Satellite Broadband India: Basics, Benefits, Speeds, Application, Providers

Created on 23/06/2021

min reading

Imagine sitting in Spiti Valley, a cold desert mountain valley situated high in the Himalayas in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, and being able to stay in touch with your colleagues in Mumbai or Delhi with uninterrupted internet access. Or wait, imagine streaming the latest sitcom on the beach without using wired broadband or cellular network while your family is enjoying the sea in the Andamans.

Does this excite you? Of course, it should. Why? Because it may soon be a reality as satellite broadband connections may get rolled out on Indian soil as early as 2022.

Are you wondering what exactly is meant by satellite broadband internet? To explain to you in simple words, it is an internet service for users who can’t access a regular broadband service because of their constant movement or remote location.

Most Indian users connect to the internet via traditional wired networks such as ADSL, Cable lines, or Fiber. However, those living in rural areas or remote locations may not have a wide range of broadband providers to meet their internet requirements.

Satellite broadband India comes to the rescue to fill this void.

Working Mechanism of Satellite Broadband in Short

Satellite broadband is the type of connection that employs a satellite (yes!) to get internet signals from your internet service provider to you!

The whole transmission process starts with your ISP sending a fiber internet signal to a satellite (in space).
The internet signal then reaches you and is hooked by your satellite dish.
Your satellite dish connects to your modem (like it has always been).
Your modem then sends internet signals to your device.
Finally, the whole process reverses back to your ISP, and it is done!

One does not need to rely on fixed connections with satellite broadband as it works similar to your DTH services. In addition, with Satellite internet, users can gain two-way access to internet services in some of the world’s most remote locations.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Satellite Broadband

Satellite broadband in India may be suitable for rural residents who do not get easy access to traditional telecom infrastructures such as Cable or Fiber.

On the other hand, Satellite broadband providers will hardly find customers in urban areas where people have east, fast, and affordable access to traditional telecom infrastructure.

The most considerable edge Satellite broadband has over other internet types is availability. Yes, you read that right. With the upcoming LEO satellite systems such as Starlink and OneWeb start orbiting our planet, customers will be enabled to access satellite services all around the world, even in out-of-the-way locations where the internet isn’t otherwise accessible.

Benefits	Drawbacks
Available in rural areas Faster than dial-up Growing number of providers Recent innovation is improving service	Data limits (varies by carrier) High latency (varies by carrier) Geographical limitations (can’t service deep canyons or heavily wooded areas) High jitter (varies by carrier)

Satellite Internet Speed vs. Other Internet Speed

Over the years, satellite internet has come a long way. Today users can find satellite broadband plans reaching up to 100 Mbps of speeds. Having faster internet can help stream videos and Netflix, gaming, and support an entire household of internet users.

We’d like you to take note of the fact that satellite broadband is subject to high latency. Other internet networks inhabit better infrastructures to offer reliable speeds to their customers. If you live in a rural area, getting satellite broadband is worth it, especially when you do not have any other option.

DSL Internet vs. Satellite Broadband

You may experience faster speeds in satellite internet than DSL internet. Depending on your ISP, DSL can range anywhere between 5 Mbps to 100 Mbps. If you have access to a DSL provider with modern tech, you might have a better experience with DSL.

Our verdict: If you are on the receiving end of slow DSL services, you might want to consider satellite internet instead.

Cable Internet vs. Satellite Broadband

Our Verdict: Cable internet is faster and cheaper than satellite broadband. Cable internet services on an average range between 20 and 1000 Mbps. However, if you reside in a remote location, you may not have access to cable internet at all.

Fiber Internet vs. Satellite Broadband

Our Verdict: If you are an existing fiber internet user, do not bother considering satellite since you are already on the best side of fast internet speeds and prices.

Ideal Considerations to Make While Choosing a Satellite Broadband Plan

Before picking your ideal satellite broadband plans in India, you might want to determine your speed needs and affordable budget. Here are some scenarios to look at –

Picking a satellite internet plan should be based on the kind of activities your household users plan on doing.
Slower speeds work well for web browsing and email checking.
Video streaming services require fast speeds
Satellite broadband might not have the speeds required to stream 4K or HD content.
We recommend you keep your data cap consideration while searching for the best satellite internet plan for yourself.

Unlike cable and fiber internet plans, satellite broadband doesn’t offer unlimited data. Once users reach the maximum data limit, the ISP may start charging an overage fee, or it might reduce your speed.

Satellite Broadband in India

The internet world with no wires and towers may be the next big thing in the Indian telecom industry.

Some of the existing and upcoming Satellite broadband providers in India include Airtel, OneWeb, SpaceX technologies, and Hughes.

OneWeb, jointly owned by Bharti Global and the UK government, has business plans to launch satellite broadband in India by mid-2022. Elon Musk (tech billionaire) and SpaceX Technologies plan to do the same around the same timeline.

The US satellite maker Hughes Network Systems too is all set to invest in a $500 million satellite and pump in $300 million more on ground-level gear.

Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal mentioned that “Every month, you will see a launch; we need to send 650 satellites; they will go up by April 2022. Then, we’ll be up and running. This will be nothing but telecom in space.”

Conclusion

We hope this article decoded the meaning and mechanism of satellite broadband services. All of us are now ready to watch the next big thing unfold in the Indian telecom industry. We are glad you are ready!