StarBand was a two-way satellite broadband

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

service available in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

from 2000–2015. StarBand ceased operations effective September 30, 2015 citing increased competition from other internet providers. The StarBand satellite Internet system was a

VSAT A very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT) is a two-way satellite ground station with a dish antenna that is smaller than 3.8 meters. The majority of VSAT antennas range from 75 cm to 1.2 m. Bit rates, in most cases, range from 4 kbit/s up to 16 ...

platform that used K_u band

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

s for transmission of data from users' PCs to the StarBand network operations center. Two-way bandwidth for residential users was up to 1.5 Mbit/s download speed and 256 kbit/s upload speed, with unlimited usage and online hours. A 0.75 meter

satellite dish A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive or transmit information by radio waves to or from a communication satellite A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radi ...

is needed; the antenna was sufficiently small that

homeowner association A homeowner association (or homeowners' association, abbreviated HOA, sometimes referred to as a property owners' association or POA), or a homeowner community, is a private association-like entity often formed either ''ipso jure'' in a building ...

s could not prohibit its installation.

History

StarBand Communications Inc. was initially a joint venture between

Gilat Satellite Networks Gilat Satellite Networks is a public company headquartered in Israel that develops and sells VSAT satellite ground stations and related equipment. Its shares are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Hist ...

, EchoStar and

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

, and the StarBand service launched in 2000. StarBand Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 and emerged from bankruptcy in 2003. In March 2005, StarBand Communications was wholly acquired by

Spacenet Acquired by SageNet in 2014, Spacenet, Inc. was a provider of VSAT satellite-based data network services as well as hybrid satellite/terrestrial networks and network management services. Spacenet was headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia in the ...

, a division of Gilat Satellite Networks, which continued to operate the service. As of mid-2005, StarBand had approximately 32,000 subscribers. StarBand announced in August 2015 that they would cease operations on 30 September 2015, citing competitive pressures from other current satellite internet providers, as well as new higher-bandwidth providers (

Starlink Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, providing satellite Internet access coverage to 45 countries. It also aims for global mobile phone service after 2023. SpaceX started launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As ...

and

OneWeb OneWeb (legally Network Access Associates Ltd) is a communications company that aims to build broadband satellite Internet services. The company is headquartered in London, and has offices in Virginia, US and a satellite manufacturing facility ...

) on the horizon, with new constellations slated to come online before 2020. {{cite news , last1=Finley, first1=Klint , title=Grounded Satellite Internet Service May Open Sky to SpaceX , url=https://www.wired.com/2015/08/grounded-satellite-internet-service-may-open-sky-spacex/ , accessdate=14 August 2015 , magazine=Wired , date=2015-08-07

Technology

StarBand offered the first residential two-way satellite Internet service in the United States market. Launched in November 2000, StarBand began selling the

SkyBlaster

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card

. Initially, the only way to purchase the StarBand system was to purchase a PC with the send/receive adapter card pre-installed as well as hosting software. In 2001, StarBand began offering service using standalone VSAT units using the StarBand Model 180 (based on the Gilat Skystar Advantage/180 VSAT) connected via USB. The 180 modem was Windows OS-only because it required specialized Windows drivers for the USB interface. In 2002, StarBand switched to Gilat's Model 360 VSAT, which enabled higher speed and allowed USB or Ethernet connections, but still required driver software to communicate. In 2003, StarBand introduced the Model 480 modem (based on the Gilat Skystar 360E VSAT), which connected via Ethernet, supported multiple computers/OSes and required no additional software. The 48x series service supported

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

PC,

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Unix Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, and ot ...

and

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

computers. In late 2005, StarBand began selling only Model 480-based services. In October 2006, StarBand introduced its next-generation service, the StarBand Nova (based on the Gilat SkyEdge series). The StarBand Nova modems were capable of higher speeds, optimized for VoIP, VPN, and worked on a more efficient hub. The SkyEdge modems had one Ethernet port and did not require hosting software for any OS platform. Initially, StarBand supplied a .76M convergence antenna, which picked up two

Dish Network DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...

signals and the satellite internet signal. StarBand later supplied a third generation .78M antenna, which required a separate antenna to receive satellite television signals. The third generation antenna provided a longer focal length, which helped to create a better signal-to-noise ratio. All satellite internet providers such as StarBand measure the amount of data you transfer. Starband had six plans ranging from 500 kbit/s down to 1500 kbit/s down with weekly download limits of 750 Mbytes to 4,000 Mbytes.

External links

Official Spacenet website

References

Internet technology companies of the United States Internet service providers of the United States Satellite Internet access