Are you stuck trying to find the best landing ground in the Inmarsat vs Starlink debate?
Please don’t fret, as we’ll help you make the choice. Both are satellite internet services, so they guarantee coverage in underserved locations such as rural zones.
But what is the tiebreaker between the two? Which of the internet services is the most reliable in terms of availability, speed, and latency?
Read on as we look at their defining features in detail in this guide.
Inmarsat vs Starlink: Definition
Starlink is an American satellite internet company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, who owns SpaceX, The Boring Company, and X.
It’s among the newest internet service providers, having ventured into the market in 2014.
However, the company went into full-scale operation in 2019 when it launched its first batch of satellites into the low earth orbit.
Contrariwise, Inmarsat is a British satellite company providing worldwide satellite internet since 1979.
Unlike Starlink, which has satellites in the low earth orbit, Inmarsat uses geostationary satellites that are further away from the Earth.
Moreover, they are stationary; hence, they don’t cover all areas as efficiently as Starlink’s mobile satellites.
Inmarsat vs Starlink: Intended Customer Base
The Inmarsat is best suited for Business Organizations.
Inmarsat targets corporate and government organizations such as the military and civic bodies.
Its packages are customized to provide great value to these institutions, and many of them have taken up its service.
But Starlink is more generic in its target customer base, providing customs to residential and business clients.
Anyone who lives in a low-connectivity area will benefit from Starlink’s services, as its satellites offer extensive coverage.
Moreover, Starlink is the go-to internet when the other options are not viable or expensive, as its services are virtually available anywhere. It has packages like Starlink RV/Roam available away from your home.
Inmarsat vs Starlink: Performance
Satellites
An internet satellite in space.
The biggest tiebreaker between Starlink and Inmarsat is the location of their satellites. Starlink satellites are on the low earth orbit, situated at a maximum altitude of 1200 miles from the earth.
Notably, the satellites are constantly orbiting, ensuring they cover a relatively extensive part.
As of the time of writing this guide, Starlink has 4900 operational satellites. Starlink is continually launching more, so the ISP’s coverage will significantly improve.
Conversely, Inmarsat has 14 satellites in the geostationary orbit located about 35,786 km from the Earth.
These immobile satellites don’t shine on extensive areas such as Starlink’s, posing a connectivity problem in some parts, such as the poles.
They only guarantee a strong signal in the equatorial zones. Moreover, the increased distance from the earth means the signal has to travel longer than the low earth orbits.
Therefore, the internet is synonymous with higher latency than Starlink.
Frequency Range
A frequency range table.
Starlink boasts of a relatively wider frequency range than Inmarsat. Starlink’s frequency ranges include the following:
- 0.7-12.7 GHz
- 12.75-13.25 GHz
- 13.85-14.5 GHz
- 17.8-18.6 GHz
- 18.8-19.3 GHz
- 19.7-20.2 GHz
- 27.5-29.1 GHz
- 29.5-30 GHz
Ideally, it would be best if you used an ultra-wide antenna to receive the best signal with Starlink. It ensures that you can tap into one of the above frequencies.
Inmarsat also has a relatively high frequency, but the maximum band is 1626.5 MHz. Hence, it would be best if you used a basic log periodic antenna to reap the best signal with Inmarsat.
Latency
It would be best if you had low latency for online gaming.
How fast does the data travel from the satellite in space to the receiver on Earth? The time taken for this coverage is latency, a measure of how prompt you connect to the internet.
A low latency means you connect fast, while a high latency means a significant connection delay.
Starlink has a relatively lower latency at 20 to 40 ms thanks to the fairly close distance of its satellites to the Earth.
They are approximately 600km from the earth’s surface, so the data doesn’t travel too far to reach the ground receiver.
But with Inmarsat, the latency is high at 900ms. This is due to the extensive distance of its satellites from the Earth’s surface.
Hence, this is amongst the most unreliable internet services for video conferencing and online gaming applications.
Price
Starlink is overall cheaper than Inmarsat.
Inmarsat is not cheap, primarily because they don’t target individual customers. Some of their packages include
- Enterprise
- Government
- Maritime
- Aviation
One of their most popular plans, dubbed ‘Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro 2 Phone,’ goes for $1,000. It is pretty high, but it is understandable, given they target premium customers such as corporates and government institutions.
Starlink charges $110 per month for the Starlink residential package. However, clients must primarily buy the Starlink kit that sells at $599, although this is a one-time charge. Therefore, Starlink for residential and roam customers is cheap in the long run.
However, for Starlink Business customers, the charges are quite high at $500 plus a one-time equipment fee of $2,500.
Inmarsat vs Starlink: Which One Should You Use?
A man uses the internet at home.
Starlink is the best option for individual users as its packages are more pocket-friendly than Inmarsat’s. Also, it has better speeds and lower latency thanks to its low-lying satellites.
Moreover, Inmarsat may not readily serve residential users because it is primarily reserved for corporate clients and government organizations.
Even for businesses, Starlink Business is the better deal in terms of the overall cost and internet speed.
FAQs:
Which is Faster, 5G, Starlink, or Inmarsat?
5G internet is the fastest internet service with up to 1Gbps. Contrariwise, Starlink’s speed range is between 50-350Mbps. Expect Inmarsat to be slower than the two, given that its satellites are far from the Earth.
Does Starlink/Inmarsat require you to sign a contract?
You can terminate your Starlink contract without attracting any penalty, as there’s no binding contract. However, this is not the case with Inmarsat, as the company requires you to sign a contract. Hence, it charges you for early termination.
Conclusion
Choosing between bigwigs like Starlink and Inmarsat is no mean feat, but we have listed the key differences. Now you can make a more informed choice on which Satellite internet company fits you best.
In a nutshell, Starlink has a broader market than Inmarsat primarily because the former targets residential users and businesses.
Also, Starlink is continually expanding, launching more satellites into space so their coverage will improve.