Atlanta, Georgia is experiencing a low-profile revolution of internet connectivity through satellite broadband from Dish Network. Atlanta is one of the largest cities in the Southeastern part of the United States and has had its fair share of issues in delivering affordable and fast internet to everyone in the city and businesses. Still, Dish Network has shifted that paradigm through their satellite internet service.
Originally founded in 1996 as EchoStar, the Dish Network began primarily as a satellite television service. In the recent past, the company has greatly invested in building advanced satellite internet solutions. It was only in 2021 that it officially marketed Dish Network satellite internet services for the underserved metro markets such as Atlanta.
How Satellite Internet Works
Satellite internet uses satellites orbiting the earth to connect to the internet unlike the cables and phone lines on the ground. A small dish is fitted at the customer premise to point towards the physical nearest satellite which in turn links to a ground station that switches the signals to the other satellites to the internet. It is much like having satellite TV.
Satellite internet has a notable benefit of being able to offer service in nearly any area because it is not restricted by a physical network on the ground. There is no need for the satellite to send out signals, all that is required is that there is line-of-sight to the satellite. This makes satellite a game changer for those rural areas where fiber or cable internet is out of the question. Perhaps centristically, it is also aiding in the bridging of the digital divide in cities such as Atlanta.
Closing Atlanta’s Digital Divide
Atlanta is one of the largest commercial and technological centers in the United States of America. Nevertheless, more than half a million residents do not have home broadband mainly because Atlanta remains an economically and geographically divided city. Downtown and North Atlanta areas are relatively connected to the internet, whereas low-income regions in the southern and eastern areas lack sufficient investments in internet networks.
Dish Network and the city government have indicated that more than a third of Georgia’s households are still not connected to wireline broadband. Satellite fills this gap by delivering internet from space. The installation process only lasts for several minutes where technicians fix a small receiver dish at any place that offers direct view of the southern sky.
High speeds of up to 100 Mbps ensure that satellite internet supports schooling, work, streaming, and smart home operations. Month charges are also reasonable, with Dish Network, costing as low $49. 99 per month and there are no hidden charges like data caps.
Accelerating Deployment
Later in 2021, Dish Network unveiled a partnership with the city of Atlanta to promote the use of satellite broadband. Dish provided internet connection and devices to community hubs and MDUs in disadvantaged areas. It also started a program for subsidizing satellite internet for the lower income population in the city.
“Satellite internet has been around for some time now but it was out of reach for most households financially until Dish came up with affordable tariffs,” said Atlanta City Council Member Kwanza Palmer. “Now you can get fast internet, it is affordable, and all we need is simply to reach more people in Atlanta.”
When demand for satellite internet rose throughout 2021, Dish Network doubled the number of employees in Atlanta to expand deployments. The firm hopes to connect more than 55 thousand households in Atlanta with satellite internet by the end of 2022.
Emerging Satellite Systems
Fueling Dish Network’s satellite broadband is next gen technology that delivers speeds that are as fast as fiber. Dish now uses High Throughput Satellites (HTS) with hundreds of well directed beams for focused and high capacity Internet connection.
“Some of our satellites have state of the art precision antennas and in-space electronics to offer high speed and coverage,” stated a Dish Network satellite engineer. “This is the kind of capacity that early satellites could only imagine getting across the internet.”
And the future is even brighter. Through LEO satellites, hybrid space-air networks and innovative devices such as flat panel antennas, Dish is seeking to reduce customer cost. The company has also supported funding of infrastructures and subsidies to make broadband more democratic.
The internet is becoming more egalitarian with accessible, high-speed satellite internet now available in metro Atlanta. This empowers Equal access to jobs, education, healthcare, and much more as Atlanta communities prosper. Satellite enable the Internet at its best.
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