加拿大斥資 25.4 億美元押注衛星公司 Telesat 與伊隆馬斯克的 Starlink：兩條網路存取路徑的故事

上週末，即 9 月 15 日，科技億萬富翁 Elon Musk 表示，只需「不到一半」的資金即可為每個加拿大家庭提供星鏈服務

Elon Musk has said that providing Starlink to every Canadian household would cost “less than half” the amount the country's government has provided to its competitor Telesat to achieve the same goal.

伊隆馬斯克表示，為每個加拿大家庭提供星鏈服務的成本「不到加拿大政府為實現相同目標而向其競爭對手 Telesat 提供的資金的一半」。

The response came after Michael Barrett, a Member of the House of Commons of Canada and Conservative Party Member, condemned the multi-billion dollar deal between the Canadian government and satellite operator Telesat.

加拿大下議院議員、保守黨議員邁克爾·巴雷特(Michael Barrett)譴責了加拿大政府與衛星運營商Telesat之間達成的數十億美元的交易，隨後做出了回應。

“If this $2.14 BILLION plan is the panacea of expanding access, competition, and service — where is the interest from private investors and banks?”

「如果這項耗資 21.4 億美元的計劃是擴大准入、競爭和服務的靈丹妙藥，那麼私人投資者和銀行的興趣在哪裡呢？”

– Barrett on X (previously Twitter)

– Barrett 在 X 上（以前是 Twitter）

He further asked Musk to share his remarks on the matter and, on the suggestion of lower cost, opined that Starlink sounds like a “common sense solution” for Canada.

他進一步要求馬斯克分享他對此事的看法，並就降低成本的建議表示，星鏈聽起來像是加拿大的「常識性解決方案」。

Canada's industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, dismissed it all as “nonsense.”

加拿大工業部長 François-Philippe Champagne 斥責這一切是「無稽之談」。

“They'd prefer giving money to foreign billionaires instead of supporting our industry and our workers. This loan will help build a world-class Canadian-made satellite network and support thousands of jobs in Quebec! Now that's common sense!”

「他們更願意把錢捐給外國億萬富翁，而不是支持我們的產業和工人。這筆貸款將有助於建立世界一流的加拿大製造的衛星網絡，並支持魁北克省的數千個就業機會！現在這是常識！

– Minister of innovation, science and industry

– 創新、科學和工業部長

Back in July, Musk shared on X that Starlink has been serving “more than 400k active Canadian customers,” about 3% of households across the country. The people of Quebec City are currently paying about C$140 per month to avail of Starlink's service, while the hardware needed to use the service at home costs C$299.

早在 7 月份，馬斯克就在 X 上表示，Starlink 一直在為「超過 40 萬活躍的加拿大客戶」提供服務，約佔全國家庭的 3%。魁北克市居民目前每月支付約 140 加幣即可使用 Starlink 服務，而在家使用該服務所需的硬體成本為 299 加幣。

Starlink is a subsidiary of Musk's SpaceX, which is a company that designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. Internet speeds across its satellites range from 25 to 220 MBps. SpaceX plans to have over 40,000 satellites in orbit, with more than 7,000 already orbiting space.

Starlink 是馬斯克旗下 SpaceX 的子公司，SpaceX 是一家設計、製造和發射先進火箭和太空船的公司。其衛星的網路速度範圍為 25 至 220 MBps。 SpaceX 計畫在軌道上安裝 40,000 多顆衛星，其中 7,000 多顆已經在軌道上運行。

In response to Champagne's comment, Musk said this week that the Canadian government doesn't want to rely on Starlink but rather wants its “own system” to provide connectivity throughout the country.

針對香檳的評論，馬斯克本週表示，加拿大政府不想依賴星鏈，而是希望自己的「自己的系統」在全國範圍內提供連接。

While Musk hasn't shared just how he can achieve Telesat's goal at half the amount that it has received from the Canadian government, there are some seemingly obvious ways it can be done.

雖然馬斯克沒有透露如何以加拿大政府提供的一半資金實現 Telesat 的目標，但有一些看似顯而易見的方法可以實現這一目標。

For starters, SpaceX has already been mass-producing satellites. Building satellites at scale has allowed Starlink to develop efficient satellite manufacturing processes that enable cost savings.

