Satellite and Fixed Wireless

An alternative to DSL and cable broadband Internet connectivity is satellite and fixed wireless connectivity, typically marketed for consumer and small business use. Many of us live in areas where DSL or cable Internet is simply not available for one reason or another. DSL requires a location that is in close enough proximity to a telecom provider’s base station. On the other hand, cable Internet networks are still in the process of expanding to markets throughout much of the North American continent. All is not lost however, because satellite and fixed wireless came to the rescue. The idea behind satellite communications is placing a small dish outside of the residence or building with a direct line of sight to a satellite network in the sky. To be more specific, the satellites reside several miles in space and typically require a direct line of sight to the south. Some cable satellite providers are offering Internet broadband services along with satellite television, which provides a very nice, package-based service. The speed of satellite transmission typically falls in the range of 256 to 800 Kbps download, and varying upload speeds, but usually around 56 Kbps to over 100 Kbps.

The other technology that is almost a hybrid of satellite technology is called fixed wireless. Again, fixed wireless is marketed as a high-speed alternative to wired connections that might not be available in some parts of the world. Fixed wireless works through a satellite-like device residing on the roof of a tall building or structure such as a high-rise building. The satellite communicates through a direct line of sight connection to as far as 45 to 50 miles in all directions to an endpoint connection. That connection is usually a small dish that is placed on the roof of a home or business and received the data.

The big difference in a fixed wireless scenario is that download speeds generally seem to be significantly higher. In fact, average download speeds can range from 500 Kbps to 7 Mbps! The large gap occurs because of the way that short bursts or packets data are sent over the air in a specific frequency. Each burst can be of varying speeds. At an average, however, the variances in download speeds are unnoticeable and work quite well as an alternative to wired connectivity. In fact, it is this author’s humble opinion that fixed wireless can and does perform significantly faster than many wired connections.

Taken From : Enterprise Guide to Gaining Business Value from Mobile Technologies