Satellite internet service has come a long way since its inception. Fortunately what was once unfavorable internet service now has improved so much so that it now brings high speed internet at affordable prices to many underserved and unserved rural homes across the country. Unfortunately a lot of those ideas of poor service from the past have tarnished satellite internet’s reputation. Today we’re going to explore the top five satellite internet myths and debunk them once and for all.
Myth 1: Satellite Internet Is Expensive
Satellite internet service plans are around $50-$150 a month. While that sounds expensive, it’s actually not. The starting price of satellite internet service is right on par with other types of internet. Major internet providers like Charter Spectrum, Comcast Xfinity, CenturyLink and others also have plans ranging from $50-$150 a month.
Myth 2: Satellite Ties Up The Phone Line
Fact: Satellite internet is delivered from the satellites in space to the satellite on your property. You can surf the internet and talk on the phone at the same time without having to choose one over the other. At no time does satellite internet travel through your phone lines like dial-up and some DSL plans.
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Myth 3: Satellite Internet Doesn’t Work When It’s Cloudy
Satellite internet has a bad reputation of going out in inclement weather. Cloudy, windy or rainy weather will not interrupt your satellite internet connection or cause it to have an outage. However, it is possible for it to be interrupted during extreme weather conditions like heavy rains, snow storms and natural disasters. The rate of which satellite has an outage is actually less than any other type of internet service. Satellite can be reliable when other internet services aren’t. That’s why many businesses use satellite as a failover internet service. In the event that their cable or DSL has an outage, they can still resume business as usual with satellite internet as their backup.
Myth 4: Satellite Internet Is Too Slow
In the early days of satellite internet, it really was too slow. Luckily, satellite internet speeds have greatly improved over the past ten years or so. The two big satellite internet providers on the market are HughesNet and Viasat previously called Exede. Both providers have improved their internet speeds greatly to keep up with today’s technology. HughesNet internet has speeds as fast as 25 Mbps for all of their internet plans and Viasat has speeds up to 100 Mbps on one. The speeds both providers deliver meet and exceed the FCC’s requirements for their internet service to be considered high speed broadband internet. You can do nearly everything on the internet that you would do on cable. The only obstacle satellite internet faces is real time gaming. It has a higher rate of latency which makes real time online games inoperable.
Myth 5: We Can’t Get Satellite Internet Out Here
Fact: Satellite internet is available nearly everywhere in the United States. The best part about satellite internet is that it’s not limited to by what infrastructure is installed into the ground. As long as you have a clear and unobstructed view of the sky, chances are you can get satellite internet in your home. In fact, satellite internet can be a key element in solving the digital divide in the US. It has the ability to reach rural underserved and unserved areas that other internet providers cannot.