首先，SpaceX 已經開始批量生產衛星。大規模建造衛星使星鏈能夠開發出高效的衛星製造工藝，從而節省成本。

Not to mention, SpaceX's reusable rocket technology drastically cuts launch costs by reusing the same rocket multiple times, and most of its rocket components are also manufactured in-house. These factors allow for tighter control over costs and reduce reliance on external suppliers that may have higher markups.

更不用說，SpaceX的可重複使用火箭技術透過多次重複使用同一枚火箭，大幅降低了發射成本，而且其大部分火箭零件也是內部製造的。這些因素可以更嚴格地控製成本，並減少對可能具有更高加價的外部供應商的依賴。

Musk's US-based company also has advanced launch capabilities, controlling a significant portion of its supply chain, reducing overhead, and cutting middleman costs. Not to mention, having experience with similar projects gives the company an advantage in both experience and cost optimization.

馬斯克的美國公司還擁有先進的發射能力，控制其供應鏈的很大一部分，減少了管理費用，並削減了中間商成本。更不用說，擁有類似專案的經驗使公司在經驗和成本優化方面都具有優勢。

A Deeper Look at Telesat's $2.54 Billion Government Funding

深入了解 Telesat 25.4 億美元的政府資助

Last week, the Canadian satellite communications company Telesat, with its headquarters in Ottawa, secured investment agreements worth $2.54 billion with the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec. This funding, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, showcases the government's commitment to focus on Canadians in action.

上週，總部位於渥太華的加拿大衛星通訊公司 Telesat 與加拿大政府和魁北克政府簽訂了價值 25.4 億美元的投資協議。總理賈斯汀·杜魯道表示，這筆資金體現了政府致力於關注加拿大人的行動。

“Designed, manufactured, and operated in Canada – the Telesat Lightspeed satellite network will be the largest in Canadian history – creating thousands of jobs, growing our economy, and getting high-speed internet to Canadians. We're putting Canada at the forefront of opportunity, with a fair chance for everyone to succeed.”

「在加拿大設計、製造和營運 - Telesat Lightspeed 衛星網路將成為加拿大歷史上最大的衛星網路 - 創造數千個就業機會，發展我們的經濟，並為加拿大人提供高速網路。我們將加拿大置於機遇的最前沿，為每個人提供公平的成功機會。

– Trudeau

——杜魯道

For a clear picture, the Canadian government loaned Telesat $1.57 billion (CAD 2.14 billion), maturing it by 15 years. The government is also receiving warrants for 10% of the common shares of the company based on a $3 billion equity valuation of Telesat LEO, which is a Telesat subsidiary and the official borrower.

為了清楚了解情況，加拿大政府向 Telesat 提供了 15.7 億美元（21.4 億加元）貸款，期限為 15 年。根據 Telesat LEO 的 30 億美元股權估值，政府還將獲得該公司 10% 普通股的認股權證。

Meanwhile, the loan from the Quebec Government is for $294 million (CAD 400 million) with warrants for 1.87% of the common shares. According to Dan Goldberg, the President and CEO of Telesat:

同時，魁北克政府提供的貸款金額為 2.94 億美元（4 億加元），並附有 1.87% 普通股的認股權證。 Telesat 總裁兼執行長 Dan Goldberg 表示：

“We are pleased to conclude these funding arrangements with the governments of Canada and Quebec as we make strong progress on the build-out of the revolutionary Telesat Lightspeed constellation, the largest space program in Canada's history.”

“我們很高興與加拿大和魁北克政府達成這些融資安排，因為我們在建設革命性的 Telesat Lightspeed 星座方面取得了重大進展，這是加拿大歷史上最大的太空計劃。”

With this funding, Telesat has all its bases covered to pay for its $3.5 billion Lightspeed network, which includes satellites, launch vehicles, landing stations, and operational support systems. The launch of the company's first Lightspeed satellites, however, won't come until mid-2026, with 2027 as the go-live date.

憑藉這筆資金，Telesat 覆蓋了其所有基地，以支付其 35 億美元的光速網絡，其中包括衛星、運載火箭、著陸站和營運支援系統。然而，該公司的第一顆 Lightspeed 衛星要到 2026 年中期才會發射，上線日期為 2027 年。

The Lightspeed network of Telesat is made of

Telesat 的 Lightspeed 網路由