Satellite Internet News

March 13, 2009

We always think of various options that have available when we plan to change our Internet connection or take a new one. There are many options which include broadband connectivity, leased lines, DSL, or through the cable network. What happens when you are in a far off place and devoid of such facility? Satellite Internet is the best option for such areas and ideal for the rural internet aficionados. The technology of Satellite Internet does not use a phone line or a network cable, but it depends on a satellite dish for both download and upload. The speed of Satellite Internet is definitely much faster than the dial-up modem connections. So how does Satellite Internet work? Let us first check out the equipments used. The equipments used are two-foot by two and half-foot dish for receiving and transmitting data. A modem is used for both, upload and download connections. The satellite dish needs to be connected through two coaxial cables, which also provide power to the dish.
The installation when done must ensure that the dish has a southern view, since most satellites orbiting the Earth are at the equator. The data gets transferred from the orbiting satellites and transmits to your dish, which then transfers the data to your computer via the coaxial cables. The Satellite Internet uses the technology of Internet Protocol (IP) multicasting. This provides the option of communicating 5,000 channels at the same time through a single satellite frequency. The data is transferred from a single point to multiple points in a compressed format. The advantage of compression is that it reduces the data size and also reduces the bandwidth requirements substantially.

Here, one needs to understand the functioning of TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol). TCP actually controls and manages the transmission through IP. TCP sends the data for the receipts. If the same is not received within a specific time frame, then the TCP sends back the data and it slows the data transfer rate. This factor must be considers when using Satellite Internet, because a delay of few milliseconds can affect the speed of the Internet. The problem needs to be corrected immediately when it is detected which only HughesNet does.

The notable companies that offer this service of Satellite Internet on a two-way basis are HughesNet aka Direcway, WildBlue, and StarBand. HughesNet is the only provider which designed and uses a complex but efficient technology to transmit data over satellite. This Protocol is “IPOS” Internet Protocol Over Satellite. This technology is years ahead of the competition.

HughesNet was formerly known as Direcway. The Hughes Corp. (Hughes Network Systems) bought the remaining shares of Direcway making the world’s largest leader to offer Internet via Satellite. The earlier Direcway service was known as DirecPC which was the world’s first satellite internet provider. DirecPC offered a dial-up modem or connection to send data to the internet. Only data received or downloaded was via satellite, which offered a much slower speed and performance.

One of the new comers to the market is WildBlue. WildBlue currently has two only satellites in operation. When compared to HughesNet’s twelve satellites it’s a small slice of the market. WildBlue uses a cable modem technology for their protocol. This technology is not optimized for satellite internet usages, which limits the bandwidth and availability of their satellites.

An old-timer in the satellite internet business is StarBand. StarBand is not seen or heard of much anymore. The few thousand, or maybe only hundreds of customers that StarBand has left, have been jumping ship. The company is no longer investing money into research and development and they are no longer offering upgrades.

Copyright Elite Satellite

Satellite Internet is one of the new technologies for accessing the Internet. The technology uses a transponder, dish and a modem for uploading and downloading data from a computer to the service provider’s server. HughesNet is a leading provider of satellite Internet services. Satellite Internet connectivity is good for data transfer, but it is not the ideal choice for online gaming and other real time applications. Let us find out why.
Latency is a factor that causes roadblocks in Satellite Internet connectivity being used for online gaming. Internet researchers are convinced that at present service levels online gaming is not ideal over satellite Internet. The time it takes for an electromagnetic signal to cover a two way distance is approximately 0.48 seconds at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. By all practical means this is above acceptable limits and the primary reason why online gaming is not suggested if you have a satellite Internet connectivity. The transponders are normally at a height of 22,300 miles above the equator. Apart from latency there are other factors such as degradation of the signals during heavy precipitation and solar interference in Mid March and late September. Another factor that would hinder online gaming via Satellite Internet is bandwidth availability. Online gaming is real-time and requires high bandwidth between the server and the player’s computer. Satellite Internet may not provide such high bandwidth requirements for home use. Online games are developed using peer-to-peer architecture and the bandwidth requirements are directly related to the scalability of the game. If the number of players increases the bandwidth requirements for the game will be more. Real time games have to maintain consistency of state. It is important that all players have the same view of the car in a racing game. This requires high speed, less latency and almost negligible jitters. The bandwidth requirement for an online gaming application is calculated as NLu/Tu; where N is the number of updates that is sent and received in each update period and Lu is the size of the updates. The update period parameter is Tu. Researchers who work on the bandwidth requirement of a game use this formula. As an end user we should know the requirements before we start on a game.

