The Benefits of Migrating from GEO Satellite to a LEO/BLEND Solution- Public Safety Agencies

Migrating from GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) satellite services to LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite and Blended Technology services (LEO/BLEND) is critical for public safety agencies for several reasons:

Speed Enhancement: Upgrading to LEO (Starlink or OneWeb) + Tactical IP BLEND offers speeds up to 10 times faster than legacy systems, drastically improving communication, data transmission and ultimately interoperability.

Latency and Response Time

     GEO satellites orbit at around 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above the Earth, leading to significant latency—typically between 500 to 700 milliseconds.

     LEO satellites, on the other hand, orbit at much lower altitudes, around 500 to 1,200 kilometers (310 to 746 miles). This reduces latency to as low as 20 to 40 milliseconds.

For public safety agencies, such as emergency response teams, this lower latency means faster communication and data transmission, which can be crucial during life-or-death situations.

Cost Effective Upgrades:  Repairing aging satellite equipment is often as costly as upgrading to new LEO satellite systems, making upgrades a financially smart option.

The cost of launching and maintaining LEO satellites is often lower than for GEO satellites due to technological advancements and the mass-production approach for satellite constellations. This cost-effectiveness translates into more affordable services for public safety agencies with limited budgets.

Annual Renewal Savings: Annual renewal costs for legacy systems are nearly the same as the service costs of upgrading to LEO/BLEND, upgrading makes a lot of sense as a long-term service investment.

Improved Interoperability: Modern LEO satellite systems are designed to support IP-based communication and advanced networking technologies, which can be integrated more easily with other terrestrial communication systems like 4G/5G networks. This ensures that different agencies, using various types of communication equipment, can work together more efficiently during emergencies.

GEO satellite systems may rely on older protocols, making interoperability more difficult. Legacy Cisco equipment critical support and patches are no longer available for older Cisco routers.  

BLEND Innovation Value:  Tactical IP BLEND combines your agency’s existing communication networks (Satellite-LEO/GEO, FirstNet, Frontline, Cellular, Broadband, Wi-Fi) and creates one large, high bandwidth network giving you enhanced, resilient, reliable and stable communications with greater bandwidth and security.

Resilience and Redundancy: LEO constellations consist of hundreds or even thousands of satellites, making them inherently more resilient. If one satellite fails, another in the constellation can quickly fill the gap, ensuring uninterrupted communication.

GEO satellites, however, are fewer in number, and a failure can have a more significant impact on service continuity.

LEO combined with BLEND provides the most resilient and redundant connectivity solution in the field, utilizing both LEO and multiple carrier cellular networks. 

Adaptability to Changing Needs of Public Safety Agencies: As public safety requirements evolve to include more data-centric tasks (e.g., drone feeds, AI-powered surveillance, etc.), LEO satellites, with their superior bandwidth and lower latency, can adapt more easily to these changing demands.

GEO satellites, while effective for basic communications, may not scale as well to handle new data-intensive applications. 

By transitioning from GEO to LEO satellite services plus Tactical IP BLEND, public safety agencies can improve their operational capabilities, response times, and ensure more reliable communication, which is critical during emergencies where seconds can make a difference.  Connect with PEAKE to learn more about a seamless migration from GEO to LEO/BLEND Technology with world class support.