How Does Satellite Broadband Work?

What Do You Need to Connect to the Internet Via Satellite?

In addition to a computer and satellite service, a user needs a special Internet-only satellite dish installed at the house. The user will also receive a special modem that is installed on the premises, which decodes and transfers information to and from the PC.

From PC to Space

The user points the browser to a particular website. The computer sends the request to the modem, which encodes it for travel to the public Internet. Rather than traveling over a typical broadband connection, it is coded to travel over a satellite transmission. The request is sent from the dish to a satellite in orbit over the Earth.

From Space to the Internet

Once the request is received by the satellite, it is beamed back to a receiving station owned by the satellite company. The request enters the public Internet and is sent to the requested site. When the request is completed, the return information follows the same path back to the user. The data travels back to the receiving station, is sent to the satellite, bounced back to the user's dish and then to the user's PC.