The best thing about satellite technology is that it can be used in remote locations where cable isn’t available or on the go, such as military applications. For example, VSAT Satellite Internet Service made the old RF/HF transmitters near obsolete in the 90’s. The current mobile communications used by the US Military are almost entirely satellite, eliminating many of the issues of landlines or RF broadcasting, including the physical space and power requirement of large HF transmitters.

Setellite

This change in technology has trickled down from military applications to commerce and the home user. As often as not, the home links can be faster than T1 links in the workplace. Hughesnet internet services can even provide these speeds in areas where cable and DSL lines are unable to reach.

In the industrial marketplace, satellite internet has cut a huge new swath in commerce, both in the ability of business to reach out to potential customers, and in the ability of customers to buy products quickly and easily. The old dial up modems made online shopping difficult at best, and the ability to secure transactions has greatly increased, in so doing increasing consumer confidence.
The bandwidth of satellite internet allows audio and video streaming websites to not just exist, but also thrive. Similarly, ecommerce websites wouldn’t have their great diversity without the broadband ability of satellite internet.

The ease of access to the average end user makes it popular to a wide range of people, from the IT geek to grandma. One of the greatest examples of military applications gone commercial is GPS technology. This is a close cousin of satellite internet, TV, and phone; the technological leaps have gone hand in hand, and even the fusion of applications can be seen in GPS phones with internet access.

While there has been a recent slump in the stocks of providers, such as Hughesnet satellite internet, it is as much a normalization of the market as a reflection of the current economic times. The technology isn’t going anywhere; much like the telephone, it is only bound to evolve, not disappear.

Another development is satellite television and radio services; the number of channels and choices now available at a cost effective price for the average user has increased dramatically, particularly when bundled in a phone, TV, and internet package. This allows a creative boon to the Western World, as there is space and affordable technology out there for anyone who wants to be seen and heard. The availability of satellite radio in the car and home, where specific tastes can be catered to and honed, is a technological leap that wasn’t available before satellite broadcasting.

There is apparently no limit to the applications of these new technologies, for military, industrial, commercial, or personal use. It is only the imagination and skill of the populace that will limit this tool.