United to win: Swedish company Satcube to send 100 satellite Internet terminals to Ukraine

The Swedish company Satcube plans to supply its satellite Internet terminals to Ukraine, which could be used in de-occupied territories where mobile and terrestrial networks do not work.

Rubryka reports, citing the founder and CEO of Satcube, Jakob Kallmer, in an interview with Dagens Nyheter.

What is the problem?

Last October, SpaceX asked the Pentagon to finance Starlink services in Ukraine. The company said that they allegedly no longer have the funds to pay.

However, the Pentagon said that about 85% of the 20,000 terminals received by Ukraine were partially or fully paid for by the United States, Great Britain, and Poland.

Rubryka also reported that  Shotwell confirmed on February 8 that SpaceX had restricted the use of Starlink by the Ukrainian military.

The restrictions affected the control of drones in the war zone. According to her, according to the contract, Starlink can only be used for humanitarian purposes.

What is the solution?

According to reports, Ukraine paid attention to Satcube after several humanitarian organizations and journalists used the Swedish company's equipment to work in Ukraine.

Satcube uses the satellite network of the American company Intelsat, which placed an order for the supply of terminals worth about 70 million Swedish crowns (5.97 million euros). The cost of the terminals will be paid by Germany, which will hand them over.

How does it work?

This is the company's largest order since the production of terminals in 2017. Satcube will transfer about 100 portable Internet terminals to Ukraine in the first stage. According to Kallmer, the first terminals were sent to Ukraine at the beginning of summer.

Satcube says they don't know if the military will use its equipment. However, they do not deny that "it can be anything from connecting to field hospitals to maintaining communications in the field."

The Satcube portable Internet terminal weighs about 8 kilograms. It can provide broadband access via geostationary satellites at speeds of up to 70 megabits per second. The signal delay, however, is up to one second because the satellites are in orbit at an altitude of more than 35,000 kilometers.

What we know about satellite Internet in Ukraine

More than 42,000 Starlink terminals are used by Ukraine's military, hospitals, enterprises, and humanitarian organizations.

During the Russian bombings last year, which led to massive power outages, the government authorities of Ukraine turned to Starlink to ensure that the network was not interrupted.

In October 2022, the company SpaceX asked the Pentagon to take over the financing of government and military use of the Starlink satellite system by Ukraine. SpaceX estimates that the cost would be more than $120 million.

As Rubryka reported, the SpaceX company of billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Defense of the United States of America concluded a contract to purchase Starlink satellite communication terminals for Ukraine and services for their use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.