With our reliance on mobile communications and the internet, good network connectivity is part of our daily lives. It’s not just work that relies on being able to send messages, documents and data quickly and reliably, but also our personal lives too. From banking to shopping, we use online facilities all the time. One of the biggest talking points about the internet and mobile phones is the fact that rural areas have been left behind when it comes to coverage. But many large towns and cities only have average internet speeds and Wi-Fi coverage can be patchy even in the most urban areas. The answer however may be written in the stars, with satellite internet as the solution.
The space race
Satellite internet is a wireless internet service that only requires three satellite dishes. One is sited at the internet service provider’s hub, one is in orbit in space and one is attached to your property or premises. To connect to the dish, cabling and a modem are required. The receiver antennae dish communicates with the satellite dish orbiting above the Earth, which is how satellite TV works. At the moment, companies like SpaceX and Google are striving to refine this technology, in a new kind of space race that will see internet access brought to every corner of the world.
There are a number of benefits to this technology, as satellite internet provides global coverage. This means as long as you have a satellite receiver, you can take internet access to any location – within reason – on Earth. This wide coverage allows internet access to be achievable, despite geographic and topographic challenges. This makes the technology ideal for rural areas, with little network coverage. Satellite internet is also very quick. It’s faster than traditional broadband connections – in fact, depending on the package you’re on with your provider, users can find satellite speeds to be 10x faster than standard ADSL2 broadband.
A reliable option
Satellite internet is cost-effective too, compared with terrestrial options. Although more expensive that standard broadband, or faster fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) in urban areas, the cost of running miles of cabling to and through remote rural communities can run to thousands of pounds. It can also be a very time-consuming process to include each and every property and location. In these cases, satellite internet is by the most cost-effective means to connect remote locations to the internet. It’s much easier to simply install a satellite dish to a property or location – it is usually a one-technician job which can be competed in a few hours, with the minimum equipment and transport.
Once installed, it’s also very reliable, with less opportunities in the network for breaks in communication. Power outages can occur at any point along cabling, whereas a satellite network can work independently of terrestrial set-ups and maintain connectivity, as long as the equipment is powered. While there many pros to satellite internet, there are some cons too. For instance, signal strengths can be affected by the weather, and the signal can become temperamental if the path to the dish is closely obstructed by trees. Wind can damage a dish too, as it will usually be sited in an exposed position. But it’s not simply rural locations that satellite internet can make an impact. It can also help in cities that have poor connectivity too.
One of our clients in Chester has recently discovered the benefits of satellite internet. A city centre restaurateur was seeking to ensure that its customers could easily access the internet. Despite being a city, and also a popular tourist destination, Chester doesn’t have great cabled connectivity availability via Openreach, even within some areas of the city centre. As a result, we have carried out an installation of satellite internet at their premises on Northgate Street. This has ensured that they have a quick, accessible internet connection at their restaurant. It has made the supply and running of the restaurant – and its connectivity for its customers – much more reliable, without having to pay for installation of a costly dedicated fibre Internet service.
If you think satellite internet may be the answer to your connectivity issues, then why not talk to one of our experts today.