

140 Gbps consumer broadband satellite launches - srgseg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15358121?

======
egiva
This satellite looks awesome, but it's basically being put into service by the
satellite ISP WildBlue, which ViaSat bought in late '09. My parents live in a
rural area and rely on WildBlue for their internet (they have a dish on the
roof), so really this headline was deceiving for me. Why? you wont get 140Gbps
of internet speed - WildBlue gives you satellite internet in 7,10,12Gb (etc)
TOTAL bandwidth per month. So they will break bandwidth up from this satellite
to handle traffic for another 30+ million customers, which is pretty huge, but
you definitely wont be getting some super-rapid internet service, unless
somehow they change their pricing.

Other drawbacks from WildBlue or satellite internet (in case you're thinking
about signing up): \- Limited (low) monthly total bandwidth caps = no online
movies, Netflix, or even working online more than 3-4 hours daily. \- high
latency, meaning VoIP services like Skype absolutely don't work. No online
telephone calls, etc. \- Pretty costly at around $40/month for just 7Gb of
total bandwidth. But there aren't many other options in rural areas.

