The Evolution of Mobile Satellite Internet

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The Evolution of Mobile Satellite Internet

Ten years ago, satellite internet sounded like something right out of a science fiction movie. Five years ago, we knew a lot more about satellite internet access, how it worked and how to get it, but the prices were so expensive that only huge corporations and wealthy entrepreneurs would be able to afford the service. These days, thankfully, the cost of satellite network access has come down drastically in price as the technology to make it work has improved, and become much more reliable, stable and affordable.

So, what is satellite internet access, and how does it work? It is simply using satellite communications to generate a stable and fast internet connection for anyone, anywhere in the world. Typical homes and businesses rely on land connections, either through dial-up (telephone lines), DSL ("supercharged" telephone lines) or cable (coaxial cable). These services are all reliable and are all very affordable, but they're not for everyone. Military operations that are continually on the move, for example, would be hard pressed to remain tied down to a cable modem. National Guard troops who are at sea for extended lengths of time would be unable to make use of a traditional connection to the internet. Merchants and groups that are frequently on the move and on the road would not be able to have an internet connection the "old fashioned way", either.

It's for these people, and really anyone who would want to explore the possibility of Mobile Satellite, that would take advantage of the freedom that satellite internet access can offer. Satellite internet providers make connections to the internet available via satellites that are carefully positioned over the earth's equator. Signals are sent to the recipient on a downstreaming (downloads) connection, with speeds up to 500 kbps, and on an upstreaming connection (uploads), with speeds up to 50 kbps. While these numbers sound small, you must remember that satellite systems are roughly ten times faster than the average cable or DSL modem.

To use Satellite Internet, you would first need to search for satellite internet providers. Once you have found one whose services, features and prices agree with you and your budget, you would proceed to setting up an account with them. In order to set up the connection, you would need an area on or around your home that has a clear view of the south (towards the equator). This is where you would mount your satellite dish. You would also be given two modems -- one for uplinking and one for downlinking, and lines of coaxial cable to hook up the modems to the dish.