10Mbps satellite anyone?

Rik · May 01, 2009, 15:14:44

El Reg is reporting that:

QuoteA French firm plans to launch a satellite next year that it says will offer the entire UK up to 10Mbit/s broadband, including rural areas that are poorly served by ADSL and cable.

This week, Eutelsat is launching "Tooway" broadband in the UK at up to 2Mbit/s, via an existing satellite.

Its new craft, launching in the third quarter of 2010, will use the Ka band of the microwave spectrum to deliver speeds close to those typically offered by the ADSL2+ equipment currently being installed in local exchanges by BT. Eutelsat's current service uses the lower frequency Ku band.

The new satellite will cover the whole continent, from Turkey in the east to Ireland in the west.

As now, consumers will require a dish and transmitter to receive and send data. According to Eutelsat's business development manager, Jean-Francois Fremaux, the equipment will cost about £400. The monthly subscription for the new service will be similar to the £29.99 tariff for the existing package.

Interesting move.

Glenn · May 01, 2009, 15:53:30

The radar (not laser) detectors use the Ka band I wonder if it will interfere with them

Rik · May 01, 2009, 15:54:42

Or they with it?

Steve · May 01, 2009, 17:07:46

Quote from: Glenn on May 01, 2009, 15:53:30
The radar (not laser) detectors use the Ka band I wonder if it will interfere with them

I thought that was a pun

Rik · May 01, 2009, 17:09:45

I caught that too...

kinmel · May 01, 2009, 17:20:19

Many years ago when ADSL required a low attentuation phone line I used a satellite ISP called Satdrive.

Theoretically you could get a 32Mbps downlink, but it rarely happened because transponders are expensive to rent and the only way to make a profit is to overload the link with subscribers. Much of the time my dial-up gave 10 times better download speeds.

I certainly wouldn't sign up for a 12 month contract.

Rik · May 01, 2009, 17:39:48

I'm against any 12 or more month contracts these days, Alan. If your service is good enough, you won't lose customers.

Sebby · May 01, 2009, 18:06:50

I agree with you there, Rik - the only exception is when you get free hardware; then I can kind of understand it.

Rik · May 01, 2009, 18:09:19

I accept that, and I have to confess to the 18 month deal with Orange, but as that saved me £15pm each, included new handsets and we've been happy with them for 12 years, I was prepared to make an exception.

Sebby · May 01, 2009, 18:10:19

I was thinking about mobile networks, but then they subsidise the handset, so it's fair enough (though 18 month contracts seemed to appear from nowhere - it was always 12 not so long ago!).

Rik · May 01, 2009, 18:15:30

Retention seems to have become more important, and the Orange deal was hard to refuse. In addition to the unlimited landline calls, 300 minutes any network any time, 100 texts, I also get 'magic numbers' with up to 3 hours of calls a day free between them. Sue is one, and one of our friends another (they have to be Orange customers), then I can add further numbers every six months. Sue has me and another of our friends, so I can't see using the landline much anymore.

Gary · May 01, 2009, 19:36:42

I am going for the O2 simplicity contract, I buy mobile phones that are always sim free, and not butchered by an operator firmware wise which allows me to update quicker than most handsets and keep all the original features, Justina just sent her old phone an N73 ff to Mazuma mobile and got £57 for it now thats not bad for an 18 month old handset that was free. My N95 8GB is worth £145 I'll use that to grab probably the Nokia N97 and have a simplicity contract where its a rolling One month, no phone (fine buy me) so for £14.69 I get 300 mins of calls 600 texts and unlimited free calls to other O2 users, like Justina and most of my friends in this area, and a 30 day contact is fine by me I get a new phone as and when I really need one, up till now the N95 8GB has been fine, still works great, lasted me almost two years, so then wait for the envelope from Mazuma send it off free postage get the cheque, knock the £145 off the new phone plus another £120 in saving over the contract I have now and the new phone does not cost that much in the end, if it lasts minimum two years, its almost paid for itself

Simon · May 01, 2009, 19:58:00

Is the N97 out yet, Gary?

Sebby · May 01, 2009, 23:07:18

Quote from: Simon on May 01, 2009, 19:58:00
Is the N97 out yet, Gary?

I think it's been released, but it's not available on any UK networks yet. I hope it's an improvement over the N96.

Glenn · May 02, 2009, 07:32:40

3 were due to start testing the N97 around 4 months, but I have not seen one yet, but then I only fix things, not play with new toys

Gary · May 02, 2009, 07:42:49

Quote from: Simon on May 01, 2009, 19:58:00
Is the N97 out yet, Gary?

