Bleeding Edge or Expensive Enterprise Satellite Internet?

The State of Satellite Internet in 2005

For those businesses unable can't get T1, Cable or DSL internet service for less than half a year's Gross Profit, vsat (very small aperture terminal) satellite internet is about the only way to obtain decent internet speed. Over the last two years or so many companies have advertised about upcoming solutions to this issue...after all, the business internet industry is huge and growing by giant leaps each year and there are potential profits out there.

Let's take a look at what is currently available and what is on the way:

Available Ku Band Enterprise Systems

This is a "catch all" phrase covering the more expensive equipment and service offered by several large uplink comapnies. It is characterized by larger satellite dishes (typically 1.0 meter or larger), more powerful transmitters (at least 2 watts) and less populated transponders than the "residential" or "small business" setup's available from Direcway, Starband and Wildblue. The result is more consistent, faster service.....what most businesses expect.

There are two general avenues you can take regarding speed and throughput: Shared or dedicated bandwidth - and the difference in price is staggering. For most business applications, shared bandwidth (the less expensive choice) will work fine - giving a company 1.5 kbps downloads and 256 kbps uploads over 90% of the time for prices in the $400-$1500 range. The crucial element of ANY offering is the "contention ratio" - how much they oversell the product or the number of concurrent users they allow on a transponder. Any company that does not put the ratio in writing is not worth doing business with - period...and any company with a contention ratio above 20-1 is not offering you true Enterprise service. With dedicated service (Guaranteed speeds) you will spend over $1,900 per month (up to several thousand per month), but will have service that is nearly bulletproof.

The most tested and dependable Enterprise setup available today in N. America is centered around a modem designed by iDirect Technologies http://www.idirect.net. This is a proven system that will give you what you pay for.

Other systems are coming into the marketplace like the ViaSat Surfbeam DOCSIS setup and another DOCSIS product from Telnor; however, this is very new technology and certainly qualifies as "Bleeding Edge". Only three companies have the equipment to make it work right now and there are bumps in the road. Surfbeam and Telnor's big promise is a better utilization of available ku bandwidth, but no field results have confirmed this yet to my knowledge.

If it provides similar speeds during field testing, it will force iDirect to rethink modem pricing as the DOCSIS setup can be installed for about $500-$1,000 less.

Wireless and Satellite Internet Technology On The Horizon

The Satellite Internet world could be turned on it's head in the coming years as WIMAX emerges. It is a grand plan by Intel and others to cover very large areas of the world with a brand of microwave technology capable of sending data extremely fast to small antennas at homes and businesses. The big difference between WIFI and WIMAX is the distance covered by the main antenna.....the claim is 15-30 miles! Talk about bleeding edge....many of the "Big Boys" including Nokia and Cisco have abandoned plans to invest in it and speak of it as a bad business model to try to replace DSL. They point out that there are currently over 15 "standards" for the technology, not exactly a harmoneous start!

Ka band satellite internet for Enterprise has some real promise. The ability to "reuse" bandwidth, if the concept works, will enable companies to have T1 speeds or greater at any business location for much less than a T1 cost. A unit of SkyTerra Communications - the company managing Hughes Network Systems now, is working on advanced ka band spot beam technology to that end.

The greatest challange facing the satellite internet industry during the next 24 months is figuring out how to make profit.....in the absence of someone finding a business model that can show consistant profit, all of the transponder space allocated to internet will quickly be redeployed to HDTV or other types of profitable communication....bet on it!

About the Author:
Randy Scott has been involved in the bi-directional satellite internet industry from it's beginning as a Sr. Sales Engineer, consultant and business owner. Randy is the founder of VSAT U.S., a consulting and sales organization, representing the most prestigious satellite internet providers in the America's. For more information about current VSAT satellite internet offerings including Ka band, visit http://www.vsatus.com or email randy@vsatus.com

---

Top 3 UK Broadband Providers

Every Internet provider today wants to make it sound like you are getting something for nothing. There are even some providers who will offer free access if... Read More

Internet ISPs

Choosing an internet ISP is often a rash and impulsive decision, but you should put more research and time into this decision to achieve the best results.... Read More

How Peer to Peer (P2P) Works

Peer to Peer (P2P) Technology- How it works:Ever wondered how P2P works? This guide will run down most of the major P2P services and how they work.... Read More

Some DSL Broadband Definitions

Often too many people get confused with all the definitions, here we have explained in easy to understand terms.ADSL: Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line - asymmetric meaning it's... Read More

A Cheap Alternative To Broadband?

