Satellite Internet
Broadband available anywhere you can see the sky
Overview
Satellite internet connects you to the web through orbiting satellites, making it the only broadband technology available virtually anywhere on Earth with an unobstructed view of the sky. Traditional satellite internet used geostationary (GEO) satellites orbiting 22,000 miles above Earth, resulting in high latency. The game-changer has been Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, led by Starlink, which orbit at just 340 miles altitude and deliver latency comparable to terrestrial broadband. Satellite internet is now a legitimate primary internet option for rural and remote users.
Typical Speeds
25 Mbps - 250 Mbps
download
Avg. Monthly Cost
$50 - $120
per month
Availability
~99% of US households
coverage
How It Works
Satellite internet requires a dish antenna at your home that communicates with satellites overhead. For GEO satellites (HughesNet, Viasat), the dish points at a fixed satellite 22,236 miles up. The signal travels from your dish to the satellite, down to a ground station connected to the internet backbone, and back again. This round trip of about 45,000 miles creates latency of 600ms or more. LEO satellites (Starlink) orbit much closer at 340 miles. Your Starlink dish uses a phased-array antenna that electronically steers its beam to track satellites as they pass overhead every few minutes, handing off seamlessly between them. The shorter distance reduces latency to 20-50ms. Both systems require a clear view of the sky. Trees, buildings, and terrain features that obstruct the line of sight to the satellite will degrade or block the signal.
Speed Ranges
Typical Download
25 Mbps - 250 Mbps
Typical Upload
3 Mbps - 25 Mbps
Max Download
500 Mbps
Max Upload
40 Mbps
Pros
- Available virtually everywhere, including the most remote rural areas
- LEO satellite (Starlink) delivers latency competitive with terrestrial broadband
- No ground infrastructure needed beyond the dish at your home
- Speeds have improved dramatically with LEO constellations
- Portable and RV-friendly options for users on the move
Cons
- Higher monthly cost and significant upfront equipment fee ($299-$599 for Starlink)
- Requires a clear, unobstructed view of the sky
- GEO satellite latency (600ms+) makes real-time gaming and video calls difficult
- Data caps or throttling policies on most plans
- Performance degrades during heavy rain or snow (rain fade)
- LEO satellite speeds can vary with network congestion as subscriber counts grow
Best For
- Rural and remote homes with no access to cable, fiber, or fixed wireless
- Travelers and RV owners who need internet on the road
- Maritime and aviation connectivity
- Emergency and disaster recovery communication
- Homes where terrain or geography block line of sight to fixed wireless towers
Availability
Satellite internet is available to approximately 99% of U.S. households. Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has rapidly expanded its LEO constellation to over 6,000 satellites and serves millions of customers globally. HughesNet uses GEO satellites to cover the entire continental U.S. and Alaska. Viasat (formerly Exede) operates GEO satellites with plans to launch its own LEO constellation. Amazon's Project Kuiper is deploying a competing LEO constellation expected to begin commercial service in 2026. The main limitation is not geographic coverage but rather network capacity. Starlink has waitlists in some high-demand areas where existing satellite capacity is fully subscribed.
Compared to Other Technologies
Satellite internet's unique advantage is universal coverage. No other technology can serve a cabin in Alaska, a ranch in Montana, and an island in Hawaii. Compared to DSL, LEO satellite now delivers comparable or better speeds in rural areas where DSL performance is limited by long copper loops. Against cable and fiber, satellite cannot match the consistency, low latency, or upload speeds of wired connections. Fixed wireless offers better performance where tower coverage exists, but satellite serves the gap where no towers are in range. For GEO satellite specifically, the 600ms+ latency makes it unsuitable for real-time gaming or time-sensitive trading, but fine for streaming and general browsing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the latency on satellite internet, and can I game on it?
GEO satellite (HughesNet, Viasat) has latency of 600ms or more, which makes real-time multiplayer gaming effectively impossible. Starlink's LEO satellites deliver latency of 20-50ms, which is playable for most online games including competitive shooters, though you may notice slightly more lag than on fiber or cable. Turn-based and slower-paced games work well on both types of satellite internet.
Does satellite internet work in bad weather?
Heavy rain, thick cloud cover, and snow can temporarily reduce signal quality, a phenomenon called rain fade. The impact varies: GEO satellite dishes can lose signal during intense storms, while Starlink's phased-array antenna handles moderate weather well but may struggle during severe storms or heavy snow accumulation on the dish. The dish has a built-in heater to melt light snow. In most climates, weather-related outages are brief and infrequent.
Can you stream on satellite internet?
Yes. Starlink typically delivers 50-250 Mbps, which is more than enough for multiple simultaneous HD and 4K streams. GEO satellite speeds of 25-100 Mbps also support streaming, though data caps may limit heavy usage. HughesNet's 15-25 Mbps plans can handle one or two HD streams. Be mindful of data allowances: if your plan has a cap, heavy streaming can exhaust it quickly. Starlink's residential plan does not have a hard data cap but may deprioritize heavy users.
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