It's the difference between a satellite able to relay between two ground locations (e.g. ship and uplink) and series of satellites able to relay directly to eac

It's the difference between a satellite able to relay between two ground locations (e.g. ship and uplink) and series of satellites able to relay directly to each other. In the first case, you need both endpoints to be in same satellite's footprint. In the second, you need to just have any satellite overhead and any satellite in range of an uplink with a few intervening satellites. That is, that reflects a leap in technology, not an incremental growth from putting more satellites in orbit.