Satellite Internet companies such as HughesNet offer speeds of 700 Kbps, 1 Mbps, and 1.5 Mbps for home connections as well as 1.5 Mbps and 2 Mbps for business connections. Online gaming is not ideal over Satellite Internet because factors such as loss of packets and jitters may cause the player to lose or abandon a game. It will be a frustrating experience for the player and hence it is advisable that for gaming purposes either DSL or broadband connectivity be used. Satellite Internet providers are continuously working on their technology to upgrade their infrastructure so that they can offer higher levels of services to subscribers. Things are moving at a brisk pace but until the speed and other factors improve online gaming fans should use DSL, broadband or cable Internet.

VoIP has revolutionized the way telecommunication is done. Voice over Internet protocol allows voice packets to be sent over Internet bandwidth enabling cheap communication. There are many companies which offer voice over Internet services and some of the leading ones are Vonage, Skype, Yahoo and Net2Phone. Consumers can access VoIP over Internet connections like broadband and DSL. Satellite Internet is a new technology that has become very popular in recent times and VoIP providers are able to offer services to customers in remote regions using it. It will still take some time until VOIP by satellite is ultimately stabilized and customers can enjoy the full benefits.

Some of the challenges faced by service providers include packet loss, jitters and limited bandwidth. Service providers like Hughes and Skyframes which have their own satellites are teaming up with the VoIP providers to offer voice services to customers. Designing a VoIP network would require details on the bandwidth requirement for VoIP data. Satellite Internet providers are facing challenges on the bandwidth capacity that would be required to offer VoIP services via satellite channels. G.729 (b) encoding with a 40 b payload and header compression would require 10 Kbps of bandwidth. Packet loss is another challenge faced by service providers offering satellite VoIP services. Packet loss causes degradation in voice quality. The protocol used for voice traffic transmission is UDP/IP and if the data packets are corrupted they cannot be retransmitted. TCP/IP protocol allows retransmission of data packets. It is important to maintain very low bit error rates to offer high quality voice services to customers. Jitters are another technology hurdle that is faced by satellite VoIP service providers. It is used to calculate the delays in packet arrivals that happen because of network delay. If this factor is not within acceptable limits the quality of voice becomes poor and the receiver may not be able to enjoy a good conversation. Jitter buffers are used to overcome this hurdle and ensure that there is less delay in the network. Researchers and scientists are working relentlessly to overcome all hurdles that come in way of experiencing a smooth voice call through satellite Internet.

VoIP by satellite is not ideal because of some more factors. Latency factor refers to the time delay in locating the Geo-stationary satellite and the speed of light. There is a delay of 280 msec because of latency factor. Traffic congestion in the network also affects the quality of VoIP service. This can result in voice packets being dropped, delayed or reaching the receiver out of sequence. Compression technology is another parameter for delivering high quality VoIP service. There are two compression technologies that are followed as industry standards. The G.729 codec uses bandwidth of 18Kbps and RTP uses around 10 Kbps per second. If service providers are able to cope with the technological challenges of VoIP over satellite, it will not be long before remote areas of the United States can connect with the rest of the world.

