Does satellite broadband have a business case in the UK and EU?
As businesses increasingly rely on fast, stable internet connectivity to operate, the limitations of terrestrial broadband infrastructure – especially in rural and remote areas – are becoming harder to ignore. Satellite broadband, historically considered a last resort due to high latency and cost, is undergoing a renaissance.
Satellite broadband has long been synonymous with rural communities: slow, expensive, and reserved for the most remote users. However, the advent of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, spearheaded by companies like Starlink, OneWeb, and Amazon’s upcoming Kuiper network, is changing that perception.
Promising lower latency, higher speeds, and global reach, these next-generation satellite networks have sparked renewed interest from enterprise users and governments alike. However, does satellite broadband truly have a viable business case in the UK and EU, or is it still a niche solution? The answer, as it turns out, depends on the use case, geography, and expectations.
Until recently, satellite internet was hindered by high latency and inconsistent service. Geostationary (GEO) satellites orbit at about 36,000 km, making real-time communication difficult. LEO satellites, by contrast, orbit at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 km, significantly reducing latency and, therefore, data transmission speeds. According to ABI Research, LEO satellites will expand from the current 7,000 to an astonishing 42,600 by 2032.
Simon Dumbleton, UK CTO at World Wide Technology, explains that the technical capabilities of LEO networks are altering the way satellite broadband is perceived. “Users have been generally reporting consistent and reliable performance, both in terms of download and upload speeds, as well as latency,” he says. “The ground dish is super sophisticated, and it continuously tracks the satellites to maximize performance.”
Yet, while performance metrics are improving, not all networks are created equal. Dumbleton notes that mobile broadband services via satellite are still in their infancy, with current capabilities limited primarily to messaging and emergency services. However, the Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) standards evolving under 3GPP are paving the way for richer applications over satellite networks in the near future.
The current state of satellite broadband offerings
The new wave of satellite broadband providers is fundamentally different from legacy systems. LEO constellations offer lower latency and higher bandwidth, rivaling traditional broadband in performance.
Starlink
Operated by SpaceX, it has emerged as the most mature offering. As of mid-2025, it has deployed over 7,000 satellites with plans to scale to more than 42,000.
The company offers speeds of 25–220 Mbits/sec with latency as low as 25ms. Starlink’s standard business package in the UK costs start from £39 per month for 50GB of data up to £324 per month for 1TB of data, plus an upfront hardware cost of £299, supporting priority data and multiple IP addresses.
OneWeb
The UK-headquartered firm, partly owned by the British government and Bharti Global, completed its first constellation phase with 648 satellites. While OneWeb focuses more on enterprise and governmental clients than consumers, it is also targeting in-flight connectivity and maritime markets.
Project Kuiper
Amazon plans to launch 3,236 LEO satellites, with services expected to begin in 2025. Though it lags behind Starlink and OneWeb in deployment, Amazon is betting on its cloud integration to add business value.
Across all three providers, the promise is similar: broadband without boundaries, capable of supporting remote operations, disaster recovery, and mission-critical IoT infrastructure.
Niche but growing demand
The adoption of satellite broadband remains limited in Europe but is gaining momentum. According to Ofcom, as of late 2024, around 42,000 UK premises used Starlink services, up from 13,000 in 2022. The EU shows similar growth patterns, with Germany, France, and the Nordics leading uptake due to large rural areas and digitalization policies targeting underserved regions.
Businesses using satellite broadband span various sectors. In agriculture, farmers leverage satellite internet to run smart farming tools and manage livestock via IoT sensors. Construction firms use it to connect temporary sites. Emergency services and aid organizations rely on satellite connections for dependable communications during crises.
For years, satellite broadband has filled coverage gaps in rural and hard-to-reach areas. But today, its utility is expanding well beyond remote villages. “One of the key commercial use cases for satellite broadband – and where it provides great opportunity – is in the realm of disaster recovery,” says Dave Davis MBE, senior technical director at ST Engineering iDirect. “Even if the fibre or terrestrial connection is lost, satellite broadband would allow emergency services or search and rescue teams to continue their operation.”
