Chinese rivals to Starlink accelerate race to dominate satellite internet

Bengaluru/Beijing/Brasília, February 24, 2025 – Competition in low-Earth orbit is heating up as Chinese state-backed satellite internet providers and other global rivals ramp up efforts to challenge Elon Musk’s Starlink.

New developments indicate that players such as Shanghai-based SpaceSail are aggressively expanding, while Jeff Bezos’s Project Kuiper and Canada’s Telesat are also drawing international interest, particularly in markets like Brazil.

Expanding international presence

SpaceSail, which signed an agreement to enter Brazil last November and has since begun operations in Kazakhstan, is among the most ambitious new entrants. Controlled by the Shanghai municipal government, the company plans to deploy 648 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites this year and as many as 15,000 by 2030. In contrast, Starlink currently operates around 7,000 satellites, with an ultimate target of 42,000 by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, Brazil - a market eager for high-speed internet in remote areas—has welcomed these developments despite previous tensions with Musk over commercial and political issues.

State-backed ambitions and strategic messaging

A newspaper affiliated with China’s telecom regulator recently hailed SpaceSail as “capable of transcending national boundaries, penetrating sovereignty and unconditionally covering the whole world,” emphasizing its strategic importance to national ambitions. China is not relying solely on SpaceSail; Beijing is developing three additional satellite constellations and plans to launch up to 43,000 LEO satellites over the coming decades. These initiatives are seen as integral to China’s broader push to secure digital dominance and enhance its geopolitical influence, including through the space component of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Technological and military developments

Starlink’s rapid deployment and its use in conflict zones like Ukraine have caught the attention of military researchers. Chinese institutions, including those affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), are investing heavily in satellite technology. Patent filings related to LEO satellite innovations have surged - from 162 in 2019 to 2,449 in 2023 - highlighting an intensified push to develop cost-efficient networks and low-latency communication systems. Some Chinese research efforts are specifically targeting Starlink, with PLA-linked patent applications noting the U.S. system’s role in reconnaissance and military communications, while also posing potential risks to network security.

In addition, researchers from two PLA-affiliated institutes have designed a system and algorithm to track megaconstellations like Starlink’s. Inspired by the hunting techniques of humpback whales, their approach underscores the growing military interest in monitoring and potentially countering rival satellite networks as space becomes an increasingly contested domain.

Global implications and future outlook

The accelerated expansion of Chinese satellite internet capabilities has raised concerns among Western policymakers, who worry that Beijing’s rapid occupancy of LEO could extend its internet censorship regime globally. Analysts from the American Foreign Policy Council have urged Washington to bolster cooperation with Global South nations to effectively contest China’s expanding digital influence.

As the race for orbital slots intensifies, experts like Chaitanya Giri of the Observer Research Foundation warn that “the endgame is to occupy as many orbital slots as possible.” With global infrastructure and military applications at stake, the emerging competition signals a major shift in the satellite internet landscape, one that will likely shape geopolitical dynamics in the years ahead.

While Starlink remains a dominant force in LEO, the rapid developments led by Chinese and other international competitors suggest that the satellite internet arena is entering a period of significant transformation, with profound implications for global communications, security, and digital sovereignty.

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