In the early hours of September 6, a sharp burst of light cut through the night sky at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Geesatcom successfully deployed ten satellites into orbit, marking the completion of the third orbital plane in its satellite constellation. Now, with 30 satellites in operation, Geesatcom can deliver round-the-clock coverage across 90% of the Earth’s surface, bringing its satellite communication services closer than ever to global users.
Described as one of the world’s first large-scale commercial satellite constellations, this milestone is significant—it marks the first time a Chinese commercial aerospace company is offering low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication services to the world.
This is the culmination of six years of tireless work by Geespace, a company involved in developing nearly half of China’s major satellite projects since the turn of the millennium. But for Geespace, this is only the start. With plans to deploy a full network of 5,676 multimedia satellites, the dream of creating a “super Wi-Fi” system from space is closer to reality than ever before.
A pioneer in commercial satellite networks
Flashback to May 23, 2019: at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites of its Starlink project aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, igniting an unspoken race to develop satellite internet services. Unlike traditional mobile towers, LEO constellations like Starlink can instantly establish internet connectivity in hard-to-reach places—deserts, oceans, and polar regions—areas where ground-based infrastructure is impractical.
Starlink’s mission is bold: connect the remaining portion of the world’s population still offline. Many of these people live in underserved regions with little to no internet infrastructure, presenting a massive opportunity to bridge the digital divide.
Geely, long considered a competitor to Elon Musk’s ventures, especially through its investments in automotives and energy storage, made its move into the satellite industry in 2018 when founder and chairman Li Shufu made a strategic investment in Geespace. A year later, Geespace began the planning and phased rollout of the Geesatcom constellation.
Phase one involves deploying 72 satellites to provide real-time global data communication for more than 200 million users. The second phase will see an expansion with 264 satellites capable of connecting directly to mobile phones. Finally, phase three envisions a network of 5,676 multimedia satellites, offering broadband services on a global scale.
As Starlink rapidly expanded its deployments, Geespace completed half of its first phase in just three launches. By 2025, Geespace aims to deliver seamless global coverage, not only positioning itself among the first large-scale constellations but also as one of the first to achieve full commercialization.
Simultaneously, Geespace has been advancing its commercial applications. In 2023, it integrated satellite communication technology into mass-produced new energy vehicles (NEVs), working with Zeekr to launch the Zeekr 001FR—the first vehicle to feature two-way satellite communication. Most Zeekr models, as well as Geely Galaxy E8, now include this technology, keeping users connected even in areas without ground networks.
Since Elon Musk introduced the Starlink project in January 2015, the initiative has continued to expand and evolve. Nine years later, Starlink is still under active development. In contrast, Geespace achieved commercialization within just five years, matching pace and underscoring its ambition to contribute to national space infrastructure.
Spectrum resources are finite. The range of frequencies available for wireless communication is fixed, and the commonly used bands for satellite communication—such as C-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band—are in limited supply.
The same goes for orbital resources. In LEO, the 600-kilometer altitude is dubbed the “golden layer,” while the 300–500 kilometer range is known as the “platinum layer.” By comparison, the 1,000-kilometer orbit sits further from Earth, but the downside is higher latency and reduced data transmission stability, making the 300–600 kilometer orbit even more valuable. As a result, nations and companies are fiercely competing to claim resources in these two layers.
In 2019, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) overhauled its longstanding first come, first served (FCFS) policy on spectrum and orbital resources. Now, if satellites aren’t launched on schedule, the previously allocated frequencies and orbits are forfeited.
According to CITIC Securities, the situation is becoming critical. The C-band and Ku-band are nearly depleted, and competition for the Ka-band is heating up. On the orbital side, LEO has space for around 60,000 satellites, and by April 2022, the US had already filed applications for 50,626 LEO satellites, with satellite launches accelerating in recent years.
As companies worldwide push for constellations consisting of tens of thousands of satellites, the race for dominance has become inevitable and Geespace’s speed in this contest is proving to be all the more significant.
Commercial satellite networking: Navigating the challenges
For any satellite internet provider, commercialization presents the biggest hurdle. Upfront costs often reach into the hundreds of billions of RMB, meaning rapid commercialization is critical to offset R&D expenses, iterate technology, attract customers, and create a sustainable feedback loop.
Starlink is a case in point: its total investment is estimated at USD 20–30 billion. Deploying 12,000 satellites at a cost of around USD 500,000 each, along with the necessary 200 launches, represents an investment of around USD 9 billion. Ground stations and other infrastructure would require at least an additional USD 30 billion.
Without phased commercialization to recoup these costs, satellite operators are under immense financial pressure. Previous ventures like O3b and OneWeb faltered for this very reason—unable to finance the enormous capital demands of their constellation rollouts. OneWeb, for example, had planned to launch 648 satellites but faced bankruptcy as funding dried up.
Geespace’s Geesatcom constellation, however, focuses squarely on the mobility sector. Its plans are to support autonomous driving, intelligent connectivity, low-altitude travel, consumer electronics, aviation, and maritime transportation—industries ripe for satellite internet services.
In early June, Geespace successfully completed its first overseas commercial deployment test in Oman, achieving a 99.15% communication success rate and network availability above 99.97%. Its satellite terminals, designed with 50-decibel interference resistance, maintained stable communication even in harsh electromagnetic environments.
Geespace also entered a strategic partnership with Oman’s Azyan Telecom to provide services in regions where infrastructure is sparse, focusing on remote monitoring, data transmission, and emergency communication for key oil and gas production areas.
In October, Geespace signed an agreement with Malaysian telecom operator Altel to accelerate the deployment of smart port and smart agriculture solutions, capitalizing on the country’s extensive port and agricultural resources.
A massive industry and an era of space-based “super Wi-Fi”
The commercial value of satellite internet is becoming clearer by the day. In 2023, Starlink’s revenue skyrocketed to USD 4.2 billion, up from USD 1.4 billion in 2022—an increase of more than 200%. The global market for internet connectivity services is valued at USD 1 trillion, and SpaceX estimates that Starlink could capture as much as 3% of that market, translating to annual revenues of up to USD 30 billion.
But satellite internet’s impact goes far beyond simple connectivity. Consider the United States government’s decision to stop jamming civilian GPS signals in 2000. That shift dramatically improved GPS accuracy, revolutionizing industries like mapping and helping to fuel the rise of the mobile internet era.
Once GPS was made available for civilian use, mapmakers could collect precise location data points, leading to the creation of navigation systems like Google Maps. Similarly, location-based services exploded, with apps like Airbnb and Uber thriving—transforming how people live and work.
In much the same way, Geesatcom’s constellation could herald a new era for transportation. The constellation’s broad coverage and reliability will offer low-latency, real-time data for smart and autonomous vehicles, ensuring they remain connected and safe in any environment.
Geesatcom will also play a crucial role in optimizing global logistics. With satellite communication, commercial vehicles will be able to track their precise location and operational status, improving efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and cutting carbon emissions—critical factors in the digital transformation of supply chains.
Looking further ahead, Geesatcom’s impact will likely extend beyond the automotive industry—the constellation could help create a globally connected ecosystem of devices. Through satellite networks, smartphones, wearables, and other devices will gain uninterrupted connectivity, enabling intelligent services wherever users may be. This could lay the foundation for smart cities and smart living on a global scale.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Xiao Xi for 36Kr.