Telesat Lightspeed
Planned network of 198 low Earth orbit satellites built by MDA that sells business-grade broadband with service guarantees, including a military Ka-band version.
Why it matters
Lightspeed is one of the few LEO networks aimed at enterprise and government buyers rather than homes. It gives airlines, shipping lines, telecoms and defense customers a non-SpaceX option with contractual performance guarantees.
How the technology works
MDA is building the satellites, and SpaceX is contracted for 14 Falcon 9 launches of up to 18 satellites each. Customers buy configurable capacity pools or point-to-point links, with user terminals tailored to each use and public or private interconnect points.
Telesat's demo satellites carried its first 5G backhaul, 5G NTN and Q-band links.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction