Satellite Internet

We offer various specialty satellite internet equipment and devices, including portable, vehicular and maritime.  

Specialty Satellite Internet

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Satellite Internet is perfect if you're looking for access to the web from anywhere in Europe. It's also great if you don't want to rely solely on terrestrial infrastructure for your Internet connection. With terminals available for boats, RVs, cabins, homes or business in remote locations, satellite Internet has never been more affordable and accessible. Satellite internet is available through various providers like Thuraya and Inmarsat offering a completely wireless connection anywhere you go.

For Mobile and Marine Internet solutions click the links here.

Satellite broadband, briefly explained

Satellite broadband is just like regular broadband, except it’s delivered via satellite instead of fiber optic cable. The idea has not changed since the late 90's when satellite companies would beam Internet connectivity to the same dish used for receiving your HBO signal at speeds faster than dial-up but slower than today's broadband connections.

There are two main ways companies provide satellite broadband service in 2022. One of the big differences is how high their satellites orbit.

Geostationary satellites orbit at an altitude of approximately 22,000 miles above Earth's surface. It's an older type of technology used by companies like GlobalTT or SkyDSL for broadband connections. You may have used this technology for a Wi-Fi connection on an airplane.

Then there are the LEO or low-Earth orbit satellite constellations, which are comprised of many, sometimes hundreds, or even thousands of small satellites that orbit the earth at anywhere between 300 and 1,200 miles. This is the approach taken by SpaceX and Amazon. 

Eutelsat and GlobalTT are the two companies most likely to offer fix satellite broadband in remote parts of the US right now. If you're someone living in the Ukranian wilderness , where there are no terrestrial broadband options, you can get a version of DSL, which operates on existing copper telephone lines, that's basically sluggish dial-up. Or, you can sign up for geosynchronous satellite broadband through Eutelsat or GlobalTT and get speeds comparable to basic broadband: about 25 megabits per second. Plans start at $40 to $50 a month and get more expensive if you want more bandwidth.

Though reliable these geosynchronous satellite systems have their drawbacks. Latency is the main one. Satellites are thousands of miles above the earth's surface, so it can take some time before the data reaches its destination. If you're just browsing, this isn't a real problem. If you're streaming video games or doing video calls, it's a big problem. Imagine remote news correspondents who must wait a beat between when an anchor in the studio asks a question and when they hear the answer in their earpiece. This is the signal traveling up from the ground to a communications satellite and back down again.

Low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, like those built by SpaceX and Amazon, have the potential to solve the problem of network latency. Because these new satellites have lower orbits, data doesn't need to travel as far. Elon Musk has announced that Starlink, his planned constellation of internet satellites, will be able to provide low-latency connections. The FCC has said that it will prioritize networks that provide low latency when handing out subsidies. Those funds will end up being worth billions of dollars.

There are still some unanswered questions about just how quick these new low-Earth orbit constel­lations will be. LEO satellites circle the Earth every approximately 90 to 120 minutes. Unlike geostationary satellites, which stay fixed above one spot, LEO's are designed to stay connected to the ground station and to the end user through satellite links, but if the connection between the satellite and the ground station gets interrupted, the link could be disrupted. These constellations of thousands of small satellites weigh less than 600 pounds, and will require many launches.

Manny Shar, the head of analytics at Bryce Space and Technology had this to say about these satellites. “As more satellites go up, they optimize the network architecture...In the next couple of years, we should see decent improvements in rural areas where there's really limited capability, and there's limited competition to improve that. So at the very least, there will be an alternative option that those rural users can take advantage of.”

Shar's point about a lack of competition is noteworthy. Many parts of Europe have access to slow DSL connections with telephone lines, but because upgrading that infrastructure would be expensive, telecom companies servicing those areas have little incentive to do so. This leaves people relying on poor wired connections and spotty cellular networks.

New 5G technology will eventually bring faster cellular speeds to remote areas, but again, building that infrastructure will take time and money. Satellite broadband, on the other hand, can send high quality, and potentially more affordable internet access down to nearly anywhere on Earth. This will also take time and money, but we are seeing more and more satellites being launched all the time.

Geosynchronous and low-Earth orbit satellite broadband networks both have their pros and cons. Geosynchronous satellites have been used for years, but they're not perfect. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are here too, however they are expensive. The promise for the future will be to connect everyone, but at an affordable cost.

Functions

Satellite Internet service usually relies on three main components: a satellite/satellites – historically in geostationary orbit (or GEO) but increasingly in Low Earth orbit or Medium Earth orbit – ground stations or gateways that send Internet data to and from the satellite via radio waves, and user terminals to serve each subscriber, with a small antenna and transceiver .

