Why is satellite internet so expensive? There are many answers to this question. Satellite internet is an expensive internet connection and everyone is aware of that. For many people, who are living in remote or rural areas, where people cannot even imagine having cable, fiber optic, or DSL internet connection, satellite internet connection is the life savior. The only option that you get other than the satellite internet connection is the dial-up connection which is far slower than satellite internet and is not even worth it as you will be getting super slow speeds.
It is important to note here that the speeds offered by satellite internet service providers are way less than what you get with other connections like fiber optic, cable, or DSL. For instance, some Xfinity internet packages have speeds that go up to thousands of megabits per second. In contrast, satellite internet speeds are much lower than that.
Lack of Competition
With a satellite internet connection, there are only a few internet service providers who are using satellite technology to offer internet service to their customers. One of the major reasons why services provided to customers via a satellite internet connection are expensive is that the technology itself is expensive and there are not a lot of internet service providers who are using satellite technology to provide services to their customers. Here comes the lack of competition.
The companies who are offering internet service via satellite connection know that people who are living in rural or remote areas do not have a lot of options when it comes to satellite connection. They are aware of the fact that you cannot even imagine living without the internet because of multiple reasons. That is one of the major reasons why the services are so expensive when it comes to satellite internet.
Equipment
The equipment you need to use to get internet service via satellite connection is expensive. You get an internet modem, the necessary cables, and a satellite dish. The equipment used by internet service providers is advanced and expensive as well. The dish is designed in such a way that it gets better signals and the transfer rate of the data is good as well.
With most of the providers, you can either purchase the modem and the satellite dish or you can lease it. In both cases, by adding up all the charges, it will be more expensive compared to the other connections.
Installation Charge
The installation charges are more when it comes to satellite connection. With other connections such as cable or DSL, it is easy for the technicians to install the service and even many people go for the self-installation. But with satellite connections, a professional technician will have to come to your place to install the service. Not everyone can install the satellite service as the process is complicated and that’s way more expensive.
Satellite Internet Pros
- There is no doubt that satellite internet is slower than cable and DSL connection but if you are using a dial-up connection, switching to a satellite internet connection would be a great step as with the satellite internet connection, the speeds would be 10-35x times faster than what you get with a dial-up connection.
- Satellite internet connection is available almost everywhere so even if you are moving to another place, you can keep the same package and services where you move to.
- For satellite internet, you are not going to need any phone line in your house.
Satellite Internet Cons
- The weather will have a great impact on your services if you are using internet service via a satellite connection. In the event of bad weather, you will face issues regarding your internet speed.
- You will not be able to play games with the satellite connection because of the high latency and the ping rate. If you are using satellite internet, since the data travels in the air and goes to space and then back to your connection, there will be more latency and a high ping rate. Games that we play on Xbox Live or PlayStation require an instant response. With the latency and ping issue there, you won’t be able to play games online.
- You won’t be getting enough data cap if you are a heavy internet user and all the members of your family like to watch Netflix and Hulu and everyone has their device on which they watch their favorite movies and TV shows.
- If you use a VPN for work purposes, you won’t be able to do that with the satellite connection as the speeds will drop and you won’t be able to do anything.
Summing It Up
The satellite internet connection can be expensive but the fact that you are living in a rural area and you don’t have any other option makes it the best choice that you can have.