Using Starlink and 5G as backup connections: A modern approach to Internet resilience

Historically, businesses have relied on secondary leased lines or ADSL connections for backup. However, these solutions often share the same physical infrastructure as the primary connection, creating a single point of failure. In this blog we explore the possibility of using Starlink or 5G for back-up.

The illusion of Resilience

In today's digital landscape, where businesses increasingly rely on cloud services, SaaS applications, and remote work capabilities, Internet connectivity isn't just about accessing websites - it's the lifeline of modern business operations. From critical communication tools and customer service platforms to financial transactions and data backup systems, even a brief Internet outage can bring operations to a complete standstill, resulting in significant financial losses and damage to customer relationships. This makes robust Internet resilience not just an IT consideration, but a fundamental business imperative.

Many businesses attempt to address this challenge by implementing a secondary Internet circuit, often from a different Internet Service Provider (ISP). While this approach appears to offer redundancy on paper, it frequently falls short in practice. The reason? Despite coming from different providers, these circuits often share the same physical infrastructure - running through the same underground ducts, utilising the same street cabinets, or even entering buildings through the same access points.

This shared infrastructure creates a significant vulnerability: a single incident, such as a construction accident severing a cable duct or a flood affecting a street cabinet, can simultaneously disable both the primary and backup connections. Even when circuits appear to take different routes at a local level, they may converge at critical points in the network infrastructure, creating hidden single points of failure that only become apparent during a major outage.

What’s the answer?

The key to true Internet resilience lies in complete infrastructure independence. Rather than simply diversifying providers while remaining dependent on the same physical infrastructure, businesses need to look for backup solutions that operate on entirely separate systems. Let’s look at a couple of options: -

Starlink

Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet constellation, offers a truly independent backup solution that doesn't rely on terrestrial infrastructure. This makes it an ideal candidate for business continuity planning. Unlike traditional satellite internet, Starlink uses a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide high-speed, low-latency internet connectivity. This revolutionary approach significantly reduces the latency issues associated with traditional satellite internet connections, which made them unsuitable for many applications.

The practical implementation of Starlink requires the installation of a small satellite dish, often called "Dishy McFlatface" by the Starlink community. This dish needs to be mounted in a location with a clear view of the northern sky (in the northern hemisphere) or southern sky (in the southern hemisphere), with minimal obstructions from trees, buildings, or other obstacles. The dish is motorized and self-orienting, automatically adjusting its position to optimize the connection with passing satellites.

Installation considerations include finding an appropriate mounting location (which could be on a roof, pole, or ground mount), ensuring proper power supply, and running ethernet cable from the dish to the network equipment inside. The dish also includes a heating element to prevent snow accumulation, though this increases power consumption during winter months.

One potential challenge with Starlink for business backup purposes is obtaining static IP addresses. Currently, Starlink primarily operates with dynamic IP addresses, which can complicate VPN setups and other business applications requiring fixed IPs. While Starlink does offer a Business tier service that includes the option for static IPs in some regions, availability is limited and may come with additional costs. Organisations considering Starlink as a backup solution should factor this into their planning and may need to implement dynamic DNS solutions or other workarounds to maintain consistent remote access capabilities.

5G

5G represents a significant evolution from its predecessor, 4G LTE, offering several key improvements that make it particularly suitable as a backup connection. While 4G typically delivers speeds between 20-100 Mbps, 5G can achieve speeds up to 1 Gbps or more, rivalling many primary fibre connections. This means that switching to a 5G backup during an outage won't necessarily result in a noticeable degradation of service.

Beyond just speed improvements, 5G offers significantly reduced latency (as low as 1ms compared to 20-30ms with 4G), higher connection density (supporting more devices per square kilometre), and network slicing capabilities that can prioritize critical business traffic. These features make 5G more reliable and predictable as a backup solution compared to 4G.

Another advantage of 5G for backup purposes is its ability to operate on multiple frequency bands, including low-band (for wide coverage), mid-band (for balanced coverage and speed), and high-band (for maximum speed in dense areas). This flexibility means businesses can choose the most appropriate service tier for their backup needs, potentially using high-band 5G in urban areas where available, while still having reliable mid-band or low-band coverage as a fall-back.

