Satellite Internet Forum

[rick lenhart]

Does anyone have or know were I could obtain a list of the US satellite providers that sell internet service

[balajiB]

Where in the US? Which grade of service: Consumer grade? Business grade? Without knowing, I'd say simply check the Yellow Pages - or Google. There really are only a few companies that you can link with directly: Direcway, Starband. The next level down sell hardware and internet access, but generally don't lease their own transponders. They still get satellite time from the big guys. The rest are regional or local outfits, serving a defined customer area, again often getting their satellite time from the big guys.

[rick_lenhart]

Thanx bB....  I'm looking ( researching ) for regional and national players anywhere in the US. The project I'm working on will cover both consumer and business. I'm just starting out so I have allot to learn about the satellite business. I did check Google but there was so much there wasn't sure where to begin. Can you think of any books or publications that would give me an overview of the satellie industry..... rick....

[balajiB]

I can appreciate your problem with information overload, but unfortunately you're still handing me the other end of that stick. If you'd narrow your scope some - maybe a hint of the project goals - I'd have a lot better feel for which way to steer you, once I knew which direction to look.

[DaveMudge]

I am happy to have found some humans to talk to about the same thing. I live in rural southern Louisiana - no cable, no DSL, no T-1, no nothing in the way of high speed access. I am flying along tonight at 26.4kbs.

My only other choice in DirectWay, but they want $600 for equipment and $60/ month for the connection. Seems like there has to be a cheaper way, or another company providing satellite internet access for the home user. Any help would be appreciated.

[balajiB]

Nope. That's about standard fare for two way satellite broadband Dave. They got us "lousy dial-up only" customers by the short hairs, and they know it.   Cash outlay for one way satellite hardware isn't as traumatic. But by the time you add the cost of two ISPs and a maybe second phone line, you're at or over $60/mo anyway.

[Tactical]

Cash outlay for one way satellite hardware isn't as traumatic. But by the time you add the cost of two ISPs and a maybe second phone line, you're at or over $60/mo anyway.

Do have any recommendations on providers on the one way satellite systems?  I have looked at all I could find, but none seems to advertise the one-way systems, which I would prefer, due to the severe latency problems that I have had in the past trying to use Directway systems.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Dwight

[balajiB]

Latency will still be a factor Dwight, albeit reduced somewhat by virtue of the phone line in one direction. You're still going to be looking at 400 ms ping times. Since the big factor is the 45,000 mile satellite leg, no one single one way provider is going to be able to improve on that.

There is - of course - Direcway. Then there are the folks that simply sell Direcway under another name. The third category is the local/regional independents, but their FAP often lies somewhere between ridiculous and absurd. And DRS is definitely in the shadow of SRS.

Without knowing exactly where you live, best advice I can get is to Google the hell out of it. Get a few provider names, then lurk around forums that are likely to discuss their service. I'd pick the one with the best tech support, followed by the best price, followed by the least restrictive FAP.

[Kevin Mackenzie]

I looked at VSAT, but they cost $5000 for the equipment, and then $250 per month for a 256K bidirectional connection.

Direcway is not an option for us, we need commercial grade capability like VSAT has.  Are there any other alternatives besides VSAT?

[balajiB]

Direcway is not an option for us, we need commercial grade capability like VSAT has. Are there any other alternatives besides VSAT?

Direcway (HUGHES) consumer grade broadband is way down at the entry level of Hughes Network Systems satellite offerings.

[dan Kassey]

Affordable Satellite Broadband is coming!!! WildBlue
They offer satellite broadband covering virtually everywhere in the lower 48 states. Check them out.
Also there is a link to put your name on WildBlue's priority wait list.    

[Lamar Bostic]

I am looking for a list of iDirect Hub sites / operators here in the U.S.  Any information you may have, I need asap. Thanks!

[Jason Leinbach]

I'm also looking forward to Wildblue's launch. My brother and I are both experienced in computer hardware and software troubleshooting, and knowledgeable about the costs and limitations inherent in satellite internet. We tried DirecWay and got terribly burned the whole year. Slow-to-nonexistent connection with full signal strength, non-recovering bandwidth limit, outsourced-non-savvy support, 30-second pings, you name it. I've let my contract die and gone back to my rural 22kbps dial-up service until I hear how Wildblue's network turns out.

If Wildblue's commercial launch gets delayed or bought out, my next step will be Agristar. It uses the same satellites as DirecWay but seems more "open" about its operation, serves a market that demands reliability, and may have a better network on the ground. In response to the business users' inquiries, Agristar also offers multiple levels of service, some of which may be suitable for businesses looking for out-of the-box solutions. It's worth looking if you're not in the mood to configure your own service from the ground up.

[balajiB]

The satellite on which WildBlue intends to lease transponder space has already been launched - back in July I believe.

AgriStar is just a Direcway VAR, and not to be confused with the NRTC satellite broadband initiative. I've spoken with several AgriStar customers who feel their tech support is even worse than Direcways.

Let's hope WildBlue has been watching the other guys' mistakes, and fields a more capable tech support effort. The one big thing they're all currently missing, is a network status page. They're accepted fare on most terrestrial ISP home pages, why do the satellite providers insist on remaining so compartmentalized?

[Tactical]

I had spent 2 years looking for an alternative to DSL or such since I'm in a location that doesn't support or probably ever will support DSL.

I was within hours of setting up a satellite internet, using a one-way system, helping to eliminate the latency problem inherit with satellite internet. And then I discovered Wireless Internet. I'm now uploading and downloading on an average of 1010 Kbps, sometimes over 1500 Kbps, with an average latency time of 60 ms.

Those interested in having high speed internet, I would certainly recommend looking into it in your area. I'm paying $48.00/month, which is quite reasonable for such speed and service.