Satellite broadband technology is relatively young compared with long established wired Internet services that deliver fast connection in urban zones. Due to its high cost, satellite broadband remains unaffordable for many households who are seeking alternatives to slow Internet connections. Despite its cost disadvantages, satellite broadband proved to be a cost-efficient wireless communications solution for many businesses and households in less industrialized or nearly uninhabited areas.
VSATs and satellite dishes facilitate two-way communication with satellites. Commercial satellites, which are normally positioned 20,000 miles above the ground, process electronic signals from these terminals in both the receiving and sending ends. By doing so, satellites eliminate the geographic barriers between the server and client. Upon receiving signals from the satellite dish, satellites will communicate with ground stations which are connected to the Internet via terrestrial backhaul or networks. The response from the server will be channeled through the ground station to be sent to satellites and transmitted to the satellite dish. Satellite dishes are the core hardware component of a satellite Internet service.
Satellite antennas that are designed to communicate with a geostationary satellite have to face that satellite in order to get the best signal. Geostationary satellites move along Earth at the same speed, so their position relative to a fixed point on ground is fixed. Changing the position of a satellite dish can result to signal attenuation.