Blockchain-based satellite telecoms solve global digital disparities

Food, clothing, shelter – and now the internet. The list of basic life essentials has earned additional requirements, but many still have no access to it. Social media may have us under the illusion that the whole world has access to high-speed internet, but reality is quite different. A staggering 2.6 billion people are offline, about a third of the world’s population. There is a disastrous need for alternatives to rewrite the rules of who is connected and how they are connected.

Telecommunications companies advertise affordable packages with unlimited phones and data, but costs are still very expensive for many people in low-income countries. Rural areas are particularly facing infrastructure restrictions, with many communications choosing to avoid deployment in these regions due to high costs, geographical barriers and low return on investment.

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New orbit for connection

Billions are offline, and the world needs alternative solutions to bring about the UN’s vision of providing universal internet access to substance. One of the ways that has attracted attention in recent years is to unfold the constellations of low-Earth Orbital (LEO) satellites. These LEO satellites circle the Earth at a lower altitude than Earth’s satellites, orbiting between 160 km and 2,000 km, reducing latency and improving coverage in areas with a lack of traditional infrastructure.

Not long ago, launching a satellite felt like something only governments and multinational companies could dream of. Today, that has changed. Reports highlight that nearly 7,500 active satellites orbit the Earth, with 50 being released every week.

Satellites are no longer rare thanks to cheaper launch costs and more accessible technology. The cost of sending payloads to Leo has dropped dramatically from around $65,000 per kilogram to just $1,500. This has declined 95% over the past few decades. Furthermore, the advent of reusable rockets could further reduce costs.

As of 2024, an estimated 4-5 million people around the world have already signed up for satellite-based internet. Satellite broadband connections increased by 52.5% year-on-year, while fiber only saw 7.4% bumps. This rise in demand is two ways: speed and accessibility. Typical download speeds for satellite Internet range from 50 to 150 Mbps with peaks above 200 Mbps. The average delay is about 25 milliseconds round trip time. This means a smoother experience with less delays for users.

Combining it with fast download speeds and the ability to reach traditional networks, it’s easy to see why Leo Roadband is considered the true solution for digital divisions.

Solutions for mass recruitment

Although promised on paper, two major challenges prevent Leo satellites from closing the digital disparity. The first is cost. These services are often priced well beyond what low-income or rural communities can afford, and are limited to wealthier users. In the US alone, 56% of low-income households report that the monthly broadband costs, the national average of $75, for basic broadband services, are too high. This makes it difficult for these users to choose LEO broadband services over traditional options. This disparity is felt even more severe in developing countries.

The second problem is control. Most LEO networks are owned and operated by private companies or individuals. That is, a single entity holds the power to turn services on or off. If that privilege decides to block access in a particular region, the user is unreliable. What many communities still fight is not just access, but ownership and autonomy.

This is where decentralized physical infrastructure networks can make a real difference. Depin is a model in which communities collectively build and own infrastructure that uses blockchain technology to coordinate everything. Instead of one company with thousands of satellites, individuals contribute funds (finances, equipment, or labor), and the blockchain automatically tracks contributions and distributes owner tokens.

By enabling communities to build, own and operate critical infrastructure, from wireless networks to satellite systems, Depin offers more than an alternative to traditional communications. It presents a path to closing digital disparities in ways that centralized systems have not consistently performed.

Building a community, not monopoly

Imagine a rural community in mountainous regions where traditional communication infrastructure has not yet arrived. Laying textile optic cables is expensive and logistically impossible. However, with distributed satellite networks, local cooperatives can deploy small ground stations connected to low open source Earth orbit satellites. These are owned and maintained by the community itself, ensuring that the services are tailored to your local needs.

By shifting control from a single company to a broader ecosystem of builders, users and local operators, Depin opens the door to affordable internet access for billions of people still offline. More importantly, this decentralized approach provides users with what traditional systems can’t. Ownership and economic participation. Instead of being passive consumers, community members can earn returns on connected investments, similar to how solar grid tie projects and wind farms generate passive income by sharing energy output with the wider grid.

Technology already exists to achieve this transformation, and timing is less important. Internet access is no longer a luxury. This is the fundamental need for education, healthcare, commercial and social connection. The current race to dominate the sky is at risk of creating new digital monopolies that price the most needy communities, but decentralized satellite networks offer different advancements. Combining the scope of the Leo satellite with the ownership principles of Depin’s community can not only narrow the digital disparity, but also eliminate it.

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