Broadband Satellite Internet Access: UK and Europe

5 July 2004

By David Dalgety, VisitEarth

Summary:
Broadband satelite Internet access gives rural tourism enterprises the chance to more fully exploit the Internet.

For tourism enterprises located in rural and remote areas the outlook initially looks bleak for broadband Internet access. In built up urban areas fibre optic networks are the first choice. DSL offers a wider area of coverage because it is able to use existing copper phone wires but this coverage is subject to the local exchange being upgraded and distance from the exchange. That leaves satellite as the only option for small to medium-sized tourism enterprises (SMTEs) located in remote areas.

Broadband access types:

• DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
• Cable
• Mobile
• Fixed Wireless
• Fibre
• Satellite

Satellite services are on offer across Europe from an increasing number of suppliers. Download rates can vary between 128 kbps up to 35 Mbps. Usually there is an initial installation and hardware cost of several hundred pounds or more in addition to a monthly subscription from £59 per month. Some service providers include the cost of equipment within their monthly subscription plans. Up until recently broadband satellite Internet access had been the preserve of big business but now that prices have come down SMTEs can benefit to.

To justify what is still going to be a significant investment for a SMTE. What are the business benefits of broadband satellite?

Advantages:

• Always on connection.
• Large files can be moved quickly.
• Multiple user access.
• Streaming media.
• No more dependence upon a landline.

With these benefits a high-quality level of Internet service can be used by staff and a range of added value services offered to visitors. With broadband there is no need to wait to connect you're always connected. Imagine web pages that used to take half a minute or more appearing in just several seconds. Not only will this improve the productivity of your staff but also greatly enhance visitors user experience.

Video on demand enabling instant access to films allows accommodation providers to offer guests the ability to watch a film when they want to with all the benefits of rewind, pause etc found on your video cassette recorder. This ties in with the convergence of interactive TV with the Internet.

Virtual tours and high-quality video clips can work well over 56 kbps modem connections so long as they are small file sizes. With the growing number of broadband users there is a growing expectation for a higher quality broadband version of Virtual Tours and video clips. In terms of distribution and marketing your organisation could offer high-quality visual access to your tourism services for the growing number of broadband users. The ability to communicate with potential guests is also greatly enhanced. Just having the ability to send large file attachments with a customised presentation is a big plus.

However as with any new technology care needs to be taken not to over hype satellites' capabilities. It's still relatively early days. Many of the suppliers don't support features you would find on a fixed line e.g. voice over IP. Also depending on your location and needs a service like ISDN might well be perfectly adequate for the foreseeable future or alternatively it could complement a broadband satellite connection.

Disadvantages

• Lag time or latency between signal reaching the satellite and returning means satellite broadband for multiple files is not as fast as other forms of DSL.
• Unsuitable for real-time applications such as online gaming and videoconferencing.
• Cost wise broadband satellite is much higher than other forms of broadband Internet access.

With an increasing number of suppliers entering the marketplace the future for broadband satellite Internet access looks encouraging. When sourcing a provider take care to inquire about levels of service, reliability and access speeds which can all vary quite markedly. Wider consideration of your organisation's objectives will also need to be given when choosing the right solution. We would recommend going with a supplier that can offer a two-way satellite connection with at least 512KB download and 256 KB upload.

Related links

UK satellite Internet service providers

Hoteliers perspective on broadband

Broadband Internet access will double during 2002 among households in Europe (Jupiter MMXI).