Fast Internet Available Everywhere
By R.M. Yates
Monday, October 12, 2009 at 10:19 AM
While many of us take fast Internet connections for granted, there are many locations in the world where cables have yet to be run. Residents in these areas often find themselves stuck with dial-up connections. (Remember those days when you clicked on a page and had time to make sandwich before it loaded?) Whether you have a cabin on a mountainside or a rural farmhouse, satellite Internet service can have you surfing web sites at blink-of-an-eye speeds, up to 50 times faster than a dial-up connection.
A satellite internet provider does not require you to have a phone but equipment similar to that needed for satellite television will be professionally installed. The main competitors in this business are HughesNet and WildBlue.
HughesNet describes its system working like this: a web page request is made from a computer to a satellite; the satellite contacts the HughesNet Network Operations Center; the center contacts the requested web page; and then the information is beamed back to you through the same path.
Prices typically range from $60 to $80 a month, depending on the speed, which could range from 1000 kilobit per second downloads to 1600 kilobit per second downloads. Compare that to a traditional dialup connection, which normally offers a 56 kilobit per second speed.
Upload speeds for satellite Internet often range from 128 kilobit per second to 250 kilobit per second. For those who live in those wonderful out of the way places but still want the convenience of high-speed Internet connection, it's an affordable choice.