How Broadband Satellite Internet Works

Introduction
People in rural and remote areas have had to rely on dial up Internet service for years. Even wireless broadband services are not available in these areas. With the coming of satellite broadband, rural and remote areas will have access to wireless broadband services even without fiber optics or landline connections.

Satellite Broadband is a technology that uses high speed to transmit data giving users a faster internet connection than dial-up connection. Satellite Broadband does not work through cable systems or telephone lines, but instead uses satellite dish for two-way communication that is to upload and download data. Download speed is 4 times the speed of upload making satellite broadband 500 times faster when compared to dial-up connection.

Satellite broadband services uses geo stationary satellites to transmit and receive data. Satellite broadband internet service is available to virtually everyone and everyone enjoys the same speed and ability to access the system.

Setup and working
A satellite Internet setup consists of a dish, a modem (for upload and download) and coaxial cables for connecting the components.

When a user sends data via web browser, a request is sent from the computer to the satellite via modem and dish antenna. Here modem is used to modulate the signal and dish antenna is used to convert data to RF signals. The satellite dish is usually a mini dish and uses microwave signals to receive and transmit informations. These dishes can be mounted on a wall or a roof or on the ground by a pole mount. The satellite receives this signal and sends it to ground station which then retrieves the website from the web server, across the Internet backbone. This is how data is available to the user.

Technology
Satellite Broadband uses multicasting and Internet Protocol (IP) technology for communications which a single satellite to communicate simultaneously. It also uses compression technology to reduce the size of the data and to lower the bandwidth required to transmit it. Two-way communication dishes make use of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and single channel per carrier (SCPC). Modern teleports support 'C' and 'Ku' frequency band frequencies.

Advantages

• Accessibility: For isolated and rural regions, satellite broadband connections are only available type of broadband Internet
• Mobility: Can use satellite broadband while traveling on a bus or ship without needing cables.
• Simplicity: Doesnt require complex networks.
• Bandwidth flexibility: Configurable satellite systems provide capacity on an as-needed or time- scheduled basis.
• Rapid deployment: Quick initiation of broadband satellite service is possible after the installation of the customer premise equipment.
• Reliability: Satellites are among the most reliable of all communication technologies.

Disadvantages

• High Latency: It is nothing but the delay between the time when data is requested and the requested data is received, which is evidently high due to huge distances that the data has to tour and does not have any affects on normal internet usage like VOIP, online gaming, and also streaming video.
• Troubles: Since distance is involved, any extra disturbances like cloud, rain, or some buildings obscuring line of vision will have an affect on broadband connection.