When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, SpaceX’s Starlink quickly became a lifeline. Elon Musk agreed to provide the satellite internet service, and it kept Ukraine’s military and civilian systems online despite relentless Russian attacks. But the risks of a privately controlled system soon became clear. This summer, Musk ordered a shut down of the satellite service as Ukraine took back territories from Russia, raising the spectre of interference in this and future conflicts. Now, a Swedish light wave radio invention could provide army with the independent, secure communications tool they need.
It’s worth casting an eye back to the war in Ukraine first. In autumn 2022, Musk ordered Starlink coverage cut during a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson, disrupting surveillance drones, artillery targeting, and troop coordination, according to a Reuters investigation. Later, he refused to activate the service near Crimea to support a naval drone strike, raising the prospect of a lone businessman able to influence the outcome of the conflict. All this has made observers deeply uncomfortable about reliance on Starlink and Ukraine’s vulnerability to depending on it.
Sweden’s Light Wave Answer
TERASi, a spinout from Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, thinks it has a solution. It claims its new RU1 device provides users with control over their own high-speed, secure networks without relying on third-party providers like Starlink.
It’s a pocket sized tiny, light – wave radio, smaller than the smallest box of Solstickan, the iconic Swedish brand.
According to CEO James Campion, TERASi can be deployed within minutes to connect units in the field, and installed on drones or tripods. Several devices can link to a mesh to provide bandwidth for applications such as frone video or autonomous fleet control.
Perhaps most importantly, unlike Starlink, it can’t be remotely disabled by external actors.
“RU1 gives users complete control over communications by creating a network they own and operate,” Campion explains. “Ukraine in 2022 shows too clearly what can happen when someone else has their finger on the switch.”
Laser-Like Connections
The RU1 distinguishes itself from Starlink in both architecture and performance. Rather than broadcasting widely, it uses highly focused antennas with extremely narrow, “laser-like” beams. That makes them much harder to jam or intercept. Each beam creates a ground footprint of less than 3 km, compared with Starlink’s 10,000 km coverage areas.
TERASi also claims the RU1 supports data rates of up to 10 Gbps — 50 times faster than Starlink today — with future versions targeting 20 Gbps. Latency is below 5 milliseconds, more than five times quicker than Starlink. Campion argues that this is crucial for dynamic scenarios like drone detection and rapid battlefield response.
Beyond the Battlefield
While the technology was designed with defence uppermost, its potential applications extend further. TERASi envisions the RU1 supporting uninterrupted, high-speed communications in disaster relief, remote construction, mining, and energy projects — places where traditional infrastructure is either damaged or non-existent.
The RU1 is already available for evaluation in military environments, and is being integrated with tactical communications systems and drone platforms.
Campion argues that Starlink and RU1 don’t necessarily compete with each other. “Satellite services like Starlink are great for connecting static, low-data sensors to a global network,” he said. “RU1, on the other hand, gives users sovereignty — the ability to build networks quickly and operate independently.”
The Bigger Picture
Starlink’s global scale is unmatched, and it is likely to remain the backbone of military satellite internet. But TERASi believes the RU1’s mix of speed, security, and self-sufficiency will appeal to governments worried about the concentration of power in the hands of one individual.
All this is early days and TERASi’s device has not yet been tested in the field. It may be that a simple, small light wave radio device could break into the battlefield communication network. Or it might be that it’s not quite as robust as was hoped. In the meantime, secure comms is undeniably going to be one of the most important defence markets in warfare and countries need to run with it.