The practical implementation of 5G as a backup solution typically involves installing an external antenna that needs line of sight to the nearest 5G mast. This antenna is usually directional, meaning it needs to be precisely aligned with the mast for optimal performance. The installation process involves:

• Surveying the area to identify the nearest 5G mast locations
• Selecting an appropriate mounting location for the antenna with clear line of sight
• Installing the antenna with proper weatherproofing and grounding
• Running low-loss cable from the antenna to the internal 5G modem/router

The quality of the 5G connection heavily depends on factors such as distance from the mast, presence of obstacles, and weather conditions. Professional installation is often recommended to ensure optimal positioning and performance. Some installations may benefit from multiple antennas to connect to different masts or frequency bands, providing additional redundancy.

Current 5G coverage in the UK

As of early 2025, 5G coverage in the UK has expanded significantly, with major providers like EE, Vodafone, Three, and O2 covering most urban areas and many suburban regions. EE, the largest UK provider, reports coverage of over 50% of the UK population, with particularly strong presence in cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh. Other providers have similar coverage in major metropolitan areas, though rural coverage remains more limited.

The UK government's commitment to the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme continues to drive expansion into less populated areas, with the goal of extending mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by 2027. This initiative has already helped improve 5G availability in previously underserved regions, though the focus remains primarily on ensuring basic 4G coverage in these areas first.

In urban areas, the rollout of mmWave 5G (offering the highest speeds) is progressing, particularly in high-density locations like city centres, transport hubs, and business districts. However, most UK 5G deployments still utilize mid-band spectrum, offering a good balance of coverage and speed that's particularly suitable for backup connectivity solutions.

Private APNs

One advantage of 5G for business backup is the ability to implement a private Access Point Name (APN). A private APN creates a secure, isolated network connection exclusively for your organisation's devices. This offers several key benefits:

• Enhanced security through network isolation - traffic is separated from the public network
• Guaranteed bandwidth allocation without competition from public users
• Static IP addressing for easier management of business applications and VPNs
• Quality of Service (QoS) controls to prioritize critical business traffic
• Detailed usage monitoring and reporting capabilities

While private APNs typically require additional setup costs and minimum commitment levels with the mobile operator, they provide enterprise-grade control and security that many businesses require for their backup connectivity solutions.

Beyond Backup: Additional Use Cases

While the primary consideration for implementing Starlink or 5G solutions is often disaster recovery and business continuity, these technologies can serve multiple purposes that add value beyond mere backup capabilities.

Load Balancing and Traffic Management

Organizations can utilise these additional connections for intelligent traffic routing. Low-priority traffic, such as system updates or large file transfers, can be directed through the secondary connection, preserving primary connection bandwidth for critical business operations. This approach optimises network resources while ensuring critical applications maintain peak performance.

Seasonal Flexibility

Many businesses experience seasonal fluctuations in bandwidth requirements. Retail operations might need additional capacity during holiday shopping periods, while educational institutions might see peaks during enrolment or exam periods. Instead of paying for excess bandwidth year-round, these flexible solutions can provide supplementary capacity when needed.

Cost-Effective Scaling

Rather than upgrading a primary leased line to handle occasional peaks in demand, organisations can leverage these technologies to provide burst capacity. This can be particularly cost-effective when compared to the long-term commitments typically required for traditional circuit upgrades.

Geographic Flexibility

For businesses with temporary locations, pop-up stores, or construction sites, these technologies can provide high-speed connectivity without the need for fixed infrastructure installation. This flexibility allows organizations to quickly establish reliable connectivity in locations where traditional solutions might be impractical or cost-prohibitive.

Conclusion

While traditional backup solutions often share infrastructure vulnerabilities, Starlink and 5G provide truly independent alternatives. Their unique advantages - from Starlink's infrastructure-free satellite connectivity to 5G's high speeds and private APN capabilities - make them compelling choices for modern business continuity. Beyond mere backup, these technologies offer additional benefits including load balancing, seasonal flexibility, and geographic mobility, making them valuable investments for organisations seeking robust connectivity solutions.

Next Steps

We have established strategic partnerships allowing us us to offer connectivity tailored to your specific needs. Our experienced team can help evaluate your requirements and recommend the most suitable solution, whether that's Starlink's satellite technology, 5G connectivity, or a hybrid approach.

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We understand that every business has unique connectivity requirements, and we're ready to discuss your specific use case. Our partnerships allow us to:

• Provide end-to-end solution design and implementation
• Offer competitive pricing through our established provider relationships
• Deliver professional installation and ongoing support
• Create custom solutions combining multiple technologies if needed

Whether you're looking to implement a backup solution for a single location or need to develop a comprehensive connectivity strategy across multiple sites, we're here to help guide you through the process.

Contact us for more information

For more information about implementing backup connectivity solutions, please call +44 1226 761188 or email info@oxspring.com