Over 50 communications satellites orbit directly above the earth, which are spaced around two to three degrees apart. Since these satellites orbit the earth at exactly the same speed and direction as the earth rotates, the satellites remain fixed in one place making it easy for you to receive signals.

Each satellite can only cover approximately one-third of the earth because this is the only area visible from the satellite's position. In order for certain broadband satellite TV to receive signals, “spot beams” from the satellite are pointed directly down at certain areas.

Huge multi-national companies, such as NewSkies, Eutelsat and Intelsat, own the satellites used for broadband satellite TVs. You can also subscribe with certain national companies and regional operators providing broadband satellite TV.

Features of a Broadband Satellite TV

Broadband satellite TV can be acquired from internet service providers that sell their services to consumers, providing them with free equipment and monthly subscriptions of pre-determined satellite capacities.

When you subscribe with a broadband satellite TV provider, they will give you a small satellite dish, ranging from 60cm to 3.7m in diameter, along with a receiver module or a “low noise block down-converter” and a suitable transit module (or block up-converter). These pieces of equipment are important in receiving signals from the satellite broadband and extracting data from your computer or other local area networks. Having this equipment inside your home can prepare your system for data transmission, whenever you click the mouse over the Internet.

Subscribing for a monthly broadband satellite TV means you will be renting a specific bit rate, such as 512k down. This means that when you download a file, the maximum speed can be up to 512k bits. Most broadband satellite TV providers offer “shared bit rates”, which are limited or lower bit rates that offer a specified capacity that you will be sharing.

Be aware that if you include sharing arrangements in your subscription, you will be given a monthly upload and download limit. This is done to ensure that other users can block you from receiving broadcasts. These policies of fairness can be complicated and may vary from one broadband provider to another.

If you don't want to have limits, you can subscribe with a CIR (or a continuous information rate) service that enables you to upload and download unlimited broadcasts to your heart's desire. However, you should expect a more expensive rate for these services because they are mostly used for commercial purposes, such as by internet cafes and other businesses that require large bit rates.