Satellite internet access is ideal for rural Internet users who don’t have access to DSL or cable.
If you have access to DLS or cable Internet, you should use them since satellite internet service will not provide faster services and is about twice as expensive.
A satellite installation can be used even when the most basic utilities are lacking, provided there is a generator or battery power supply that can produce enough electricity to run a desktop computer system.
Satellite Internet does not use telephone lines or cable systems, but uses a satellite dish for two-way (upload and download) data communications.
Upload speed is about one-tenth of the 500 kbps download speed.
Cable and DSL have higher download speeds, but satellite systems are about 10 times faster than a normal modem.
Some firms that offer two-way Internet include: StarBand, Pegasus Express, Teledisic, and Tachyon.
Two-way satellite Internet consists of: a two- by three-foot dish, two modems (uplink and downlink), and coaxial cables between the dish and modem.
You must have a clear view to the south since the orbiting satellites are over the equator. Like satellite TV, trees and heavy rain can affect reception of signals.
Two-way satellite Internet uses Internet Protocol (IP) multicasting technology, which means that up to 5,000 channels of communication can simultaneously be served by a single satellite.
Satellite connection is good for Web browsing and downloading files. Because of long latency, interactive applications such as online gaming are not compatible with satellite networks.
In a two-way geostationary-satellite Internet connection, a transaction requires two round trips between the earth’s surface and transponders orbiting 22,300 miles above the equator.
Satellite systems are prone to rain fade (degradation during heavy precipitation) and occasional brief periods of solar interference in mid-March and late September when the sun lines up with the satellite for a few minutes each day.