A new pocket-sized Starlink alternative promises secure military communications — safe from interference by billionaire CEOs.

The system, named the RU1, was unveiled today by Swedish startup TERASi. It’s billed as the world’s smallest and lightest mm-Wave radio, a form of communications that offers blazing-fast speeds and huge bandwidth.

James Campion, the CEO and co-founder of TERASi, describes the portable device as “the GoPro of backhaul radios.”

“RU1 can be deployed in minutes to keep units connected in fast-changing environments,” Campion told TNW. The devices, he continued, can be installed on tripods or drones. Multiple RU1s can then link into a resilient mesh, providing bandwidth for mission-critical applications such as live drone video, autonomous fleet control, and sensor data fusion.

It also can’t be remotely disabled or controlled by external actors — a safeguard notably absent from SpaceX’s Starlink. That vulnerability has been strikingly exposed in Ukraine.

Military control conflicts

Just days after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, agreed to supply Ukraine with Starlink. The satellite internet service quickly became indispensable, keeping Ukraine’s military and civilian systems online despite relentless Russian attacks. Yet it has also been restricted at crucial moments.

In the autumn of 2022, Musk ordered cut coverage during a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson. The move disrupted surveillance drones, artillery targeting, and troop coordination, according to a Reuters investigation. 

Later that year, Musk refused a request to activate Starlink near Crimea for a naval drone strike. He was also allegedly asked by Vladimir Putin to limit coverage over Taiwan — as a favour to Xi Jinping.

These episodes underscored the dangers of a private operator maintaining control of military communications. TERASi says the RU1 removes that risk.

“The RU1 gives users complete control over their communications by creating a secure, high-speed network that they own and operate themselves, without input from third-party providers like Starlink that can be switched off or restricted remotely, as the 2022 incident in Ukraine showed all too clearly,” said Campion.

Battlefield performance

TERASi, a spinout from Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, also distinguishes the RU1 from Starlink in performance. The device uses highly focused antennas with very narrow, “laser-like” beams that are extremely difficult to jam or intercept. The beams reduce interception risks by creating small ground footprints of less than 3km.

Starlink, by contrast, covers areas of around 1,000 km using lower-frequency radio waves, which Campion argues makes it “much more interceptable.”

On performance, TERASi claims RU1 supports data rates of up to 10 Gbps — 50 times faster than Starlink. Future versions promise 20 Gbps, providing a true wireless alternative to fibre.

Latency, meanwhile, is below 5 milliseconds, which is over five times quicker than Starlink, according to Campion. “This is crucial for rapid response in dynamic scenarios such as drone detection,” he said.

The tech isn’t only for military operations. TERASi envisions it providing uninterrupted, high-speed communications in various hostile or remote environments that struggle with traditional infrastructure.

In disaster relief, it could instantly restore gigabit links for first responders without waiting on satellites or fibre repairs. In industry, it could enable temporary high-capacity networks for remote construction, mining, or energy sites.

For militaries, the RU1 is already available for evaluation by defence units. TERASi said it’s currently being integrated into systems with tactical communications providers and drone makers. 

Campion believes the device offers different strengths from Starlink.

“Satellite communication services like Starlink offer wide area coverage that is useful for connecting static, low data rate sensors and devices to a global network,” he said. 

“RU1 gives users control over their data and the freedom to build sovereign networks on-the-fly, changing the frontline paradigm from waiting on infrastructure to creating it instantly, from depending on external actors to self-sufficiency.”

Even if it can’t match Starlink’s global scale, the RU1’s mix of speed, security, simplicity, and sovereignty could prove compelling — especially when a single CEO can cut the alternative at will.