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Wireless Satellite Internet
By Editor | September 2, 2008
Wireless satellite internet is made possible by satellite communication. Wireless satellite internet is especially useful in areas where physical cables to a telephone line or other providers of internet services which lay physical cables to provide internet connectivity are not accessible. In such cases, satellite communication is used for providing wireless satellite internet service.
Satellite communication is of two kinds. There are artificial satellites put up in space for telecommunication purposes. In fixed point to point satellite communication, both the points of telecommunication are stationary or fixed. In such cases, satellite communications provide an alternative or a parallel method to fibre optic submarine communication cables. Satellite communication in such cases is used even though it is more expensive in places where submarine communication cables have not been laid such as remote islands like St.Helena, Ascension Island and the Pacific islands. Similarly, the polar caps and other mountain regions where fibre optic communication cables have not been laid are places which depend on satellites for any sort of telecommunication, including internet facilities. The other kind of satellite communication is mobile satellite communication. In mobile satellite communication, one or both the points is/are mobile. For example, the mobile point(s) may be an aeroplane, a ship or a moving vehicle. These are the two basic kinds of satellite services. Wireless satellite internet is provided through such methods.
Sometimes, satellite phones are also used to provide wireless satellite internet services. The bandwidth of the internet connection is usually quite low for satellite phones.
Wireless satellite internet is not yet at an advanced stage. So it is primarily used for low data transfer and is usually not used for huge volumes of data transfer. Because of the costs of satellite communication, technology is still at an early stage and thus latency (or the phenomenon where there is a considerable delay between the time data is sent and data is received) or the lack of connectivity in case of bad weather conditions such as heavy rain or fog, wireless satellite internet still remains a niche product.
Satellite internet services, by their nature of functioning due to satellites put up in space, have a global connectivity as opposed to dial-up or DSL both of which are based on physical connection with cables and so require physical connection to a local station.
A satellite antenna, a satellite mount, a feed line, a feed horn, a universal LNB (in some cases only), a DVB-S PCI card or a compatible modem are the hardware equipments required to setup a satellite internet link.
Among the satellite internet service providers, the three most popular ones are HughesNet, StarBand and WildBlue. StarBand and HughesNet both use a Ku Band link. WildBlue, on the other hand, uses a Ka Band link.
The three types of satellite internet connections are multi-cast one way version, one way satellite internet connection with a terrestrial return and V-Sat. V-Sat, or two way internet connection is the most recommended form of satellite internet connection. The choice depends on one’s needs.
Topics: Satellite Internet |