Living in the US countryside can give you a respite from the maddening crowds of New York. This is what the ‘Sage of Omaha’ Warren Buffet did and went on to become one of the legends of the stock markets. The rural areas of America have their own advantages provided that you are well connected with the rest of the world. Internet connectivity is slowly reaching the people of rural areas. Unfortunately, cable and DSL connections are not an option in the rural areas. This is due to the fact that cable companies would not get a return on their investments if they lay cables to far-off areas. Satellite Internet is definitely an option.

41% of Americans have a high speed Internet connection and almost 2/3 get their connection from their cable TV company. The majority of these high speed connections are in the cities. Residential broadband charges start from $50/month. The installation costs are extra and can run into hundreds of dollars. The number of people in rural America who would be interested in paying-up this money is still a question for cable companies. In the United States broadband implementation initiative is driven by the private sector. There is uncertainty on how the future of broadband will take shape. With newer technologies being developed, broadband providers are debating on the best way to move forward. As a result people who are staying in the interiors of America are not able to get the benefits of modern broadband technology. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is closely monitoring broadband implementation by the private players. They are taking steps to remove barriers to competition and ensure that proper investments in infrastructure are happening to provide benefits to rural consumers. Legislations promoting the expansion of broadband include the H.R. 138 (McHugh); known as the Rural America Digital Accessibility Act through which the Government will give grants, loans, research and tax credits to promote the deployment of broadband in rural areas. Apart from this other legislations have been submitted before different committees to help in the expansion of broadband connectivity in rural America.

Many people have home based businesses in rural areas or planning to start one. Slow dial up connections and cost prohibitive ISDN lines can hamper their business prospects to a great extent. The best option for them is to opt for satellite Internet connectivity. The charges vary from $59 per month to $199 per month and subscribers can get uninterrupted Internet connectivity with decent upload and download speeds. Hughes Network Systems offers Satellite Internet connections to 325,000 homes across America. The services are offered by installing a dish and a modem in the subscriber’s house. If you are in rural America you will be able to access the services because no cable or towers will be needed. The signals are transmitted directly from the main satellites to the dish mounted at your location hence you get uninterrupted connectivity. Satellite Internet connection is the best option for people in rural America.

Brussels - 09.13.2009

Lamit Company - Broadband satellite internet news

Lamit Company, the satellite communication provider, has been elected to be awarded the “Golden Award for Quality and Business Prestige” at the end of March 2009, in Berlin, where the official representatives of this corporation will be present to receive the recognition of their outstanding contribution to the development of worldwide communication process and broadband satellite internet field.

“After a deep analysis of the company’s activity, we have revealed the conclusion that due to their outstanding capacity of innovation they manage to be at the forefront of the satellite world”, considered the Committee for Selection.

Furthermore, at the beginning of March 2009, Lamit Company will be also awarded the “International Trophy for Technology and Quality” for its achievements and business results. The awarding ceremony will take place in Geneva, Switzerland:

“Lamit Company is a very well known corporation which obtained good results in the last decade due to the hard work, professionalism and devotion of its employees and an innovative management team. We succeeded to realize great performances in the domain of satellite communications and specifically into the broadband satellite internet service development and we intend to increase our results by improving our services each day. Some of our greatest achievements are special connections for the military troops in the US army bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. We are very proud and honored for this international recognitions of our achievements and we will continue to make all the efforts to improve our work and increase our results”, said V.C., Sales Manager of the company.

During the last decade Lamit Company made itself known for its innovative and modern network management solutions and technology, the quality of their broadband satellite internet services, dedicated virtual private networks (VPN) through satellite, video surveillance service anywhere in the world, Voice over IP (VoIP) communication solutions or their mobile satellite communication systems through satellite.

Due to the high quality of their services and also due to their business performances Lamit Company already received in the past years multiple awards, such as, “The International Trophy For Quality 2008 - The New Millennium Award” or “The Platinum Technology Award for Quality & Best Trade Name”.

For more information about the company’s services you can visit the Lamit Company’s official website.