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Technology Stocks : Broadband Internet via Satellite -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ilaine who wrote (60)	2/9/2001 1:36:19 PM
From: (No name provided)	Respond to of 163

zdnet.com Can't get cable or DSL? How you can look to the stars for help David Coursey, Executive Editor, AnchorDesk Having trouble getting a fast Internet connection? Try seeking help from above--literally. High-speed Internet access via satellite has become affordable and easily available; you can even buy it at Radio Shack, though I'm not sure you should. There are two companies offering high-speed Internet via satellite. The oldest and most established is DirecPC (www.direcpc.com, NOT directpc.com), which is owned by Hughes Network Systems and is a cousin of the DirecTV service. The second, called StarBand (www.starband.com), is owned by a partnership that includes Microsoft and the parent of the Dish Network satellite TV service. SPEEDS TEND TO BE in the 128 to 256kbps range for uploads and 400-500k for downloads--a speed that beats my home DSL connection. StarBand is offering this today, and DirecPC is about to roll out an all-satellite service of its own. (The current DirecPC uses a dial-up line for uploads, limiting speeds to 56k and below. It will remain available.) StarBand service costs $59.95 to $69.95 a month. The hardware and required professional installation are a one-time, $600 charge. The company says getting an installer out to the sticks isn't a problem, so rural users aren't at a disadvantage as they are with telephone company or cable-television Internet services. Radio Shack sells StarBand systems by way of a specially configured Compaq Presario, which you may not want or need. StarBand also sells systems itself and sends people to retail partners from its Web site. Expect to wait 4 weeks to be up and running. DirecPC says its two-way satellite service will be available "very soon." The company is working with Juno, Earthlink, Pegasus Broadband, DirecTV, and AOL to roll out the service to home and business consumers. Pricing should be comparable to StarBand. BOTH SERVICES REQUIRE a small satellite dish to be installed at your home or office, where you'll need a clear southern horizon. The dish is similar to, though larger than, a standard DSS dish used by DirecTV or Dish Network. StarBand requires professional installation, and I expect DirecPC will do the same. The reason for this is the system both transmits and receives data, and the antenna must be pointed quite precisely. That, and neither company wants people messing around with a potentially dangerous microwave transmitter. Because every byte you send or receive has to travel 44,000 miles--up to the satellite and back--there is a transmission delay of a half to three-quarters of a second. Most people won't notice this, but it probably rules out fast gaming, voice telephony, and video conferencing. There may be workarounds, but don't say you weren't warned. Also, since the satellite offers shared bandwidth, it's likely that service customers will see at least occasional slowdowns. Interestingly, DirecPC doesn't care if you hang a Web or mail server on its system. (I didn't check this with StarBand.) IF YOU NEED SERVICE right this second, StarBand is the choice. Once DirecPC's two-way satellite service is shipping, you'll have a decision to make. Technically, the two systems ought to be very comparable, but user experience will be key, as will promotional pricing--and whether you need the other services, like television programming, that the companies and their partners offer. StarBand and DirecPC are putting broadband Internet access into the reach of every American with a view of the southern key--regardless of how far they are from a telephone company office or cable television connection. Someday this will be taken for granted, but as someone who's watched the Internet for two decades, seeing fast access become available everywhere at a reasonable price is a milestone. Would you sign on for satellite service? Or is sticking with DSL and cable the better way to go? What other alternatives are out there? TalkBack to me.