While the Japanese broadband market has been somewhat overshadowed by the likes of Korea, the country is fighting back with a significant shift into satellite broadband communications. Last year’s launch of the Kizuna Japanese satellite system, otherwise known as WINDS (wideband internetworking engineering test and demonstration satellite) has taken satellite broadband to a new level.
This is part of an ongoing programme which will see areas of Japan receive broadband speeds up to 1.2 GB per second from the satellite in question. However, the 1.2 GB per second broadband speeds will only be available to those with a 5 m diameter satellite dish, with the more traditional 45 cm diameter satellite dishes able to receive broadband speeds of 155 Mb per second. The fact that the Kizuna satellite itself only has a life expectancy of around five years further demonstrates that the Japanese government is looking to make further strides into the satellite broadband sector.
Satellite broadband is an area of the market which has been completely ignored by the vast majority of countries around the world although eventually it could offer the answer to rural broadband problems in places such as the UK. Whether the UK authorities will eventually move down this path in some areas of the UK remains to be seen but at this moment in time the appetite for satellite broadband is literally non-existent.