What Is Satellite Internet?

Satellite internet connects users to the World Wide Web with an infrastructure of orbiting satellites, ground stations, and home dishes. It's a lot different from land-based internet services like cable or fiber, which transmit data through wires running underground. As the only internet service available nationwide, satellite internet is a reliable option for many rural homes and businesses to access the internet. 

Satellite internet's most outstanding trait is its near-universal availability, connecting people who have no access to the internet through traditional means, such as DSL, cable, fiber, or even wireless 5G.

Hughesnet, Starlink, and Viasat are the three primary residential satellite internet providers in the U.S. Amazon is entering the industry as soon as 2026 with Project Kuiper, making home internet available to the world with its own satellites.

Home satellite internet requires specialized equipment to connect a customer to the internet. Depending on the internet provider, they may lease the equipment to customers or sell it to them outright. The most important thing is the dish itself. 

This dish must be precisely positioned to beam signals to the provider's satellite in orbit and receive information back. A certified technician from your provider will typically handle the installation and alignment for you.

The second most important item is a gateway device, which connects to the dish and your internet-enabled devices. These act as a modem/router and are proprietary to the internet provider.

There are two types of satellites used for internet services: Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). 

Hughesnet and Viasat operate their services with GEO satellites. They are roughly 22,000 miles above the surface of the Earth and hover over the equator. They rotate with the planet, so the signal relay stays consistent. This is called a geostationary orbit. This enables two-way data communication between your dish and the provider's ground stations.

LEO satellites, on the other hand, are at about 300 miles above the Earth. Operated by Starlink (SpaceX) and Project Kuiper (Amazon), these satellites are launched into a closer proximity for a reason. These satellites are in constant orbit around the planet, each with its own trajectory to cover the world.

GEO satellites are much larger and cover a much wider area due to their distance. However, this means data has much farther to travel, leading to high latency. LEO satellites operate closer to the planet, leading to lower latency and faster speeds. To ensure coverage, LEO operators need to launch thousands of smaller satellites to surround the Earth. By the end of 2025, Starlink is expected to operate approximately 9,000 satellites, with Project Kupier planning to launch at least 3,200 more.

Latency is the measurement of time it takes for data to travel between a user's endpoint (your computer or phone) to a destination on the internet (website, streaming service, online game). It's measured in milliseconds.

Latency is especially relevant to satellite internet because it typically has high latency, which makes it significantly slower than traditional internet connections, as data must travel much farther—miles into space and then back. LEO satellites, like Starlink's, reduce latency since they're much closer to Earth than GEO satellites, which orbit much further away.

The final component of satellite internet is the provider's ground stations. Stations consist of massive receivers to communicate with satellites, and are hardwired into the internet to bridge your home terminal to the web. To get the fastest connection possible, satellites will bridge your connection to the nearest ground station, even if it's several states away. This can result in confusing location service results, like making you appear in Montana even though you live in Idaho. Providers attempt to establish as many local stations as possible to minimize this issue and achieve better performance.

Because satellite internet's capability of being used virtually anywhere, it's primarily for those who live in places where reliable internet is scarce or non-existent—residents in rural parts of the U.S. often have limited selection when it comes to internet service. Older types of connections, such as dial-up or DSL, have become outdated and can't keep up with the modern use cases of the internet, including high-definition streaming, video conferencing, and online gaming. Satellite internet is capable of higher speeds to handle these activities and more. 

Businesses, both large and small, utilize satellite internet to conduct their business operations and provide access to customers. Businesses in rural areas can leverage satellite internet to facilitate digital point-of-sale services, communicate with other locations, or offer Wi-Fi to customers. For bigger enterprises, satellite internet is often used to coordinate supply or fleets in rural areas. Satellite internet is also used to supply Wi-Fi on airplanes and cruise ships.

While its capabilities are still developing, satellite internet is also used for travel. LEO satellites are capable of providing high-speed internet while the dish is moving. Currently, Starlink is the only provider that can be used on the go, making it an ideal solution for RVs traveling the country to get high-speed internet wherever they go. It can also be an invaluable tool for first responders in rural zones to stay in communication with home base. 

Hughesnet, Starlink, and Viasat are the three satellite internet providers in operation in the U.S. For geostationary satellite services, Viasat offers faster speeds and higher data allowances, while Hughesnet offers more affordable packages. The only low-earth orbit provider is Starlink, which is considered the fastest of all three providers. Amazon is also entering the industry with its Project Kuiper, which is due to launch in 2026. It's another LEO service provider that works similarly to Starlink.

In 2024, Viasat restructured its pricing, simplifying it to a single package with pricing and download speeds that vary depending on a customer's location. The highlights include unlimited high-speed data and no contract. In our in-depth Viasat review, you'll find a detailed examination of what each plan offering entails. 

Starlink is typically the most expensive of all three satellite providers due to the high upfront cost of its equipment. However, Starlink has routinely introduced discounts and promotions to sell more kits, even offering them for free in certain situations. These promotions are highly dependent on the region you live in and the amount of bandwidth available on Starlink's network. In our Starlink review, we provide an in-depth examination of the internet service provider's performance.  

Hughesnet plans offer 25-100Mbps in download speed and 5Mbps upload, depending on which plan you pick. The most significant distinguishing factor between Hughesnet plans is the amount of data you need each month. In our Hughesnet review, you will find a deeper look into what these plans have to offer.