Satellite networks can provide affordable “instant infrastructure” by extending and complementing terrestrial networks that are already in place.
A single geostationary satellite can provide advanced communications services to virtually an entire hemisphere in two years at a cost of a few hundred million dollars.
By contrast, one recent study suggested that it would take a decade - and cost $5 billion - to build a fiber optic network in just one small state in the northeast United States.
A single satellite can serve many countries, allowing existing national networks to be extended to a regional basis. A few satellites can readily provide telecommunication services around the globe.
