VSAT U.S. Comparison of Satellite Internet Services
Available in the U.S.

There are a number of options available for Satellite Internet in the U.S. today. We have outlined the various business class programs for comparison below:

1. iDirect Platform:
This is a proven Enterprise platform which provides a wide range of dependable speeds for most any business, government or heavy use individual. Download speeds from 64 kbps to over 2000 kbps and Upload speeds from 64 kbps to over 1000 kbps are available. The platform supports “shared bandwidth” or guaranteed “QOS” bandwidth at much higher pricing. In the U.S. a 1.2 meter dish is standard.
Equipment Cost: Equipment – A 2 watt system will cost about $2,700 installed.
A 4 watt system is about $4,300 installed.
Monthly Service: A minimum circuit is about $250. A typical setup of 1000/256 kbps is $499 per month. For about $350 per month you can get 2000/500 kbps service
with a 3 GB limitation per month.

2. Surfbeam Platform:
This is just being introduced in the U.S. and only available from a few vendors…. we are one of them! Surfbeam uses the same platform basically that a cable or DSL provider would use, except it is satellite internet. It is touted as fast and much less expensive than “Enterprise” grade systems. We are currently evaluating whether to offer this in the fall of 2005. In most cases a 1.2 meter dish will be utilized with a 2-3 watt transmitter. It will provide download speeds up to1500 kbps and uploads from 100kbps to over 500 kbps depending on monthly service package.
Equipment Cost: About $1,995 installed.
Monthly Service: Ranging from $195 - $500.

3. Starband 484 Platform U.S. :
Although we don’t offer this product, it is valuable to see what is offered as a comparison. This is DVB (digital video broadcast) which is converted to IP – this conversion process is the problem. It adds to overall latency and even with higher upload speeds than their consumer products (they advertise “up to” 256 kbps in Turbo Max mode- unclear what that really is), they can’t support VNP traffic or VOIP connections. Download speeds are listed as up to 20 times faster than dialup…whatever that means. Dish size is 24”x36” and transmitter strength not given.
Equipment Cost: $900 + shipping + installation (price not given)
Monthly Service: $160  

4. Direcway Enterprise DW-7700 Service :
VSAT U. S. now offers this service. It is designed for business users who need strong upload capacity.. This service utilizes DVB-S2  standard.
You can expect download speeds ranging from 500 kbps to 1500+ kbps. Upload speeds range from 128 kbps to over 500 kbps. This system uses a .98 meter dish and 2 watt transmitter.

Equipment Cost: $1,995 + installation + shipping
Monthly Service: $129-$499  

5. Ka Band Satellite Internet:
When this technology becomes available the fall of 2005, it could shake the foundation of the satellite internet world if it lives up to it's potential. It is a technology that has been many years and over 1.5 Billion dollars in the making. There are 30 spot beams aimed at the U.S. and 5 used by uplink centers with the initial satellite (Telesat’s Anik F2) which will be operated by Wildblue Communications, a Denver, Co. based company.
With a satellite dish about the size of a trashcan lid (.67 meters) and a two watt transmitter, users will be able to download at speeds up to 1500 kbps and upload at speeds ranging from 128 kbps to 256 kbps. Early installs have not gone very well.  Equipment delays and modem malfunctions have plagued the rollout thus far.

Equipment Cost: $300-$500 Installation: About $200
Monthly Service: Three plans with varying download speeds
$49 – 500 kbps download speeds
$69 – 1000 kbps
$79 – 1500 kbps
The upload speeds shown above will apply to all service levels.