Available soon on Mobilefun Simon, so within the next week if not sooner but not at that price just yet. There are the usual grey imports but best avoided as they have only a one year guarantee.

Gary · May 02, 2009, 07:46:00

Quote from: Sebby on May 01, 2009, 23:07:18
I think it's been released, but it's not available on any UK networks yet. I hope it's an improvement over the N96.

meant to be a massive one Sebby as I avoided the N96 there was no real feature gain from the N95 and a slower GUI made it horrid, the N97 is meant to be much faster and with both touch screen and slide out qwerty keypad it should be good, lets watch the reviews

and then I wait 2 months for the price to drop a bit

kinmel · May 03, 2009, 23:10:13

The satellite packages for 2meg download are now available in the UK - Tariam Homenet and there is an undefined F.U.P.

Monthly data allowance      1.2GB      2GB     3GB      6G
Monthly airtime (inc VAT, paid quarterly)    £39.99    £49.99    £64.99    £129.99

Set up costs £759.97 inc VAT (hardware, delivery & installation)

Ouch

Simon · May 03, 2009, 23:20:18

Quote from: Gary on May 02, 2009, 07:46:00
meant to be a massive one Sebby as I avoided the N96 there was no real feature gain from the N95 and a slower GUI made it horrid, the N97 is meant to be much faster and with both touch screen and slide out qwerty keypad it should be good, lets watch the reviews and then I wait 2 months for the price to drop a bit

Touchscreen!

Said I'd never have another after the SE K850. I can see this retailing at about £500, so it will probably be price prohibitive for me anyway.

Quote from: kinmel on May 03, 2009, 23:10:13
The satellite packages for 2meg download are now available in the UK - Tariam Homenet and there is an undefined F.U.P.

Monthly data allowance      1.2GB      2GB     3GB      6G
Monthly airtime (inc VAT, paid quarterly)    £39.99    £49.99    £64.99    £129.99

Set up costs £759.97 inc VAT (hardware, delivery & installation)

Ouch

I'll second that Ouch with an

Lance · May 03, 2009, 23:23:07

I think the best way of getting internet in the sticks within a couple of years will be via a mobile phone provider's dongle. Certainly cheaper!

Sebby · May 03, 2009, 23:42:15

Quote from: kinmel on May 03, 2009, 23:10:13
The satellite packages for 2meg download are now available in the UK - Tariam Homenet and there is an undefined F.U.P.

Monthly data allowance      1.2GB      2GB     3GB      6G
Monthly airtime (inc VAT, paid quarterly)    £39.99    £49.99    £64.99    £129.99

Set up costs £759.97 inc VAT (hardware, delivery & installation)

Ouch

It's certainly not value for money.

Rik · May 04, 2009, 09:30:02

That depends, I guess, on how desperate you are...

Gary · May 04, 2009, 09:42:05

I have friends who cannot stil get bb as they are in the back of beyond, to far from the exchange, to them this would be worth it I think in the long term as waiting for a BT miracle to sort anything out as their village is only a few houses literally tucked in the heart of the south down is as likely as

they don't even get good cell phone reception as they are in the bottom of a valley, but it damn expensive

Rik · May 04, 2009, 09:43:50

I think that's the key, Gary. For some, as with TV, satellite will be the only option and they will be prepared to pay. (Though the setup costs seem way OTT to me.)

Gary · May 04, 2009, 09:55:37

Quote from: Simon on May 03, 2009, 23:20:18
Touchscreen! Said I'd never have another after the SE K850. I can see this retailing at about £500, so it will probably be price prohibitive for me anyway.

Its more of an iphone style touchscreen, and its over £600 right now, it will drop and with 32 GB on board and a memory expansion slot to start it, has a great feature set its like a mini netbook really, since I will have it for at least two years, the cost is not that bad when I think what I paid for other gadgets in the past, not when you look at it over the long term, my N95 8GB was nearly £400 when I got it. and that's still as good as when I first got it, browsing the net on wifi or 3G needs a bigger screen and it being a slide in your pocket device its easier for me that a netbook and its its a phone as well. I don't want a white one, has to be black. Give it three months and then I'll purchase if the reviews are good, I'm in no rush for the first batch glitches and firmware issues. By the looks of things phones using conventional keypads are vanishing over time my old P910i was touch screen and it was great, its the evolution of devices, like the windows 7 touch screen interface that will be used by many manufacturers.