Dish Network to launch nationwide satellite broadband service this fall

[Shawn Knight]

Reports are suggesting that Dish Network will be launching an expanded satellite broadband service later this year that would compete directly with offerings from cable companies and telecoms. The company already offers satellite web access in select parts of the country through a partnership with ViaSat but a new deal would make broadband access available nationwide.

EchoStar, a sister company of Dish Network, launched a satellite called EchoStar 17 into orbit on July 5 that will be used to deliver broadband speeds of up to 15 Mbps downstream. The satellite will reportedly be able to support around 2 million new customers although speeds could initially be limited to just 5 Mbps to support more customers. Additional satellites would be required to handle more users, however.

These types of speeds are possible due to technological advances in the satellite industry. Newer models now use higher-frequency bands that provide greater speeds to a wider audience than previous satellites.

Sources familiar with the project didn’t give any pricing information although the service is expected to be more expensive than traditional offerings. Dish will likely market the service to rural residents where it’s too expensive to run cable lines and cellular access isn’t available. Furthermore, customers can expect to see the Internet package bundled with television programming to increase competition with cable providers.

We are hearing that Dish plans to introduce the new service in late September or early October.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/49805-dish-network-to-launch-nationwide-satellite-broadband-service-this-fall.html

 

[hojnikb]

twoway sat internet is crap becouse of its high latencies

 

[Adhmuz]

No mention of latency, still won't compete with cable or even dsl. However if your in a remote region without either this could be an option, just don't plan on using your connection to handle any latency sensitive streaming. And, because its a satellite 2000KM above the earth there will always be latency.

 

[TJGeezer]

Still, if you're out 50 miles past nowhere and your option is a dial-up, that bandwidth would look pretty sweet. Curious, though - what kind of streamed content would be sensitive to a satellite's latency?

 

[psycros]

Still, if you're out 50 miles past nowhere and your option is a dial-up, that bandwidth would look pretty sweet. Curious, though - what kind of streamed content would be sensitive to a satellite's latency?

Pretty much all online games, VOIP, some remote administration apps, auctions and trading, a few other things. When you add to that the fact that every satellite service has draconian limits on usage and costs about $100 a month just for the data, this will probably do about as well as previous offerings: abysmally. Oh, and you don't have to be 50 miles beyond nowhere - typically, if you're more than 3 miles outside a municipality or large unincorporated area in the US you have no terrestrial broadband options. Funny how the utilities can make money delivering power and even water to the furthest corners of the country and yet we can't even get first-gen DSL connections much beyond sight of town.

 

[psycros]

No mention of latency, still won't compete with cable or even dsl. However if your in a remote region without either this could be an option, just don't plan on using your connection to handle any latency sensitive streaming. And, because its a satellite 2000KM above the earth there will always be latency.

There are several possible solutions to America's "last mile" problem (which is caused 100% by corporate telecom greed). Broadband Over Powerline (BoP), greatly expanded LTE and DSL buildouts, WISPs..the list goes on. Unfortunately the government keeps handing most of its funds earmarked for "rural broadband" over to AT&T and Verizon, who proceed to pocket it and build more towers in the top 100 urban markets. However, my local phone company snagged a good chunk of the most recent grant because the FCC did something unprecedented: this time they demanded accountability for the money. AT&T and Verizon took a pass for once, proving beyond argument that they have no interest in providing anymore than basic 3G to the less densely populated areas (at least until there's a major breakthrough in wireless).