Industries such as maritime, aviation, construction, energy, and defense increasingly see satellite broadband as not just a backup but a necessity. Mike Hicks, principal solutions analyst at Cisco ThousandEyes, tells ITPro: “Industries with mobile assets – such as shipping, airlines, and logistics – can greatly benefit. Additionally, energy and utilities sectors may find significant advantages, particularly in remote or offshore locations.”
These use cases reflect the satellite’s unique strength: its ability to deliver resilient connectivity wherever needed, without the delays or costs of building terrestrial infrastructure. Hicks emphasizes that satellite networks are becoming an essential layer in multi-path connectivity strategies. “It can serve as a hybrid or backup option, particularly within a multi-path, resilient connectivity strategy,” he explains.
Yet not all scenarios justify the cost. While Starlink has slashed consumer costs over time, enterprise-grade satellite internet is still relatively expensive compared to fibre or even 5G. “Satellite communications will be more expensive, as far as the monthly rates and things like that go,” Davis says. “But then on the other side, you’ve got an increasing cost per bit, and the hidden costs of cloud computing to factor in.”
Connectivity strategies are going hybrid
For most enterprises, the future of connectivity isn’t about choosing between fibre and satellite—it’s about combining them. Satellite broadband is emerging as a critical piece in the hybrid connectivity puzzle, particularly for ensuring resilience. “Many enterprises are adopting hybrid connectivity models that combine satellite with terrestrial networks to enhance reliability and performance,” Dumbleton explains. “This integration allows businesses to maintain connectivity even when one connectivity method experiences issues.”
This concept isn’t new to military and government circles. The term “PACE”–Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency–is a well-known strategy for maintaining communications. Davis says the same logic is now entering commercial conversations. “I think in some cases, it would be primary, particularly rural areas. In other cases, it’ll be a fallback or it could even be a hybrid between the two,” he tells ITPro.
However, there are still hurdles to mainstream enterprise adoption. Service Level Agreements (SLAs), for example, are a sore point. “Particularly with the vertically integrated solutions, there aren’t always any SLAs in place and it’s ‘best effort,’” Davis says. Hicks, however, is optimistic: “LEO networks are changing this perception. Providers are starting to offer more detailed SLAs that include guarantees for uptime, jitter, and even latency.”
Environmental and inclusion goals could drive adoption
Beyond economics, there’s a growing recognition that satellite broadband aligns well with ESG (environmental, social and governance) and digital inclusion goals—especially in Europe, where regulatory alignment and sustainability are strategic priorities. Satellite networks require far less physical infrastructure than fibre or 5G rollouts, making them attractive in regions with rugged terrain or sparse populations.
From a social perspective, the role of satellite in bridging digital divides cannot be overstated. “LEO satellites offer a powerful opportunity to bridge connectivity gaps in underserved and remote regions,” Dumbleton says. “They also play a critical role in supporting emergency services and ensuring continuity of communication during natural disasters.”
However, Dumbleton also cautions about the environmental trade-offs. “Spectrum is a finite resource, and the proliferation of satellites raises the risk of long-term space debris,” he explains. These concerns make coordinated governance and international collaboration essential. Fortunately, the UK and EU regulatory frameworks are largely supportive. “The UK and Europe pretty much follow the approach that if you need it, you will get access to it,” Davis says.
As ESG metrics become central to procurement and investment decisions, satellite broadband’s low-impact deployment could make it an appealing choice—not just for remote areas but also for sustainability-conscious corporations.
Is the future of business connectivity in orbit?
Satellite broadband is no longer a fringe technology. For businesses in the UK and EU operating beyond the reach of fibre, or requiring ultra-resilient connectivity, LEO satellite services offer a viable, though expensive, solution. With Starlink already in play, OneWeb is growing its partnerships, and Kuiper is preparing for launch, so competitive dynamics are heating up.
But one thing is clear: satellite broadband is no longer the outlier. It is becoming a key enabler of digital transformation across sectors and geographies, and it’s well on its way to establishing its place in the enterprise connectivity mix.
Ultimately, it’s not about whether satellite broadband can replace fibre—it’s about where it can extend or enhance what businesses can do, regardless of geography.
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