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It has been a busy month for space fans. June began with the launch of ViaSat-2, the “world’s most powerful” internet communications satellite. And yesterday afternoon there was another major launch destined to expand the potential for staying connected anywhere on the globe: The launch of the second set of ten satellites in the Iridium […]
We’ve been closely tracking satellite internet provider ViaSat since 2014 when it’s Exede division launched “virtually unlimited” 12Mbps satellite internet service for just $70/month, momentarily generating a lot of excitement. But… Exede’s spot-beam technology did not at all support mobile users who left their assigned regional spots behind, and Exede’s ViaSat-1 satellite powering the Exede service was […]
We’ve been tracking the rollout of the fifth generation service from satellite internet provider HughesNet for a long time now. HughesNet “Gen5” is set to offer peak speeds of 25Mbps down and 3Mbps up, a substantial improvement over older satellite internet services that will make HughesNet a lot more competitive with LTE cellular technology. And unlike HughesNet’s […]
Ever since satellite internet provider HughesNet launched its 5th generation satellite in December, we’ve been eagerly awaiting details around the service plans, pricing, and when the next generation service would roll out. But so far all HughesNet has teased the world with is this: “EchoStar XIX, the world’s highest-capacity broadband satellite, will power HughesNet Gen5, the next […]
SpaceX this past weekend launched the first ten satellites of the upgraded Iridium Next satellite constellation, the first step in replacing the decades-old Iridium service with something more advanced and capable. The current Iridium constellation was launched between 1997 and 2002, and is best known for enabling satellite telephones that work anywhere on the globe. But […]
On Sunday afternoon, the long awaited EchoStar 19 satellite built for HughesNet launched from Cape Canaveral Florida after a few delays. The launch is exciting news for RVers awaiting the next potential viable option for mobile satellite internet. In Summer 2015, RTC Communications announced they were working with HughesNet to allow mobility with their KA-band […]
SpaceX hasn’t shared much about its plans for building a global satellite internet network since January 2015 when Elon Musk announced he was opening a new office in Seattle focused on: “Creating global communications system that would be larger than anything that has been talked about to date.” But what exactly did he have in […]
Satellite broadband company ViaSat (the company behind consumer brands Exede and WildBlue) yesterday announced plans for its third generation satellite network. The new ViaSat-3 design will have an amazing Terrabit/second of total network capacity, which should be capable of providing “100+ Mbps broadband to any home” with support for 4K ultra-high-definition video streaming, and even faster […]
2015 has been a fabulous year for keeping connected on the road – with technology options, speeds, and coverage all getting better than ever. This is our end-of-year quick update on the state of the RV mobile internet world – chronicling some of the major changes that happened in 2015, and giving a glimpse at what we’re most looking forward […]
The state of satellite internet for RVers has been downright depressing the past few years – with prices rising, mobile-friendly services shutting down, and all the exciting new developments in satellite being fixed location only, or at best years away. But this summer, suddenly things are getting exciting again. First up was the debut of the brand new […]
AT&T has at last received FCC and DOJ approval for its $48.5 billion dollar acquisition of satellite TV giant DirecTV, announcing yesterday that the deal had closed after over a year of government scrutiny and negotiations. AT&T’s wired U-Verse TV and DirecTV satellite subscribers add up to 26 million customers – making the newly combined company the largest pay TV […]
While researching the newest satellite internet option for RVers this week – the RV DataSAT 840 and the accompanying Insta-Sat service, I surfed around to check on the latest updates on the older options. When I checked in on StarBand, I was dismayed to see this notice posted on the website: We regret to inform you […]
From 2001 till roughly around 2010, the ultimate connectivity for high-end RVs was provided by motorized auto-aiming roof-mounted MotoSat satellite internet systems. Just park with a clear view of the southern sky, press a button, and you would be online a few minutes later – no matter where you were. The initial system cost was expensive ($10,000+), […]
Satellite internet startup OneWeb took a major step forward this week – announcing that it has entered into a joint venture with European aerospace giant Airbus to mass produce 900 low earth orbit micro-sized satellites designed to bring “Internet to everyone, everywhere on Earth.” OneWeb has an incredibly ambitious plan to set up a satellite assembly line […]
SpaceX isn’t the only company with crazily ambitious plans to bring the Internet to the remote corners of the globe. Facebook announced yesterday that it has completed the first test flight of a high-altitude laser-equipped Internet drone. Yes, really. Facebook has drones. With lasers. Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Wall yesterday: As part of our Internet.org […]
Elon Musk hosted an event this evening opening up a new SpaceX office in Seattle – the future home for his as-yet-unnamed hugely ambitious Space Internet venture. The SpaceX communication network will involve hundreds of satellites working together, swarming in low earth orbit 750 miles up. At this altitude, satellite data will have the potential to […]
Satellite internet tends to be all about limitations – slow, capped, and often very expensive. So it is little wonder that a lot of RVers were excited by the news this week about new service plans from ViaSat’s Exede division — offering “virtually unlimited” 12Mbps internet service for just $70/month. Wow! But… Exede is a […]