What is a satellite internet connection?

Although the Internet connection market is essentially dominated by three main technologies, ADSL, optical fiber and the mobile network, operators such as GoSat have taken the challenge of launching a technology that is still relatively unknown to the general public: Internet by satellite. But what is Internet via satellite and what do you need to benefit from it? This is what we will explain in the following lines.

What is satellite internet?

As the name suggests, satellite internet connection refers to internet access provided by orbital telecommunication platforms or in other words by satellite. Thus, the signals transmitted by satellites are picked up by users with the appropriate equipment, including a satellite dish in this case, allowing him to have a high-speed connection.

There are two main satellites that provide Internet access:

– satellites in low earth orbit or OTB (LEO) which allows to cover from 600 to 2 000 kilometers of altitude a spot area of the earth orbit; hence the notion of spot beam.
– Geostationary satellites, which are positioned 36,000 km from the earth’s orbit and are in a geostationary orbit. This explains why signals from this type of satellite are generally not accessible in certain polar regions of the world.

Note that satellite internet is capable of providing high-speed internet service where conventional cable or DSL is not available.

Why choose satellite internet?

Unlike DSL, cable or GMS Internet connection, satellite Internet is able to serve remote areas as well as newly developed areas. Thus, regardless of your location, you can always access a quality internet connection without having to perform expensive work for a similar or even better performance.

Thus, satellite internet has several advantages including:

– The full coverage of an area or territory, because it does not depend on any terrestrial installation.
– The freedom from geographical constraints such as relief or remoteness compared to a connection point.
– An unbeatable quality-price ratio compared to terrestrial offers; thus compensating for the latencies sometimes observed, linked to the climate or the environment.

To use satellite technology, it is necessary to have specific equipment. Indeed, the equipment of the satellite technology is different from that of ADSL and fiber optic technologies or even mobile.

What is required to have Internet by satellite?

Indeed, when you subscribe to a satellite internet offer at GoSat, specific equipment must be installed, including

– a satellite dish ;
– a satellite modem;
– a transmitting and receiving station.

Thus, the external equipment is composed of a satellite dish which is the pillar of the satellite internet subscription. It must have a diameter ranging from 60 cm to 3.7 meters and a transmitter and receiver module attached to the dish.

The indoor equipment consists of an indoor receiver unit (IRU) and an indoor transmitter unit (ITU) which are used to extract data from broadband signals and convert the data for transmission. Indoor modems are also referred to as IDU (Indoor Unit) or ODU (Outdoor Unit) for outdoor Tx/Rx equipment.

Note that the installation of a satellite dish requires rigor and that is why it is recommended to hire a specialist who will not only take care of the electrical connection, but also the fixing and orientation of the satellite dish in your home.