Internet access terminology can be very confusing, especially if you’re trying to choose a new ISP. Each technology has its differences and some may be better at certain tasks than others, consequently it is important for consumers to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each prior to choosing a provider. This page seeks to explain the methods using simple language and is best used in conjunction with our 'Jargon Buster' section.

Satellites are effectively small autonomous space stations that are launched into orbit (space) around our planet and used as specialised wireless transceivers (receiver/transmitters) to relay information between different points on the ground. Their high altitude above the Earth gives them 100% coverage of the UK, which is especially useful in remote rural areas.

On the surface this sounds ideal, especially with service speeds of up to 10Mbps being available from the latest Eutelsat KA-SAT and Avanti HYLAS satellites, although in reality there are many caveats to consider. Satellite systems require the installation of a special receiving dish on your property (pictured - bottom right), which isn't cheap and could cause a conflict with local planning permission. It's not uncommon for hardware and setup fees to reach £500+, while service rental often starts at around £25 per month.

Usage allowances tend to be quite restrictive too and you can easily attract hefty excessive use charges by exceeding the limit. Most satellite ISPs will also impose an aggressive level of traffic throttling that might, at the extreme, reduce service speeds down to a virtually unusable 64Kbps (0.06Mbps). Bad weather, such as heavy rain, can also obstruct the line-of-sight between your dish and the orbiting satellite, which often results in disrupted connectivity.

Satellite is no good for fast paced multiplayer gaming either due to the time that it takes for signals to go from the Earth, to the satellite and then back again (high latency). This, when combined with aggressive traffic limits and the use of NAT based IP addresses by some providers, can also hinder the use of VPN, VoIP (Skype), IPTV and other latency and performance based internet services.

It's also important to recognise that some Satellite services are not able to allocate a UK based Internet Protocol (IP) address to your connection. This can make certain region-locked online services, such as TV content via the BBC's iPlayer, difficult to access. It might also result in Google returning search results for the wrong country, although that is easy to fix.

As a result of all this it can often feel like Satellite is costly, confusing and highly restrictive. However related services can still provide a useful stop-gap measure for isolated rural areas where broadband connectivity has yet to deliver, although they usually cannot compete with the lower cost and stronger flexibility of established fixed line ISPs. Related ISPreview Sections:

• Broadband Satellite ISP Listings
• Broadband Satellite Reader ISP Reviews
• Broadband Satellite ISP Discussion Forum