Satellite broadband is a sector of the telecoms industry which never makes headline news and appears to be as unpopular now as it ever has been. However, with news that the industry is able to guarantee broadband access in any area of the UK at speeds of around 2Mbps the unpopularity of this medium is somewhat puzzling.
Whether the satellite broadband sector is feeling the effects of significant public relations spend and investment into technology by mobile phone network providers, or costs are currently too high, is something open to debate. The suggestion that satellite broadband systems could assist the more rural areas of the UK is an idea which returns to the market time and time again but nothing ever seems to change. Indeed the government has no plans to invest in satellite broadband even though some experts feel there is untapped potential in this field.
In many ways, broadband users around the world have been conditioned to see mobile broadband and landline broadband as the be all and end all of the broadband sector. However, if satellite broadband providers can bring their costs down to a comparable level to more traditional broadband providers then we may just have a battle on our hands. Unfortunately as the mobile broadband sector and landline broadband sector continue to move ahead at significant pace, there is a distinct possibility that satellite broadband could soon disappear forever.