How Many Satellites Does Satellite Broadband Require?

Given the demand for fast satellite Internet, especially in rural areas, there is no way that a single satellite dish orbiting in space would suffice. With 21% of US residents residing in rural areas, satellite Internet demand is growing and so is the need for the satellite Internet industry to invest in satellite technology. That means there is a need for multiple satellites in orbit at once.

Do you want fast satellite Internet?

How satellite broadband works, a brief overview
Fast satellite Internet starts at your house. A satellite Internet technician will install a satellite Internet dish on or near your home to begin the communication between one of the satellites in space. But these two satellites do not complete the satellite Internet communication cycle, the orbiting satellite must also send and receive data from the satellite located at the satellite Internet provider’s location. In essence, there are three points of communication required to make satellite broadband work.

The space satellites that rural America need for satellite Internet all reside 22,000 miles above the equator. It’s because of this that you need a clear view of the southern sky to get satellite Internet access. Trees or other obstructions will disrupt satellite broadband service.

Orbiting satellites
One satellite dish has enough power to give an entire U.S. region satellite Internet access. Just look at the AMC-15 satellite that supplies Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, and Arkansas with Internet. And with each passing year, satellite technology continues to expand.

Look at ViaSat, Inc’s ViaSat-1 satellite dish, which has more capacity than any other satellite dish before it. The satellite, once it is fully operational, will use Ka-band spot beam to get high speed Internet to rural areas all over North America.

See how you can get high speed internet in rural areas.

In all, there are more than 400 satellites in space that make sure users all over the globe get satellite Internet. While it may seem that the number of satellites in space will only continue to increase over time that might not be so. ViaSat-1 and other powerful satellites that are yet to come can do much more than a single satellite could years ago.

Sources:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census_issues/metropolitan_planning/cps2k.cfm
http://www.satsig.net/sslist.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/technology/16satellite.html?pagewanted=all

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