| As we approach the second decade of the | | | | performed on mobile vehicles as well as vessels |
| twenty-first century, we should be able (as an | | | | out at sea: satellite internet can go any place you |
| entire nation) to say that nobody is having to | | | | want it to go. The benefits of switching from |
| connect to the internet via a dial-up modem; | | | | dial-up can be neatly summed up in the following |
| however, that is unfortunately not the case. | | | | way: 50+ times faster connection speeds! Yes, |
| Across the United States, many people are still | | | | that's right, more than fifty times faster |
| using phone modems to connect to the web, | | | | downloads from the internet than dial-up, which |
| having to put up with incredibly sluggish download | | | | brings the top possible download rates with |
| speeds, especially out in rural and remote | | | | satellite to around 3mbps-a dream for those still |
| communities where cable networks have yet to | | | | hearing the scratchy noises of their phone |
| be installed. There is a cure for this suffering, | | | | connection every time they connect. Of course, a |
| however, and it comes in the form of a satellite | | | | reliable satellite signal is always on, and you will |
| internet connection. | | | | never have to put up with the annoying waits to |
| The great thing about this technology is that | | | | access a certain page or download, which can be |
| anyone in the world can connect to the web from | | | | of tremendous importance in urgent situations. |
| any place in the world, as long as they have an | | | | For those that still have reservations about the |
| unobstructed path between their downlink satellite | | | | reliability of satellite internet as a |
| (that's the one that customers have on their roof | | | | telecommunications technology, perhaps they |
| or wall) and the geostationary satellite in orbit | | | | should consider not only the major technological |
| thousands of miles high in the sky. The nifty thing | | | | advances in the field over recent years but also |
| about these satellites is that they remain fixed | | | | the list of major commercial clients (some of the |
| over a certain spot on the Earth's equatorial plane, | | | | biggest names in international commerce) that use |
| so that customers receiving that particular "bird's" | | | | satellite connections to access the internet. Signal |
| signal will never lose the ability to be in contact | | | | latency has been brought down to mere fractions |
| with it-a feat which is accomplished by equating | | | | of a second, and there have been important |
| the Earth's revolution around its axis with the | | | | adaptations of the technology to defeat the issue |
| satellite's full orbital cycle. Of course, if a satellite | | | | of rain fade (like using lower frequencies to |
| internet provider has customers on directly | | | | transmit the signal and using larger uplink dishes at |
| opposite sides of the planet, then it would be | | | | the provider's teleport station). With these major |
| necessary to use separate satellites to provide | | | | advances, satellite internet today is as good as it |
| the service to those geographically disparate | | | | gets for any class of internet user, and surely the |
| users. | | | | droves of people tolerating dial-up today will be |
| Installation is quick and easy, and can even be | | | | much better off with it. |