The Cincinnati city has opted for Dish Network as the provider of satellite internet connection to the inhabitants of the city. As a part of a new project aimed at closing the digital divide, Cincinnati will use Dish’s satellite broadband to provide high-speed internet access to the areas that currently lack it.
Dish Network will place dishes for satellite reception in homes that subscribe to its service. These small dishes can sync with Dish’s satellite network in geosynchronous orbit approximately 22,000 miles above the Earth. This enables Dish to transmit high-speed internet within a large coverage area without having to lay cables on the ground.
“We are happy the city has chosen Dish Network for this crucial digital literacy program,” said Brian Neylon, the executive vice president of Dish TV. “Satellite internet can offer broadband speeds comparable to cable and fiber connections,” It is added that the partnership with Cincinnati can help deliver high-speed internet to tens of thousands of households that have had no choice but to stick with sluggish connections.
Bridging the Digital Divide
The most recent source claims that more than ninety thousand Cincinnati homes lack a wired internet connection with at least 25 Mbps and an upload speed of at least 3 Mbps. Mostly affecting low-income areas and communities of color, this digital divide influences As employment, education, healthcare, and more moved to the internet platform, the COVID-19 epidemic also drew attention on ubiquitous broadband.
"The pandemic underlined the digital divide that persists in the city to this date," said Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. Nowadays, people's fundamental needs for job, education, or access to necessary services include the Internet, so this cooperation with Dish will greatly bridge the digital divide in Cincinnati.
With this project, the city should be able to link targeted houses to satellite internet and catch seventy percent of them. Installation and regular broadband service will be provided free of cost for first 24 months per home for new clients. If so, the city may carry on the initiative long term outside of the experimental phase.
How Satellite Internet Works
Dish’s satellite broadband service boasts of providing 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload throughout Cincinnati. That is sufficiently fast for online classes, remote consultations, video calls in high definition, video conferences, and most other common online uses. Latency is handled well by Dish to make satellites feel responsive for real-time applications such as video conferencing.
Here is how the technology works:
- Dish uses a small receiver dish that is fixed on the roof of the house or the outer wall. The oval-shaped dish is the transmitter that links with a modem situated within the house.
- This relates to Dish broadband satellites that Circulate at the equator. The satellites that the Dish company uses are open access and are provided to the Dish by the Hughes firm.
- Internet traffic transmits from the satellite to the dishes and vice versa. This results in the formation of a wireless regional network without the need for a cable infrastructure that is buried underground.
- A ground infrastructure providing real-time support for the satellite network and beam capacity consists of an operations center operated by Hughes.
Advantages of Satellite Internet Connection
Satellite internet provides several unique advantages over cable or DSL:
- Accessibility – satellite has the advantage of being able to reach any home with a clear view of the southern sky. There are no underground cables needed.
- Ease of Installation – This type of dish requires little time to install and can easily be installed on a home in a single day. Cable build-outs take far longer.
- Reliability – satellite provides service without fail while weather conditions that affect terrestrial services can be unpredictable.
- Cost-Efficiency - Satellite is relatively inexpensive when used on a broad scale to run new fiber optic cables.
- Performance – Modern satellites provide download speeds and latency on par with most fixed broadband.
Beyond this, rural counties, towns, and tribes of Cincinnati are among the many that have adopted satellite to offer broadband connectivity to every population. Subsequently, with the technology already established, other local governments find the satellite as a viable solution for bridging the digital divide.
As Dish’s satellite capacity increases and costs decrease, the community satellite broadband initiatives become financially feasible. Technological advancement also enables satellites to offer speeds that most households require daily. This makes the solution feasible for under-served urban markets such as Cincinnati in an endeavor to close the broadband gaps.
Looking Ahead
Cincinnati intends to pilot Dish’s satellite broadband in early 2023. The city will first select households that are eligible for free satellite equipment and service. The dish will then schedule installation appointments and activate the internet for homes that signed up for the service.
If successful, Cincinnati may ask for an extension of the satellite internet initiative beyond the free two years. The city could also pair satellites with other technologies such as fixed wireless or Wi-Fi mesh networks to extend affordable broadband services even further.
Everyone from medical operations, education systems, businesses, and residents requires fast and efficient internet access in today’s world. Cincinnati's partnership with Dish Network is in the process of becoming creative in ensuring broadband access reaches all the citizens of the Queen City.
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