• by Ian Framson
• Jan 01, 1970
• Starlink Elon Musk satellite

Love him or hate him, Elon Musk has changed the game for yet another industry with Starlink satellite internet connectivity from SpaceX. To understand why Starlink is such a game changer for live events, let’s first explore how we got here.

Satellite internet connectivity has been around since 1996, with early entrants like Hughes and WildBlue offering high latency, low speed connectivity. Commercial and residential fixed installations required bulky, expensive hardware and skilled installation. The process of pointing the dish to acquire a precise signal from a satellite in the sky required patience and training. Motorized satellite dishes which could auto-acquire a signal were heavy and cost-prohibitive, especially for event producers. A small industry of satellite truck operators sprang up, offering temporary Satellite connectivity for disaster response and broadcast purposes. However, the bandwidth speeds available from these legacy Ku-band satellite networks were low by today’s standards (10 Mbps download / 1 Mbps upload). One of the main limiting factors was that satellites were placed in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) at 22,000 miles above the equator – the most practical and cost-effective way to launch telecommunication satellites at the time. With such a long distance for each transmission to travel, large dishes were needed, requiring amplified power, along with heavy trucks and trailers for transport. Even then, speeds were low and costs were high. For both satellite Internet operators and their customers, the experience was mediocre. Event producers could accomplish a single standard definition (SD/480i) video live stream using a satellite Internet feed, but only at great expense and hassle.

ViaSat acquired WildBlue in 2008 and launched the Ka-band Exede Internet service. Exede brought lower latency and modest speed improvements (15 Mbps download / 5 Mbps upload) enabling event producers to stream high-definition video (HD/1080i) and conduct email and point-of-sale activities over the network. Event IT vendors could acquire the Exede satellite dish and modem hardware at more approachable price points. These satellite dishes still required skilled technicians to perform the manual pointing process to acquire a satellite signal. Motorized auto-acquiring dishes helped to simplify some aspects of the manual setup process, but imposed heavy capital costs upon operators. Some event IT companies (including Trade Show Internet) made early use of the ViaSat Exede service, bringing satellite connectivity to remote events beyond the reach of terrestrial cellular and other local networks.

In 2021 everything changed with the commercial availability of the first generation Starlink dish. Between 2021 and 2025, SpaceX launched over 7,600 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) just 350 miles above Earth, covering 130 countries. By developing reusable launch vehicles and its own satellites, and utilizing LEO satellite placement, SpaceX changed the rules of the game. SpaceX dramatically lowered not only its own cost of deploying satellite telecommunication infrastructure, but also the hardware and subscription costs required to access its service. Lightweight and transportable, the Starlink dish can fit in a suitcase and be rapidly deployed virtually anywhere with a clear view of the sky. As with any contended (shared) network, performance will vary. Starlink’s average download speeds are currently 100-200 Mbps, with upload speeds in the 10-20 Mbps range, with 25-100 ms latency.

With these speeds, Starlink can be used in many light commercial, residential, and event environments. As a bandwidth technology, Starlink may be the only option for certain outdoor and remote events. For example, we have deployed Starlink at remote ranches for corporate glamping-style conferences and on sand dunes for music festivals. Starlink’s (relatively) lower upload speeds and inherent variability in speed may render it not the best candidate for some video live-streaming applications, such as HD (1080p/60fps) and 4K (2160p/30fps). However, Starlink bandwidth still plays several useful roles in the event ecosystem. For lightweight bandwidth use cases like outdoor registration desks, staff tents, and point-of-sale (POS) activities, Starlink can be well suited. Depending upon the complexity of the use case, many event producers are able to deploy Starlink (owned or rented) just as they have been able to deploy their own 5G and 4G cellular hotspots. Each Starlink dish requires a clear view of the sky and 110V/2A power. However, more complex event floor plans may require a higher level of finesse and skill from the network operator.

Starlink isn’t a panacea for all event networking challenges. Many outdoor events can have complex floor plans with high-density WiFi areas and indoor spaces presenting distinct challenges for Starlink. Trailers and metal shipping containers can act as a Faraday cage, blocking wireless signals from penetrating. Nearby buildings and trees can obstruct the view of the satellites in the sky. Electrical power may be lacking in certain areas where WiFi is still needed. When the business functions of an event rely upon the underlying network infrastructure, regardless of whether Starlink is in play, proper planning must be undertaken to deploy a reliable network.

Event network operators have many tools at their disposal to address these challenges, including point-to-point (PTP) and point-to-multi-point (PTMP) bridges, private 5G/LTE, and mesh WiFi for outdoor wireless transport. For larger event networks, Starlink can play a critical role as the secondary/fail-over bandwidth circuit when a traditional fiber or copper primary bandwidth circuit is utilized.

There are several different form factors and generations of Starlink dish from which to choose (business, residential, gen1, gen2, gen3, mini, actuated, et al). Some Starlink dishes comes with an external WiFi router, whereas the Starlink Mini has an all-in-one form factor with a combined dish/router/WiFi access point. The theoretical maximum number of concurrent WiFi users on a Starlink dish is 128-254, however our real-world experience suggests 25-50 WiFi devices conducting normal network activities seems to be a more realistic range. For larger event scenarios with 100s or 1,000s of WiFi devices, an enterprise-class external router and WiFi system should be used, with the Starlink dish(es) set to bypass mode, optimizing their role of handling bandwidth transit.

While it won’t replace your legacy Internet/WiFi solution in every event scenario, Starlink is quickly proving its value within live events thanks to its ease of deployment, portability, attractive pricing structure, and off-grid capabilities. Future generations of Starlink dishes should bring higher speeds, greater reliability, and more versatile use cases.