Satellite Internet News

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.

Riverside, CA, August 1, 2007

Advanced Satellite Services Provide Broadband to Small Business and Consumers in the 48 contiguous US states anywhere in the US

Elite Satellite is making broadband available to all consumers and small businesses anywhere in the US – even those who have been left behind by cable and DSL. Working with Hughes, the leading provider of satellite broadband services, Elite Satellite will offer all residents and businesses the speed and performance of available-anywhere high-speed internet service by satellite.

“Our mission is to get high-speed Internet access to anyone who wants it,” said Elite Satellite. “After 10 years in the business, it has become clear that the only way to make broadband available to those who need it in rural areas is to offer internet service via satellite. No other solution has the flexibility for anytime, anywhere internet access. And with more than 30 years of satellite experience, Hughes offers the only solution we recommend.”

The HughesNet service offered by Elite Satellite improves the user’s Internet experience by offering plans with speeds up to 70 times faster than dial-up. The technology, previously available only to larger companies, delivers high-quality, high-speed Internet to everyone.

Service Plans and Benefits
Elite Satellite is offering a range of HughesNet service plans to meet individual users’ needs. Whether a residential user wants to download Web pages quickly and ensure timely e-mail delivery, or if a small business owner wants to incorporate e-commerce, there is a plan that meets that need. By offering a variety of service plans and empowering subscribers to select the one that’s best for them, Elite Satellite is ensuring that consumers and small business owners have a quality Internet experience, and one that delivers value for their dollar.

HughesNet residential plans offer speeds up to 1.5 megabits per second which start at $59.99 per month. Small business plans start at $99.99 per month and offer maximum speeds of up to two 2 megabits per second. All plan subscribers will benefit from:

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Emergency response teams have to communicate with many departments such as fire stations and police within the shortest possible time possible. During an emergency important communication mediums such as telephones and mobile services can go down. Even Internet connectivity using cable or telephone may not function. Satellite Internet connectivity is one of the best ways to communicate during an emergency. Loved ones desperately try to connect with family members and friends to know their whereabouts. As the leading Satellite Internet service provider in America, HughesNet takes the onus of keeping their services live and running during an emergency. They take all measures to ensure that emergency response teams can quickly connect with other essential services to bring quick relief to people in need.

As the name suggests Satellite Internet connectivity uses satellite and a dish on the ground to transmit signals which establish the connection with the World Wide Web. In many recent emergencies such as the San Diego fires, emergency teams have been using the services of HughesNet with success. In many of the areas where wild fires have broken out during recent times, residents did not have broadband connection because the areas are in the interior parts. HughesNet provides Satellite Internet connections to the boonies. Affected people were able to connect with the loved ones using e-mails and VoIP phones. In this way Satellite Internet brings a great deal of relief to people affected by these fires as well as any other emergencies. Emergency vehicles can use the satellite dish for communication purposes.

There have been many incidents in United States where Satellite Internet connectivity has brought great relief during emergencies. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina many emergency response vehicles were fitted with transportable broadband satellites. The best part of Satellite Internet access is an antenna and a clear view of the Southern sky is all that is required to get the connection up and running. Irrespective of the geography of the emergency, HughesNet can offer high speed Internet access during an emergency. HughesNet offers Continuity of Operations Solutions (COOP) that is designed to stay operational even when other terrestrial systems fail. These systems are operational 24/7 and help a great deal during the time of emergency. The Florida Emergency Management agency (FLEMA) is an example of one Government agency that uses HughesNet solutions.

Emergency response teams are well equipped with communication equipment. The COOP solutions of the company have many different types of equipment which are designed specifically for use in emergency situations. Some of the emergency packages are Hughes Internet Access 400 and Hughes Internet Access 300 which come at packages between US$250 and US$500. If emergency response companies do not have the need of entire packages they can avail equipments and services such as the Network Gateway device or implementation services. No other Satellite Internet service provider in America has the reach and capability to offer emergency service solutions such as HughesNet. The company solves many hurdles that are faced by emergency workers during an emergency be it a wildfire or a terrible hurricane like Katrina.

Source: www.elitesat.com