Satellite broadband launched

[Raptor]

A satellite service has been launched that will provide a full broadband package to any home in the UK, no matter where it is located and there is no need for a phone line either.

The Eutelsat service can provide a broadband connection of 2 Mbps at the moment, but with a new satellite being launched, this service could be providing 10 Mbps as early as 2010.

This is a full broadband service offering both downstream and upstream.

Some satellite broadband services only provide a downstream, requiring the user to have a dial up phone line.

The cost of this service is currently £29.99 per month, but the problem is going to be the cost of installing the satellite dish and other equipment needed to receive the signal.

Once connected, though, other services such as TV and phone can also be subscribed to.

[ap0c]

Interesting to see if SKY cooks anything similar up.

[SiE]

£29.99 is a bit steep. I looked at it and thought i could put up with 2mb if it meant axing my land line but the cost of this is twice what im paying for a landline with 8mb.

[EvilBoB]

This is useful for rural areas where DSL and cable are not an option. Bear in mind that latency over satelite is pretty crap so online gaming and VoIP are pretty much out of the question. Sat broadband has been around for a long time - this is not the first company offering this service and I have looked into it previously for various companies and ultimately it's not usually worth it. With the price of leased lines coming down and the advent of ADSL2+ I can't see many people going for this option.

[OrangeJuicey]

It'd have to provide something existing broadband doesn't I guess to make it worthwhile paying all the money to install etc.. and the change over. Broadband is so cheap now its almost free with certain companies. I did used to always want a sat connection but that was when I had a 56k modem and the next best thing was isdn.

[brumbino]

Satellite broadband is usually only one way.

When a mate had it a few years ago, he downloaded via the satellite and uploaded via a 56k modem...

[Undertaker]

can it be hacked? thats the question

[Simate]

can it be hacked? thats the question

Lol.




It's good if you want net access but can't because you live in a field in the middle of nowhere and have no other choice, £29.99 is steep but if there's no choice then ya takes it or ya leaves it.

[kroner]

Main problem with the VSAT broadband is the ping, much slower (well milli seconds) return than on wired broadband.

Ideal for the home browsers etc, but no good for the gamers till they can get a faster return time its a non starter.

Other problem is the dish size, Hughes have just brought out the smallest dish that can be used to get a return path which is an 80 cm. Up until the Camelot lottery project the smallest dish size was 1m.

One of the biggest projects to date is the Camelot installs, over 17,000 VSAT broadband dishes across the uk.

Sky have been working on this, but till the dish size drops, i dont think they'll even contemplate bringing out there own system.

Bit more saddo info, VSAT runs on C band a higher frequency than standard LNB's. The next gen is already in progress Ka band, which will enable the smaller dish but also enhances the return time.