Satellite communications are based on wireless technologies and are especially useful for the provision of broadband access services in remote locations and/or where there are no deployments through other technologies. The main advantage of broadband satellite access is that it has practically universal coverage, provided that there is a direct line of sight between the satellite and the user of the service.
The maximum speeds of broadband satellite access depend on several factors, such as the quality of the line of sight between satellite and user, the weather or the availability of electromagnetic frequencies. The obstacles between the satellite and the user's home as well as some meteorological phenomena can negatively affect the connection speed. Furthermore, connections may have higher latency (delay) than land-based access, due to the long distances that electromagnetic signals have to travel. On the other hand, the availability of radio frequency bands for satellite communications is usually limited, so the speeds offered by satellite operators can be lower than those of conventional broadband access, based on wired technologies.
The necessary equipment for broadband access via satellite consists of a special IP modem for satellite, as well as the installation in the user’s home of an external antenna with a bidirectional transmission unit. The cost of this equipment is not usually included in the registration of the access service, although this aspect will depend on the particular commercial practices of each operator.