DISH Launched High-Speed dishNET

DISH, the leader in satellite television programming, recently launched its own high-speed satellite internet product, dishNET. While satellite internet for consumers has been around for a decade or so, the launch of dishNET heightened interest in this particular method of high-speed broadband internet access. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of satellite internet, including when it might be the best to have in your home.

Available Everywhere
There are no other forms of high-speed broadband internet that are available everywhere in the United States. According to a recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report, 19 million American households do not have access to high-speed internet, with more than 75 percent of these households living in rural areas. That’s nearly 23 million rural Americans that go without access to the internet. Satellite internet is the answer to this problem.

In terms of availability, there’s no question satellite internet leads all other forms of high-speed internet.

Portability
Because of the sheer amount of competition in traditional high-speed internet products, there’s a high likelihood that moving to a different city or state will result in switching service providers. Even the largest cable internet and DSL providers like Comcast, Time Warner Cable, CenturyLink, and AT&T aren’t available in every market.

Satellite internet is available wherever satellite television is available. For DISH satellite television subscribers, a move across town or even across the country means uninterrupted service because their satellite signal is available everywhere.

In terms of portability, high-speed satellite internet has the advantage over traditional forms of land-based internet.

Download Speeds
High-speed satellite internet has yet to reach the download speeds of more traditional forms of highs-speed internet, particularly cable internet. Cable companies are now offering packages that include download rates of up to 100Mbps, and routinely start at 15Mbps to 40Mbps.

High-speed satellite internet currently offers maximum download speeds of between 10Mbps and 15Mbps. While certainly fast and definitely broadband internet, current bandwidth limitations will be seen by some consumers as inadequate for their particular needs.

In terms of download speeds, more traditional forms of high-speed internet offer greater speeds compared to satellite internet.

Pricing
For the most common high-speed internet packages available from large cable and DSL internet providers—typically around 15Mbps—monthly pricing is relatively inexpensive. These forms of internet have been around for a long time, and have been effectively marketed to large, existing customer bases interested in receiving all their communication products from a single source. As a result of quick deployment to millions of subscribers, research, development, and manufacturing costs have been repaid many times over, which means very attractive pricing can routinely be offered.

Satellite internet, on the other hand, is new technology and hasn’t enjoyed the same level of consumer participation. This is due, in part, to the relatively slow speeds—around 1Mbps—of earlier versions at a time when land-based access was up to 10 times faster.

As a result of the research, development, and manufacturing costs of newer high-speed satellite internet still being absorbed by the companies offering these services, the costs of satellite internet can be more expensive than other methods of access to the World Wide Web. Pricing variables can include the type of equipment used, monthly throughput, and bandwidth guarantees.

Bundling
The concept of bundling—getting all your services from a single source on a single monthly invoice—has become an important marketing tool for high-speed internet service providers. Discounts of 10 percent or more are offered by companies that offer two or more products and services, and can spell the different between choosing one company over another.

DISH also offers discounts for bundling its premium home television programming with dishNET high-speed internet services.

In terms of bundling for discounts and the ease of having a single-point-of-contact of for technical support and customer service, satellite internet from dishNET is equally competitive with the rest of the marketplace. Variables between the different types of service providers can include deals for new subscribers, installation offers, term commitments, and the type of equipment used.

Satellite internet has come a long way since its inception, and today represents a level of freedom, availability, and portability not available with traditional forms of high-speed internet. For rural Americans who have no access to these types of services from any source, the choice is clear. For millions of other Americans, particularly existing DISH subscribers, high-speed internet form dishNET represents and bundling opportunity and the reality of receiving television programming and internet services from a single source.