SATELLITE SERVICE

When is satellite service the right choice?

If you are one of the many frustrated individuals or businesses that can't get high speed through traditional means, satellite may be your saving grace. There are cost and quality of service issues that usually make satellite a last choice alternative to other broadband technologies.

The latency or time it takes packets to get from earth to orbit and back to earth is inherently high due to the distance information has to travel. This latency does not matter to most people who simply want to email relatives or surf the web quicker than dial-up will allow, but it can be a stumbling block to internet gamers, web developers, and people who want use their computers for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol - the ability to talk to friends over the internet rather than using traditional long distance voice lines).

On top of the latency issues, satellite does have environmental problems that make it susceptible to 'black out' periods where heavy rain or snowfall, solar flares, and other extreme weather conditions degrade the signal substantially. This is NOT a technology you want to base any type of mission critical internet applications on.

The last issue that often makes satellite less attractive is price. Satellite technologies deploy mini-dishes and transceivers to send and receive the signals which must often be purchased by the end user before they can get service.

There are really two major players in the satellite service arena. Direcway is geared for home users and does not provide the higher level of services and bandwidth that Edge Sat Direct can deliver. This product is really geared toward businesses that need to share bandwidth across a network or just want the most reliable connection they can expect from satellite service.

All of the plans currently listed below are through NewEdge Networks and also require a one-time equipment purchase and installation fee of $2,099. We are adding WildBlue and DirecWay satellite options as well shortly so please visit us again as we should have the new postings listed in the next few weeks.