> Traditional satellite internet uses satellites in geostationary orbits, or 35,786km high above the equator. This is great because satellites in that orbit are stationary relative to the ground, so you just need a parabolic antenna pointed at a specific point in the sky to get great reception. But it's also terrible for latency because the signal takes 120ms just to get up, and another 120ms to get down. Assuming you live on the equator, directly underneath the satellite. For someone living in the temperate regions, typical real rtts are in the 700ms area.

This doesn't check out.

The radius of Earth is 6,300km. Assuming a receiver on the north pole, the total distance should only be sqrt((35786 + 6300)^2 + 6300^2) = 42555km, which isn't notably larger than the 36000km at the equator.

I'm sure you're still right about the latency, but it can't be just distance doing it.