Satellite Internet for Small Businesses: FAQs

Apart from a solid business plan, financing, and an accounting spreadsheet, one important thing every small business needs is a reliable internet connection. This is why there are popular options like fiber internet, cable internet, and 5G. But what about small businesses operating in rural areas where they cannot get access to these broadband options? If you are a small business owner looking for a viable internet solution in a rural area, then Satellite Internet for Small Businesses can be the perfect choice.

As a small business owner myself, let’s discuss all about satellite internet for small businesses and why it is a decent option for your small business.

How Does Satellite Internet Work?

Satellite internet relies on a satellite orbiting the Earth in space.

The ground station sends the signal towards the satellite, which then relays it to the user’s dish, usually mounted at a high location. The dish receives the internet signal and transmits it to the modem, which equips users with internet connectivity.

Since the satellite signals travel thousands of miles into orbit and back, unlike other internet-type options, you should expect higher latency (typically 40–70 ms). This isn’t a deal-breaker for less data-intensive activities such as browsing or email, but it may affect real-time applications like VoIP.

How Do You Install Satellite Internet?

If you get satellite internet for your business, you need to get a dish installed, and that is it when it comes to setting up the satellite internet.

You will most likely opt for professional installation, where a tech comes up to your location and sets everything up for you. That takes up to a day or two, without you having to do anything.

As soon as the satellite dish is set up, it receives signals from the satellite, and you can start using the internet for your small business tasks.

How Fast is Satellite Internet?

Satellite Internet has speeds that range between 45 Mbps and 220 Mbps. Now, this might be slow if you compare it to high-speed broadband providers like fiber internet. But, if you analyze how much speed a small business needs, satellite internet’s speed fits the bill.

If you need internet for day-to-day business tasks like sending emails, browsing, downloading files, data backups, and occasional video conferencing, then over 100 Mbps of data is sufficient to support your small business.

With satellite internet, you can easily get 100 Mbps speed, which makes it fast enough for your small business.

Is Satellite Internet Viable?

Before you think that satellite internet is a last-resort option for your business in a rural area, it is not. Fixed wireless internet is also available in rural areas, but I still recommend satellite internet for your business. I am going to explain the reason below.

Your business needs reliable internet connectivity to remain in touch with your remote employees, use online tools, stay in touch with your customers, especially if you are an e-commerce business

Satellite internet is sturdy enough to withstand natural disasters, which normally cause outages in other broadband connections. Since it is wireless, natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc. cannot do permanent damage to it. This means, in the worst-case scenario, you will only have to face a temporary outage because of your dish.

This makes satellite internet a pretty viable internet connection type for your small business.

Now that you have a fair idea of how satellite internet can work for your business, let us see which satellite internet provider you should get.

What Is the Best Satellite Internet for Small Businesses?

When it comes to which satellite internet providers you should get for your small business in a rural area, I recommend Viasat satellite internet.

What I love about Viasat is that they have dedicated small business internet plans that go as high as 150 Mbps. Just recently, Viasat finished data caps for its satellite internet. This means you can use Viasat internet as much as you want, without having to worry about data overage consequences. This is huge considering almost every satellite ISP had data caps before.

On top of that, Viasat offers free professional installation with all of its small business plans, so you can rest assured.

As far as speeds are concerned, Viasat can easily give 50Mbps of download speed on average. This speed might seem like a big downgrade from its advertised speeds, but I have never faced an issue while doing online activities during work hours. I can transfer files, hold video conference calls, download files, etc., without any service interruption messages.

All in all, satellite internet for small businesses has a huge potential in rural areas. Its improved and consistent speeds allow businesses to stay connected digitally, without any connectivity issues. Whereas prices might seem a lot for some, the convenience it provides for small businesses in rural areas is unmatched.