Broadband satellite Internet systems began as nothing more than a sparkle in many a science fiction author’s eye. But dreaming up worldwide communications was one thing and making it a reality quite another.
Possibly the most famous source for the idea came in 1945 from author Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke published an article entitled Extra-Terrestrial Relays – Can Rocket Stations Give World-Wide Radio Coverage? in Wireless World magazine, in which he astutely explained the difficulty and cost of wired transmissions of all sorts (including our modern cable, DSL, and fiber optics lines) and propagated the revolutionary idea we know today as satellite Internet. Without forward-thinkers like Clarke, broadband satellite Internet systems might not be available in the world today.
Broadband Satellite Internet System Basics
The main satellite technology Clarke addressed in his article and the one used in modern broadband satellite Internet systems is that of geostationary orbits. There is a point in the atmosphere, about 22,300 miles from earth's surface, where satellites can exactly match earth's orbit, appearing to be fixed in the sky or stationary. This makes it possible for fixed dish transceivers and network operations centers to send and receive data from a satellite using microwaves without the additional use of expensive satellite tracking devices.
Frequencies Used in Broadband Satellite Internet Systems
Two wave-frequencies are commonly used to send and receive data by satellite: the Ka-band and the C-band. The Ka-band refers to frequencies between 18.3 Gigahertz (Ghz) and 31 Ghz, the C-band to frequencies between 4 and 6 Ghz. This means that Ka-band satellite Internet systems use higher-power, smaller-wave beams than C-band, making Ka faster but also more susceptible to things like inclement weather. In the past this was countered in Ka-band systems by using a landline for the uplink, meaning data requests were sent by phone or dial-up and data was only received via satellite, but technology has advanced sufficiently to support a reliable two-way broadband satellite Internet connection.
C-band satellite Internet systems are used sparsely nowadays, but still useful in areas of high rainfall, such as tropical regions in South America and Africa, because even rain droplets can disrupt higher frequency receptions. However, this means that C-band connections require a larger dish than Ka-band connections, making them less common and more expensive.
How Broadband Satellite Internet Systems Communicate
When a request is made from a satellite Internet subscriber’s computer to receive data, a signal is sent into orbit (22,300 miles) where it "bounces" off a satellite in geostationary orbit to the satellite Internet provider's network operations center. The network operations center then processes a subscriber's request for data at an Internet backbone, which connects to the rest of the world. After that the requested data is returned and bounces again from the satellite to a subscriber's dish and eventually his or her computer.
This means that data sent over the Internet by satellite journeys an astounding 89,200 miles every time a request for data is made. Because of the distance, the minimum time it takes to receive data, also known as latency, is about 480 milliseconds (ms) or about half a second. And that's only the minimum. Actual latency will usually be much higher than that, possibly 1000 ms (1 second) or higher, making "real-time" programs over satellite impractical and clunky, if they work at all.
Is it Possible to Get Satellite Internet to Work with VoIP or Games?
While the answer to this question is technically yes, the cost to do so is likely outside most home and small-business owners' budgets. Premium satellite Internet service providers keep subscriptions to a minimum but charge more per person, allowing them to provide better service to the few customers they have. It may be possible to use VoIP, Internet games and other programs requiring "real-time" updates using one of these premium satellite Internet service providers.
Looking for other options? Read more about how satellite Internet systems compare to other rural high speed Internet options.
Michael Hintz - Michael Hintz is a technically-inclined writer with a great appreciation for technology and nature alike. Having graduated in December ...
