140 Gbps consumer broadband satellite launches

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15358121?

by srgseg • 15 years ago

2 1 15 years ago

bbc.co.uk

egiva• 15 years ago

This satellite looks awesome, but it's basically being put into service by the satellite ISP WildBlue, which ViaSat bought in late '09. My parents live in a rural area and rely on WildBlue for their internet (they have a dish on the roof), so really this headline was deceiving for me. Why? you wont get 140Gbps of internet speed - WildBlue gives you satellite internet in 7,10,12Gb (etc) TOTAL bandwidth per month. So they will break bandwidth up from this satellite to handle traffic for another 30+ million customers, which is pretty huge, but you definitely wont be getting some super-rapid internet service, unless somehow they change their pricing.

Other drawbacks from WildBlue or satellite internet (in case you're thinking about signing up): - Limited (low) monthly total bandwidth caps = no online movies, Netflix, or even working online more than 3-4 hours daily. - high latency, meaning VoIP services like Skype absolutely don't work. No online telephone calls, etc. - Pretty costly at around $40/month for just 7Gb of total bandwidth. But there aren't many other options in rural areas.

140 Gbps consumer broadband satellite launches

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