Other components include the user's modem, which connects the user's network with a transceiver, and a central network operations center (NAC), which monitors the entire system from a single location. A broadband gateway works by passing all the network traffic through its central hub processor, which is located at the centre of the network. With this configuration, there are almost no limits to the number of ground stations you can connect to the hub.

A technical breakdown of Satellites

Today, most satellites providing internet use narrow spot beams, which are designed to provide high speed internet access to a specific area. Spot beam technology has an important advantage: It allows satellites to use their assigned bandwidth multiple times, thus achieving much higher overall capacity than satellites using conventional broad beams. The spot beams can improve performance and capacity by focusing more power and increased sensitivity into specific areas.

Spot beams are grouped into two types: subscriber spot beams, which transmit to and from a subscriber-side terminal, and gateway spot beams, which transmit to/from a service provider's ground station.

Note: moving off the footprint of a spot beam can hinder performance. 

A traditional bent-pipe architecture has typically been used for networks, where the satellite functions like a bridge between two communication points on the Earth. The term "bent pipe" describes the shape of the data flow between sending and receiving antennas. The satellite is located at the apex of the bent pipe. The satellite's role in this networking configuration is to relay signals between the end user's terminal and the Internet service provider's gateway without ever processing them. A satellite receives, amplifies and redirects a carrier signal on a specific radio frequency (RF) through a signal path.

Satellites in low earth orbit like Starlink and Iridum are interconnected. These satellites allow for the direct routing of user data between satellites successfully creating a space-borne optical mesh network that will allow for excellent network management and continuity.

Each satellite has its unique set of antennas to receive communications from Earth and to transmit communications to their target locations. These satellites' antennas and transponders are part of their payload, and are designed to receive and transmit messages to and from various locations on Earth. The repeater subsystem enables the transmission and reception of payload transponder signals through frequency changes, filtering, separating, amplification and grouping these signals before sending them to their destination addresses on Earth. The satellite's high-gain receiving antenna receives the transmitted signals from the ground station, processes them, translates them into the frequency band used by the satellite, and then redirects them to the transmitting antenna on board the satellite. The signal is then transmitted to a specific ground location using a channel called a carrier. As well as the payload, one of the most important components of a communications satellite are the buses, which comprise all the equipment needed to move the spacecraft into position, supply power, regulate temperatures, provide health and tracking information, and perform various other operations.

Gateways A technical look

With the significant advances over the past decade in satellite technology , ground equipment has also evolved, with better levels of integration, increased processing power, expanded capacity and performance.

The Gateway or Gateway Earth Station (its full name) receives radio waves from the satellite on the final leg of its return or upstream payload, which carries the user's original site request. The satellite modem at a gateway location receives the incoming signals from an outdoor antenna and converts them into IP packets. Then, it sends these packets to the local network. Once the initial request has been processed by the gateway's server, the information is sent back as an upstream or return payload to the end user through the satellite, which then sends the signal to the terminal. Each Gateway provides the connection to Internet backbone for the gateways it serves. The system of gateways that makes up the satellite ground system gives complete network services for satellite and the corresponding terrestrial systems connectivity. Each gateway provides a multiple service access network for a subscriber’s terminal connection to the Internet In most of Europe, because of its position north of the equator, all gateway and subscriber dish antenna connecting to a geostationary satellite need an unobstructed view of the southern sky.

Starlink

SpaceX is developing an innovative broadband internet service with low latency for consumers worldwide. With a constellation of satellites orbiting the earth, Starlink will provide high-speed internet to people, including those living in remote locations and places where existing services aren't available.

High-speed, low latency

With its use of highly advanced satellites in a relatively low orbit, Starlink’s constellation will allow video calls and online gaming, with data speeds that weren't possible with satellite internet in previous generations. Users are promised to experience download speeds between 100 MB/s and 200 MB/s and latency as small as 20 ms in most locations.

Easy to set up

The Starlink package includes everything you need to get connected, including your Starlink antenna and wifi router.

To be able to connect properly, the antenna needs a clear view of the skies. To find out where you should install Starlink, download the Starlink app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Ideal for rural & remote communities

Starlink is best suited for areas where connectivity has previously been unreliable or unavailable. People around the world are already using Starlink to access educational materials, health services and support communications during natural disasters.