Are you a dial-up user looking for a faster connection, but don't like Broadband prices? If so, you should take a look at a new service called... Read More

Two Enter Internet Battle

Consumers understand that when there is more competition in a market, there are lower prices. This is especially true in the computer industry where it is... Read More

Compare Cable vs. DSL

Okay, so you are finally tired of those slow dial-up internet connections, and you want to go broadband. Good deal. But first, you may be wondering which... Read More

How to Get Broadband

Getting broadband services getting easy, but research still required.Broadband Internet services have become more the norm today, unlike the dial-up days of the late 1990s. With greater... Read More

Wi-Fi Hotspot Security

You've set up your Boingo account, you're hanging out at the Home Turf sports bar in LAX and you figure you'll do a little business or check... Read More

Dreams Come True With The Help Of Global Consciousness On The Internet

Dreams. There are two types of dreams: 1. When you are sleeping there are stories unfolding in your mind from a parallel dimension. 2. The aims one... Read More

Its On! (Free Internet TV - Watch TV Online)

Get ready because "there's going to be television out the wazoo!" This according to Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN - U.S. operations in a USA Today... Read More

Business Satellite Internet Products Compared - 2005

There are a number of options available for Business Class Satellite Internet connectivity in the U.S. today. New offerings seem to launch every week in 2005 and... Read More

BT Broadband

Approximately 4 million people in the UK use ADSL with an extra 2 million using a cable connection, meaning 6 million people in the UK have an... Read More

3 Tips to Fix Unreliable Wireless Connections

Generally speaking, wireless computer connections are reliable. However, nothing is perfect, and sometimes you may lose your connection or experience a weak signal. There are many factors... Read More

Broadband Connection to the Central Sun

You may have noticed the expansion of consciousness that has taken place since the Harmonic Concordance. This is due to the new Broadband connection that has been... Read More

How to Choose Best ISP for Your Needs

Well, the Internet access industry is starting to shake its way out. The much-anticipated consolidation of access providers is nearing its end. In broadband, this means that... Read More

Broadband is State-of-the-Art Internet Access: How Can a Broadband Cable Benefit You?

We are now well ensconced in a time when the Web is riddled with graphics, animations, sounds, and videos, bringing about a necessity for superior internet access... Read More

Understanding Broadband - Are You Ready To Upgrade?

Are you ready to upgrade your residential service to DSL or business service to real broadband or T1? Well, the answer lies in what you need. Before... Read More

DSL Internet is a Simple and Easy Way to Get Fast Internet Service

DSL ? which stands for Digital Subscriber Line ? is a great way to get high-speed internet service, without having to get a cable modem, or live... Read More

Internet Service Providers

Internet Service Provider or ISP is a company that provides access to the Internet.Before choosing an ISP, it is important to assess your company's business and marketing... Read More

Finger Protocol - TCP/IP Suite

The "finger" protocol is used to return information on users on a specific host. Information that can be gained by using the finger is to see if... Read More

Webmail - What are the Benefits?

There are so many different webmail services on the internet, from the huge ones like Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, to the much smaller ones from private websites and... Read More

Broadband Features

Internet service providers are becoming more and more present as the internet makes its way into more and more homes in America. This is making it harder... Read More

Searching for the Right ISP

When searching for the right ISP there are a number of items to look at. How much is it going to cost me? What is the connection... Read More

Broadband - Will it Affect Your Online Marketing Future?

The coming age of general Broadband use bearing down upon us, minute by minute, is going to leave many changes in its wake. Some will be welcome;... Read More

Why Choose Dial Up ISP Services

Dial up ISP service is the cheapest choice of any of the ISPs and may be a good option for that family on a tight budget. The... Read More