Frequently Asked Questions

Satellite broadband is a broadband internet connection made via communications satellites instead of a telephone land line or other terrestrial means. Our Broadband Everywhere service provides high-speed, always-on, bi-directional broadband internet via satellite, which is available for a flat fee to anyone, anywhere.

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Broadband Everywhere uses the services of SES Broadband (formerly Astra2Connect) which is the company which operates the Astra satellites in Europe, based out of Luxemburg.

The high speed 20Mbps services are operating on the newest "KA" satellite - Astra 2F - that covers England, Wales, Ireland, France, Belguim, Switzerland, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. More areas are planned soon, but in the meantime a "KU" 10Mbps service is available throughout western Europe off 2 other Astra satellites. An upgrade will be possible once your country comes online.

If you are on the new KA 20Mbps service, as long as you on a 20Mbps package then yes, you will get up to 20Mbps service - wherever you are, no matter how far you are from phone exchanges or cable networks. Of course 20Mbps is the maximum you will get based on network usage, speed of the internet etc. A slightly longer delay loading websites is expected due to satellite latency (between 5 - 8 seconds on some websites).

Likewise if you are on the older "KU" satellite service you should receive up to 10Mbs (or whatever package you have chosen) WHEREVER you are.

Because both the download and upload of data between the internet and your computer is via satellite, our Broadband Everywhere platform does not use, or require, any form of ground-based connection (eg telephone landline).

Learn more about the benefits of Broadband Everywhere

Our Broadband Everywhere internet connection is available anywhere within the UK and most of western Europe.

If your location can receive satellite television you should be able to access Broadband Everywhere as the satellites are in a similar position in the southern sky. You can check the direction of the Broadband Everywhere satellite by clicking the link below which will open www.dishpointer.com set to the BroadBand Everywhere satellite. Just enter your postcode in the ' Your Location' box and click 'Go'. The direction of the Broadband Everywhere satellite will be shown.

www.dishpointer.com

You can view the service areas - known as "Satellite Footprints" here

As a subscriber to Broadband Everywhere you can choose from a broad variety of service packages tailored specifically to your internet requirements. Different download and upload speeds, volume free and volume limited packages are offered, giving you the flexibility you need:

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Your use of our Broadband Everywhere platform may be limited by your choice of service package. If you have booked a limited volume package, you will not be able to browse the internet anymore after exceeding the monthly maximum download volume (but you will be redirected to a web page where you can buy additional volume if you wish).

If you subscribe to an unlimited volume package, downloading an excessive amount of data within a month may instigate the "Fair Use Policy" to temporarily limit the speed of your connection. Broadband Everywhere is an always-on service and so your computer can remain connected to the internet at all times, with no restriction to the time spent connected.

Learn more about the Broadband Everywhere Fair Use Policy

In operation, your satellite internet connection by Broadband Everywhere appears to your computer, and to you, just like any other broadband internet connection, and you can use the same software for website browsing, email, etc, as does any other internet user.

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You can make low cost "VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)" telephone calls using your Broadband Everywhere satellite internet connection, and this option may be purchased from us at any time. This will allow you to connect to your existing SIP provider.

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Broadband Everywhere is designed for use where other connections to the internet are not available and it presents a low-cost alternative to the provision of landline services where they were not previously available.

Broadband Everywhere requires only a satellite dish fitted with the two-way iLNB, and an IP modem connected to your computer.

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Broadband Everywhere uses innovative and advanced performance optimisation technologies over satellite that require a certain size and quality of the dish. To ensure reliable reception of the satellite signal for your broadband connection, you should use the dish supplied in our Broadband Everywhere equipment pack, or the specially certified automatic mobile solutions.

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We have specially designed the Broadband Everywhere equipment to be easily installed by the user, although we can arrange to install the equipment for you, if you prefer.

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All the cables and connectors you will need are supplied in our equipment pack. All you need to provide is a wall or ground mount for the dish (depending on your circumstances) and some basic tools for the installation (eg screwdriver, spanners, etc).

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Full step-by-step instructions are provided with our Broadband Everywhere equipment pack and the dish incorporates unique fine adjustments for accurately aligning it on the satellite. No specialist tools are required as our dedicated "Point&Play" tool is also supplied to clearly indicate when the dish is correctly pointed on the right satellite.

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Equipment that has been on previous rental installations may have some light scratches.

Learn more about installing the Broadband Everywhere equipment

Which satellite does Broadband Everywhere use?

Our ASTRA satellites at 23.5°E and 28.2°E are used for both downloading and uploading data for Broadband Everywhere solutions.

Learn more about the features of the Broadband Everywhere platform

Broadband Everywhere requires no extra software to be loaded on your computer and can operate with PC (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8) and Apple Macintosh (OS X) computers with Ethernet support. All configuration is done via a web browser, and with the addition of a WiFi router after setup, you should be able to use the service on any WiFi device such as tablets or smart phones.

Learn more about installing the Broadband Everywhere equipment

You can connect your Broadband Everywhere modem with an Ethernet cable either to an individual computer or to a network router/switch to link to a home network or local area network. The connection from the router to your network computers can be cabled or wireless.

Learn more about installing the Broadband Everywhere equipment

Our Broadband Everywhere equipment pack includes 30m of dual coax cable to connect the dish and IP modem. If this length must be exceeded, you should contact us for advice. To connect the IP modem to your computer or router, an Ethernet cable of approximately 2.0m is supplied. You can substitute a longer cable if required.

Learn more about installing the Broadband Everywhere equipment

All internet connections suffer from some latency and because a satellite connection requires the signal to travel from the ground to the satellite and back again, this imposes a "satellite latency" of approximately half a second. However, we employ a variety of means to mitigate the effects of this delay, so it does not adversely affect normal use of the Broadband Everywhere connection. The only exception is online gaming which satellite broadband is not suitable for.

Learn more about the features of the Broadband Everywhere platform

The Broadband Everywhere modem should be powered whenever the connection is in use. The IP modem takes a few minutes to initialise when switched on and so it is preferable to keep it powered unless the connection is unused for an extended period. The Broadband Everywhere equipment has a power consumption of less than 30W in use.

Learn more about the satellite broadband equipment