Satellite internet seems poised to be the next big step in connecting us all, and the Canadian company Terrestar has a plan for how it hopes to play a role in this future. The company already supports satellite connectivity for mobile phones, so it’s now a matter of expanding its network, getting phones with satellite support in the hands of Canadians, and then making sure everyone knows about it.
Once all that is done, the company can finally act on its core vision of “making your everyday device work everywhere,” in the words of CEO Jaques Leduc, known in Canada for many things in tech circles but notably for helping found Fido. He says the key distinction Terrestar makes from the other large Canadian satellite internet company, Telesat, is that Terrestar wants to connect your mobile phone to a satellite, while Telesat wants to be a direct Starlink competitor and offer home internet services.
You would assume that once the internet is beamed down from space, it’s all the same, but Leduc explained to me that there are various regulations, and the difference between a smartphone going next to your head and a satellite dish on your roof is pretty significant. To hit a phone, you need a larger satellite, while home internet can be smaller since it has to hit a high-powered satellite dish that doesn’t move.
How to break into the Canadian market?
To make the most significant impact in the Canadian market, Terrestar CEO Jacques Leduc says the company is aiming to be a B2B business selling its services to existing network operators like Bell, Telus or Rogers. The CEO hopes that as the existing Canadian networks become more robust, the only place to expand will be in Canada’s rural and northern regions, where traditional infrastructure will be prohibitively expensive. Thus, opening the door for Terrestar to work with the carrier to offer true Canada-wide coverage via satellites.
While Starlink has shown that you can disrupt the traditional market, it’s still relatively new, and time will tell if it can compete with conventional carriers once they get more involved in satellite connectivity. A report from earlier this year claims that even Apple shied away from launching its own satellite-based network over fears of burning bridges with the existing carriers it works with. So while it would be awesome to have a new independent carrier in Canada, it seems unlikely to happen soon.
There are three main ways you can use your phone to connect to a satellite network today. The easiest way is to own an iPhone 14 or newer. Any of those newer iPhone models have the ability to send messages over satellite, and they can also contact emergency services. This is free for two years after you buy a new iPhone, but Apple still hasn’t shared how much it will be after that.
The second way is to use an Android phone like the Galaxy S25, but as of the time of writing, Android satellite functionality hasn’t expanded into Canada. However, Android satellite connectivity is only for contacting emergency services so far. The final way is to get a satellite connection device like this $650 one from Terrestar. This allows you to connect more than just your phone, and is more for commercial uses due to its high price.
However, we’re still in the early years of satellite connectivity. In a few years, most phones will connect to satellites more naturally, and that’s ideally around the time that Terrestar will be moving onto the next stage of its plan.
Image source: Skytrack Magazine
Right now, Terrestar only has a single geo-stationary satellite, but it hopes to launch 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites in 2028 to get its network up for 2029. Starlink also uses LEO satellites to get faster internet speeds. Since these are lower in the Earth’s atmosphere, they orbit the planet, so you need a large constellation of them to cover an area like Canada. That said, since Canada is at a latitude similar to many Scandinavian countries, there is also the opportunity to sell network services in those places. Leduc even says that some of those countries might contribute to the network.
One anecdote Leduc shared during our chat to illustrate a current problem with mobile phone satellite connectivity is that few people know it exists. He was up at a remote cottage with some friends, and he sent them a message using Apple’s satellite service a while ago, and they were all shocked to find out that you could even use satellites to send texts. He says that a lot of work still needs to be done to get people aware of this new pillar of mobile connectivity. This is another reason partnering with a telecom with a large marketing budget makes a lot of sense for this type of connectivity.
How useful could a network like this be?
Beyond the work needed to get this service up and running and in front of Canadians, Leduc thinks that having a Canadian-owned and operated network that can be used coast to coast has many positive aspects for the country.
This will help regular Canadians who live and work in remote areas, but also help with dangerous tasks like forest fire fighting. He also says that during COVID, he saw how Canada had issues getting vaccines since we weren’t making them here. If Canada has its own network, we won’t have to rely on third parties like Starlink, which has had its own share of political issues regarding the current war in Ukraine.
He also mentions that since Canada has announced new national defence budget targets, there could be a case for the government investing in satellite internet.
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
