Satellite Internet Service Providers

Need help finding satellite Internet Service Providers?

If you live too far from a phone company office for DSL and there is no cable TV on your street, you're probably considering satellite Internet Service Providers. Satellite Internet Service Providers are ideal for rural Internet users who want fast, broadband access. Obviously, satellite Internet Service Providers do not use telephone lines or cable systems, but instead use a satellite dish for two-way -- upload and download -- data communications.

The downside to the technology behind satellite Internet Service Providers is that uploading (sending info from your computer out to the Internet) is very slow. Upload speed is about one-tenth of the 500 kbps download speed. Yes, cable and DSL have higher download speeds, but satellite Internet Service Providers are about 10 times faster than a normal modem which is a great improvement.

Satellite Internet Service Providers require much more equipment than would a normal cable or DSL provider. The two-way satellite Internet equipment you need for most satellite Internet Service Providers consists of a two-foot by three-foot dish (approximately), two modems (for uplink and downlink) and coaxial cables between dish and modem. To make sure choosing satellite Internet Service Providers is right for you, you must make sure that your home has a clear view for good reception. The key installation planning requirement is a clear view to the south, since the orbiting satellites are over the equator area. Additionally, trees and heavy rains can affect reception of the satellite Internet signals just like they affect satellite TV.

A few satellite Internet Service Providers that offer two-way satellite Internet include StarBand, Pegasus Express, Teledesic and Tachyon. Pegasus Express is the two-way version of DirecPC and the Tachyon service is available today in the United States, and some other parts of the world. We've also provided you with some resource links to help you in your search for satellite Internet Service Providers.

So be sure to check out our pages about Best Internet Service Providers, High Speed Internet Service Providers, Broadband Internet Service Providers, Cable Internet Service Providers, and Wireless Internet Service Providers elsewhere on this site.