Satellite Internet access has been growing in popularity since broadband became the standard in the late 1990’s. Because it offers a superior connection to dial up access- which is usually the only option outside of cities and towns-many rural families have opted to purchase Internet service along with their satellite television services.

Where Internet service is concerned, bandwidth is usually the deciding factor for consumers. Cable and DSL providers typically sell their packages in terms of bandwidth, with 256Kbps being the lowest speed service that is usually defined as broadband and some cable services offering speeds as high as 8Mbps. Compared to the fastest modem services which run at 56Kbps, anything from the top to the bottom of the broadband range greatly changes the Internet experience for the user.

Satellite Internet services make use of two-way satellite communication. This means that you communicate to the satellite through your computer and the satellite responds by sending the data you requested to your computer. The download speed of these connections is usually about 10 times the speed of a dial up connection, making the Internet much more useful to those formerly dependent upon a phone modem for connectivity. The upload speed, however, is slower than that offered by regular broadband services. To compensate for this, providers often split upload and download tasks between two technologies. Information from the Internet arrives on the satellite signal, information sent to the Internet is sent through a phone line. Because outgoing requests and uploads are typically very small compared to the amount of information users download, this arrangement is seldom noticeable.

Additionally, satellites orbit the Earth tens of thousands miles in space. This means that outgoing requests must travel as far as 35,000 miles before the satellite receives them. Even at the speed of light, that can take 200 milliseconds in the best conditions, more if weather conditions slow down the process. This delay is properly called “latency”.

Phone connections, though their download speeds are notoriously slow, have very little latency, especially when the information being transmitted is something as mundane as a mouse click or sending an email. This combination of technology is likely a view into the future, as no one technology typically provides as many solutions as the creative application of two technologies can provide.

With satellite connections, there are often restrictions on the amount of data that can be downloaded in a given period. Unless your work or play requires you to download large files, this shouldn’t be a factor that affects your access. However, those who download a large amount of data and reach their assigned limit will find themselves restricted to speeds comparable to a phone line connection. Providers usually offer packages that scale to the needs of their clients, allowing customers who need large amounts of data transfer to have it at a higher monthly subscription price.

Whatever the limitations, having access to broadband speed in rural areas is a huge breakthrough that affects many families.

By: Marshawn Edwards