LEO, MEO & GEO: The dawn of a new broadband era?

Bharti-backed OneWeb recently said it can launch fast broadband services in India using its low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation as early as end-November. Reliance Jio too said it can roll out JioSpaceFiber services using its Luxembourg-based JV partner, SES’s medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite constellation within weeks of being allotted the spectrum.

US-based Hughes already offers satcom services in India using geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems while Elon Musk’s Starlink is revving up to launch internet-from space services using its LEO satellites once it has necessary approvals from the Indian government. But what are LEO, MEO and GEO satellite constellations? And what is their role in providing broadband connectivity in remote and inhospitable regions?