Satellite Internet will take a big leap in 2012

Broadband Internet via satellite will have a new development in 2012 when HughesNet, one of the two major suppliers in the US launched a new generation satellite.

The new satellite called Jupiter transmits data faster than the current Spaceway satellite and a series of transponders, which will operate in orbit. Speed ​​and subscriber price have not mentioned, only know the download speed of 20 megabits per second is 10 times higher than the current speed and of course the subscription price must also change.

HughesNet dish antenna on the roof of a rural house.

This is good news for over 10 million Americans who don't have high-speed Internet access, usually defined as 256 kilobits per second and according to the US Federal Telecommunications Commission, the new system can be downloaded with speed. 4 megabits per second and upload (upload) at 1 megabits per second. HughesNet expects the target audience to target families outside the major cities.

We often hear about satellite radio, satellite TV but many people have not heard of satellite Internet . Compared to other services, Internet satellite is still a closed market with only about 1 million subscribers and 1% of broadband Internet market. In contrast, satellite TV in the US accounts for one third of the paid TV market (about 30 million subscribers) and satellite radio has 20 million listeners.

Satellite Internet cannot compete with underground broadband transmission facilities such as cable lines and digital subscriber lines. But HughesNet - the largest service provider with more than 550,000 subscribers - and its competitor WildBlue will have to wrestle with customers who are always frustrated with the slow dial-up connection. . For many rural Americans, the school dial-up method is still their only way of accessing the Internet.

Cable and telephone companies, traditional broadband providers, are not investing in more broadband infrastructure for less-populated areas because they are not economically efficient. 'We will fill the gap in places where these companies have not served or served very poorly,' said Peter Gulla, Vice President of HughesNet Group. ' These are remote and remote rural and mountainous areas where the line has not yet reached '.

Technical requirements of satellite Internet is an installed pan antenna on the roof to send and receive signals. Internet waves emitted from geostationary satellites orbiting the equator 36,000 km.

To build satellite Internet , HughesNet Group invested with a $ 115 million loan from the bank and satellite launch company. They hope to have 11 million subscribers, including those who leave old services to reach them, mainly in rural areas and new subscribers in remote areas, where the line has not yet reached. . The US government also funded them with a package of $ 58.7 million as part of stimulating activities to bring the economy out of the crisis.