Why Satellites Don’t Replace Fiber Cables
Satellites are often presented as the future of global connectivity: Fast, wireless, and independent of physical infrastructure. With the rise of low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, it’s tempting to think satellites could eventually replace fiber-optic cables altogether. They won’t. Despite major advances, satellites and fiber cables solve different problems , and physics places hard limits on what satellites can realistically do. Fiber Cables Are Still the Backbone of the Internet Today, the vast majority of global internet traffic travels through fiber-optic cables , not satellites. These cables span cities, countries, and oceans, carrying enormous volumes of data at extremely low latency. Fiber is dominant because it offers: Very high capacity (terabits per second per cable) Low and stable latency High reliability Predictable performance Once installed, fiber can scale for decades by upgrading equipment at each end, without replacing the cable itself. Laten...