Eli5 how internet on cruise ships is so slow, but they get live tv from satellites without issue

Question

I was just on a cruise ship and the reason they said internet is so slow is because it comes from satellites, but we can watch live tv from satellites without buffering or any issues? Why is video so much better than internet

In: 8

Answer 1

Probably also a cruise line that uses GEO satellites for internet, whereas the good experience comes from MEO (or MEO + GEO).

The lower the orbit, the lower the latency, the lower the throughput. This is why companies like SES offer next gen MEO (/hybrid) to cruise companies. The experience is noticeably better.

Edit: some might come up with LEO, and indeed some cruise lines are experimenting with this, but it’s not mature enough imho.