Looking to revolutionize the satellite internet industry, ViaSat has launched the largest communicative ka satellite ever and it is entirely dedicated to improving the satellite internet experience. Exede satellite serviceaims to eliminate a lot of the problems that satellite internet service has faced over the last several years, by increasing broadband and fighting other issues.
One issue that will continue to be there is the simple law of physics. It is still a long way from the earth to a geostationary satellite located above the equator. As a result, satellite is still prone to latency or a lag. As a result, there are still some applications which cannot be used on a satellite internet connection such as playing online gaming. However, ViaSat has poured millions of dollars into making sure that the satellite network is connected to a speedy land based connection to make the service as fast as possible. As a result, other applications such as voice over IP phone calls have no noticeable delay which is a large improvement over previous satellite internet service. In fact, experts say VoIP service could possibly be better in quality than a cellular phone call. In addition, users also say that web pages such as YouTube load without any problems and play without any hiccups.
Another typical problem with satellite internet service has been the weather. Traditionally, satellite service has suffered from rain fade when the weather turns nasty outside. However, those associated with theViaSat satellitesays the company has managed to overcome this issue through its uplink power control making it “a little more reliable than satellite television.” This means that you will still be able to stay online even when there is a downpour going on outside which might have interfered with the signal in the past.
Right now, company spokespeople say that the new ViaSat 1 can effectively service customers in a large portion of the United States. This is due to the capacity in which the satellite can still offer great connections without being overwhelmed. In fact, it may be able to have the same audience per satellite as Dish Network and DirecTV have. As a way to help manage the capacity, ViaSat is limiting the data which can be downloaded and uploaded. For example, the company has three separate plans available for customers with one offering 7.5 gigabytes per month, the middle plan offering 15 gigabits and the top tier with 25 gigabytes. Another satellite which is rumored to launch near 2015 will help ease some of the capacity problems. Company experts say that they understand the congestion that other satellite internet companies deal with and are working hard to try and avoid that issue.
The service could be one of the biggest things ever to hit satellite internet. The high speeds and relatively low prices will bring satellite internet to rural residents and businesses and could even be a competitor for DSL and cable in more urban areas as well.
