and up to 32 Mbps upload. Compared to broadband speeds, download speeds are over twice as fast and upload speeds are around 50 percent faster with the new satellite coverage. In addition, the new satellite connections will also be cheaper, as a broadband subscription costs around EUR 150 per month. It is not yet known how much the new connections will cost.
With the energy company Nukissiorfiit, which operates the largest and oldest hydroelectric power plant in Greenland and supplies the capital with electricity, there is also a first major customer who praises the new fast and secure satellite connections. “All things go much faster than before,” Kristin Holm, the power plant’s manager, explained in an interview with the Sermitsiaq newspaper. “Our new satellite-based Internet connections are often three times faster than the old connections. The new connections are stable and fast, and we’re happy about that.” The further expansion and connection of the communities will now take the next few months.
For OneWeb, the partnership is a milestone in the highly competitive Arctic communications market. This is because it not only secures the company’s main share of the Greenland market, but also enables it to further expand its network of ground stations and extend its communications services to air and sea routes. The economic prospects in terms of resource extraction, which will grow in Greenland in the future, may also have played a role in the decision of the UK-based company to gain a foothold on the world’s largest island. For Greenland itself, this makes the communications solution a bit more versatile. Because depending only on a fiber optic cable, or with the slower other satellite connections as an alternative, Greenland would quickly find itself in an awkward situation. The events at Svalbard and in the Baltic Sea have shown how quickly submarine cables can be severed today. But for OneWeb’s biggest competitor, Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk and his Starlink, there remains a small consolation: for the next round of putting satellites into orbit, OneWeb will use a SpaceX rocket from Florida.
Dr Michael Wenger, PolarJournal
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