With the ever-advancing use of portable devices such as smartphones, it is becoming pertinent for people to get satellite internet on their phones. Satellite internet offers fast connection and is different from cable and fiber optics through wires where satellites are built in space. Since it provides conventional broadband access to areas that cannot connect to more traditional methods such as cable or fiber. However, it is an important question whether or not one can obtain satellite internet on their phone. So, let us analyze the details of this beautiful model.
What is Satellite Internet?
Satellite internet is an internet connectivity service that employs satellites in orbit around the earth to communicate information. A satellite internet provider sends satellites into orbit and transmits signals through the air with the intent of reaching massive territories on the surface of the earth through radio signals.
For satellite internet, there must be an outside dish that is fixed at the place so that it can send out requests and obtain the internet signals from the satellites. They serve as a go-between for the information that your internet service provider has in its network operational center and your satellite dish. This one makes it possible for you to use the wireless satellite instead of the cables that are usually laid on the ground to help you access the internet.
Satellite internet is very useful to offer internet to areas that are not capable of fiber or cable internet line integration. It is faster than old copper wire DSL connections and satellites can deliver high-speed services. Which are still higher than ground-based cable and fiber and thus affect the performance of real-time services such as video conferencing.
Can I Purchase Satellite Internet Service and Connect It Directly to My Phone?
Sadly Satellite internet needs an outside dish a modem device and a WiFi router to connect to the satellite network. Smartphones themselves are not equipped with the necessary hardware components that would enable the device to directly connect to the internet using satellite signals. Thus, you cannot directly connect using the satellite internet on your phone in the way you use a normal cellular LTE or 5G data connection.
There are a couple of ways you can indirectly access satellite internet on phones:
1. Use satellite internet at home network
For instance, if you possess satellite broadband such as HughesNet or Viasat at your home, you are capable of using the same satellite internet on your smartphone if you are connected to the home’s WiFi.
Almost all satellite internet service providers supply their customers with routers when they are installing satellite internet connections. So as long as you have access to that wireless router and depending on the strength of the signal, you can connect with any device that is WiFi compliant including laptops, tablets, streaming devices, smartphones, etc. The router is the only key that opens the door to satellite internet that your phone cannot directly connect to.
This might provide enough resources to suffice simple uses such as email checking and web surfing within your home and workplace. However, you would be confined to using satellite internet whenever you were out of the wireless network coverage area while the external satellite dish installation was limited to only that.
2. When it comes to connecting to the Internet through a satellite, make use of a satellite WiFi hotspot device.
However, there are some new types of satellite WiFi hotspot devices for more portable purposes. These are devices that are battery-operated and can connect to the satellite network to provide a wireless connection zone for your smartphone and other wireless devices for connection.
For instance, satellite hotspot devices such as Kymeta u8 and EMANT have satisfied the rising need for mobile internet connectivity with boats, first responder vehicles, tourism activities in remote areas, and the like. However, the cost of the accessories and services makes these options unaffordable for the majority of the average buyers.
The numbers are expensive due to $3,000+ price tags for the initial equipment and $150+ monthly data costs typical of satellite WiFi predecessors. Furthermore, restrictions concerning the number of monthly traffic, more specifically, not exceeding 100GB, affect stable smartphone usage. Nonetheless, novel space-based internet endeavors such as Starlink’s satellite constellation of 5G satellite-drone networks may extend future satellite hotspot potential.
To answer this question, it is essential to look at the benefits of satellite internet for phones and understand if it is worth it to switch to satellite internet for phones.
This is particularly so for rural regions that do not have a dependable broadband connection; obtaining home satellite internet can make sense if phone access is bundled. Satellite isn't usually the most affordable internet option for typical mobile use cases for a few reasons:
- Satellite internet data limits vary from 30GB up to 150GB monthly, on average. Call it data-intensive, Americans use their smartphone to access over 100GB per month through their cellular data plan. Exceeding data usage of satellite internet connection leads to speeds that are extremely slow or high charges for using extra data.
- Satellites orbiting at higher altitudes with latencies result in a lot of delay time than those in fiber optic or microwave tower networks in lower altitudes. FaceTime, voice calls, and multiplayer gaming are challenging over satellite when you need a real-time connection.
- Satellite network infrastructure distributes a very limited amount of bandwidth to many users throughout a large area. Thus, it reduces internet speeds even during other peak congestion times with more local internet users.
- Satellite internet equipment: hardware and installation can be up to hundreds of dollars more expensive per year than most basic unlimited cell phone plans from major carriers that offer 5G service.
Satellite internet at least provides fundamental web connectivity for the areas with no other internet choices – inclusive of email, light browsing, social media, streaming video, and audio. Simply do not anticipate that a satellite connection could offer even average smartphone experiences. Subsequent developments and the next generation Low Earth Orbit satellite broadband can in future effectively address these gaps. However, today satellite can be regarded only as the second internet connection that can be used on phones rather than as the complete replacement of the mobile connection. That is why, depending on the situation, it is possible to log into geostationary satellite networks hotspots for smartphones based on location and budget.
