Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Sattelite Broadband - The Canadian Game Changer?

For many Canadians, October 18 can’t come soon enough. On that day, North America’s first 4G broadband satellite will launch into space.

ViaSat-1 is designed to provide a fast and affordable broadband connection to Canadians, including many in remote areas. Not only does the satellite have capacity to support download speeds of up to 25 Mbps, but all current North American broadband satellites combined don’t boast the total capacity of ViaSat-1. An estimated 1.5 million customers who thus far have had little or no access will now be able to take advantage of broadband services and all its social and economic advantages.

Sounds great, right? But consider the following: Canada’s largest provider of rural broadband access, Xplornet Communications, has purchased 100 percent of the Ka-band capacity on the satellite. Xplornet already has a national, fixed-wireless 4G network, and plans are in place to launch a second 4G satellite next year.

You can look at this information one of two ways. First, Xplornet is going to single-handedly eliminate the Canadian rural divide, long a hot-button issue. The other, more conspiratorial perspective, questions how wise it is for one company to have such overwhelming dominance of the market.

Other countries, like France, Australia, Germany, and India have already determined that 4G satellite broadband, with its speed and increased capacity is the key to providing affordable access for everyone. But is it prudent for any nation to allow one company that much power?

What’s your perspective on this substantial shift?

Labels: Canada Broadband, Rural Broadband, satellite broadband