Preserving the night sky

Starlink is leading the industry with innovations designed specifically to minimize the impact satellites have on astronomical research and help protect the natural nighttime sky for everyone to enjoy

Engineered by SpaceX

SpaceX is using its expertise in building rockets and spacecraft to launch the world's most advanced high-speed broadband internet system. As a launch service provider SpaceX is leads the world with the only orbital class reusable rocket – SpaceX maintains a deep tradition with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations.

EU to Build Satellite Internet System to Rival SpaceX's Starlink Questions

Not to be outshone by SpaceX, Starlink and others, the European Commission has set aside €6 billion for building a "space-based secure communication" system designed to serve local governments, businesses, consumers, and citizens across Europe.

The goal is to ensure that Europe has its own cutting- edge satellite internet constellation in orbit while other global competitors like China, Russia, America, and Amazon develop their own. Without these satellites, the EU is at risk of falling behind as the demand grows for high-speed and secure connectivity.

“In today's digital world, space-based connectivity is a strategic asset for EU's resilience,” the commission remarked “It enables our economic power, digital leadership and technological sovereignty, competitiveness and societal progress.”

National security is another factor. A new, next generation satellite internet service will provide secure connectivity for all European Union (EU) members without having to rely on technologies under the control of other foreign governments. The commission stated that:

“These security-related solutions should be European to ensure guaranteed access in an unrestricted manner, by avoiding dependencies on third countries and reinforcing the resilience of our value chains,”

This technology could help European Union (EU) member states protect critical infrastructure and support defensive operations and crisis response across the continent. The European Commission has also expressed its desire to move quickly to develop the satellite internet system saying:

“There is shortage of available frequency filings and orbital slots due to the dramatic increase of mega-constellations. Absence of timely action at EU level would also endanger the competitiveness of EU industry in key technologies and markets,”

Questions

How does satellite internet work?

Satellite internet solves the issue of how to get internet access to areas where there isn't any fiber or cable infrastructure.

Cable and fiber lines bring internet to the people living in cities and other densely populated areas. Installing fiber in a multi unit building is inexpensive because the cost per customer is low. But for people who don't live within the city limits, running cable lines out to each home across rural Europe would be extremely expensive.

Satellite internet is where satellite internet comes into play. Unlike other types of Internet Service, satellite Internet doesn't require any land-based infrastructure to be installed at your home. Instead, a satellite in space communicates with a satellite dish at your house to provide you with high speed internet.

Data travels from your internet device at your home through the satellite in space and back down to the Network Operation Center. It takes less than half a second for all this to happen. Satellite internet technology has made it possible for people who live away from cable or fiber infra­structure to still enjoy internet access.

How much does satellite internet cost?

Satellite internet costs from $40.00 to up to $600.00 a month, or more, depending on your contract and the amount of speed and data you want to use. The average person will spend around $99 a month on satellite internet by 2027.

Is satellite internet fast?

Currently, satellite internet is slower than fiber or cable internet, though it can reach speeds of up to 500 Mbps. With Starlink and other competitors continuing to develop their networks, the speed of satellite internet will continue to improve.

How Starlink satellite internet works

Starlink, developed at SpaceX, is a new satellite technology that uses low orbiting satellites. Using thousands of these low-orbit satellites, Starlink plans to deal with some of the problems associated with traditional satellite internet, such as latency and data restrictions. For example,  Eutelsat and GlobalTT have latency speeds of around 600ms or even higher, Starlink has latency speeds ranging from 20 to 40ms. Starlink speeds are comparable to DSL and basic cable Internet service, and are expected to get faster as more satellites join the network.

How much data do I need?

To give you an idea of how much data you'll need with your satellite internet plan, here is an estimate of data uses for different online activities.

Browsing the web/social media for 195 hours – 3GB

Streaming 195 hours of music – 0.8GB

Streaming 45 hours of SD video – 35GB

Streaming 19 hours of HD video – 50GB

Download a full-length SD movie – 5GB

Download a full-length HD movie – 11GB

Download a video game – 50+GB

How reliable is satellite internet?

Most satellite internet connections are fairly reliable.

That's because modern satellites are designed with weather in mind. Usually snow, ice, or rain aren't a big deal. Even if you lose Internet access during a bad storm, you shouldn't experience any long disruptions.

Is satellite internet fast enough for Netflix?

Yes, you can stream Netflix over satellite internet. But we recommend keeping an eye on the data consumption. Depending on your service provider and your plan this can be expensive. We also recommend streaming in SD since it uses less data.

Can I get satellite internet for an RV or boat?

 You can receive satellite internet for your RV or boat through a broadband global area network (BGAN) like those offered by Thuraya and Inmarsat.

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