From an internet standpoint, living in a rural area, versus living in a city, is night and day. If you live where there is no dsl or cable internet, then you can certainly attest to what I am saying. Until the promise of broadband over power lines or the Obama plan to increase internet infrastructure comes to fruition, then there is one last hope to those living in rural areas, satellite internet.
Over the past twenty some odd years, satellite technology for the home has come a long way. Going from dishes as large as several meters in diameter, to a smaller dish, about a foot or two in diameter. The technology used for satellite television transmission was eventually adopted for home internet use. Of course there are many issues that needed to be addressed to make this technology successful for internet usage. And there are many drawbacks to keep this technology from really taking off like it’s television counterpart. Let’s take a look at some of the major issues and drawbacks.
Latency
According to Wikipedia, latency is the delay between requesting data and the receipt of a response. What this means to satellite internet users is that they can forget about online gaming. Latency thresholds can be as great as 500 to 900 milliseconds one way. These type of delays can also make normal browsing frustrating if you are accustomed to dsl or cable internet response times. There are technologies in place to minimize this problem, but the problem stems from the great distance a signal has to travel. Home, Satellite, ISP, Internet Request, ISP, Satellite, Home.
Rain Fade
This is the problem that most people with satellite television get when there is a storm outside. Nothing new here, but a problem that affects home satellite technology in general. Let me tell you, it sucks when you have satellite television and internet, and both are in the crapper due to weather.
Pricing
Like satellite television, satellite internet prices have drastically come down, thus making it more accessible. That being said, it’s still much, much too expensive compared to similar dsl and cable offerings. Below is a chart outlining the prices and speeds of some satellite internet offerings compared to Comcast and At&t based on speed.
| Company Name | Price (Based On 2-yr Contract) | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
| WildBlue (Satellite) | $79.95 | 1.5 Mbps | 256 Kbps |
| HughesNet (Satellite) | $79.99 | 1.6 Mbps | 250 Kbps |
| StarBand (Satellite) | $99.99 | 1.5 Mbps | 256 Kbps |
| AT&T (DSL) | $25.00 | 1.5 Mbps | 384 Kbps |
| Comcast (Cable) | $24.95 | 1.0 Mbps | 384 Kbps |
Other than the huge monthly price and speed differences between satellite and cable/dsl, with satellite you more than likely will have to sign a 2 year agreement and pay huge costs upfront for equipment and installation.
I have had hands on experience with the WildBlue service over the past week, and I must admit, it works pretty well. Don’t get me wrong, it ain’t no cable or dsl. But if you have dial-up, and satellite is the only alternative, then this is definitely the way to go. For basic internet usage, it’s more than enough. I am very curious to see where this technology will be in the next ten years as technology is always getting better and prices are getting lower.
