LEO vs GEO: Why Orbit Height Matters
Traditional satellite internet (HughesNet, Viasat) uses geostationary satellites at 35,786 km. At that distance, the speed of light alone imposes ~480 ms minimum round-trip latency — real-world latency is 600–700 ms. This makes GEO unsuitable for video calls, gaming and real-time apps.
LEO constellations like Starlink orbit at 340–570 km — roughly 1/60th the distance — reducing latency to 25–60 ms, comparable to cable broadband.
Speed Comparison
| Provider | Orbit | Altitude | Download | Upload | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink | LEO | ~550 km | 25–220 Mbps | 5–25 Mbps | 25–60 ms |
| Kuiper | LEO | 590–630 km | Up to 400 Mbps (target) | TBD | ~30 ms (target) |
| OneWeb | LEO | 1,200 km | 50–195 Mbps | 10–30 Mbps | 40–70 ms |
| Viasat | GEO | 35,786 km | 25–100 Mbps | 3–5 Mbps | 600–700 ms |
| HughesNet | GEO | 35,786 km | 25–50 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 600–700 ms |
What Affects Speed?
Subscriber density: More users in the same cell means shared capacity. Ground station proximity: Data must reach a ground station — distant areas rely on inter-satellite laser links. Weather: Heavy rain can attenuate signal at Ka-band frequencies. Obstructions: Trees and buildings blocking sky view cause brief dropouts. Time of day: Peak evening hours see lowest speeds due to congestion.
Latency Deep Dive
At 25–60 ms, Starlink latency is comparable to cable internet — sufficient for gaming, video calls and VPN. GEO latency of 600+ ms makes these applications frustrating or unusable. OneWeb at 1,200 km has slightly higher latency (40–70 ms) but is still far superior to GEO.