Interesting - New ISP offering hi-speed satelite internet with VI Coverage

max download speeds of up to 1.2Gbps

Wow... that's a hell of a connection..

Satelite's usualy add quite a bit of latency & have sneaky "contigency" ratio's added in the mix however; I'd like to see some real world stuff before I get too excited.

Satelite's usualy add quite a bit of latency & have sneaky "contigency" ratio's added in the mix however; I'd like to see some real world stuff before I get too excited.

Goto http://www.o3bnetworks.com/ and take a look at their white paper... it explains how they have been able to overcome the usual latency problems associated with sat. internet as well as explaining a bit more about the way things are going to work.... interesting read.....

The FAQ http://www.o3bnetworks.com/welcome-to-o3b/faqs is faster and more useful than the 10Mb white paper. Basically, they are reducing latency by using MEO satellites, which are much closer to Earth than geosynchronous satellites are.

"Why is it important for O3b satellites to be 'close-to-Earth'?

Standard Geosynchronous (GEO) satellites operate approximately 36,000km away from Earth. As a result, round-trip data transmission times significantly exceed 500 milliseconds. O3b's Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites are far closer – approximately 8,000km away from Earth. As a result, round-trip data transmission times are reduced to approximately 130 milliseconds.

This virtually eliminates the delay that plagues voice and data communications via GEO satellite systems. For example, it means that users can download a web page four times as quickly."

STXBob good point out, maybe it was the FAQ that I was thinking of, I read em both. Can hardly wait until they get the sats up and start talking pricing/speed/availability

It is an improvement in satellite delivered Internet service, but the latency is still greater than fiber, coaxial, or even BBVI or Choice unless o3networks can figure a way to make their 0s & 1s move faster than the speed of light.

There are more miles in a route that first has to be beamed up to a satellite hundreds or thousands of miles above the earth then back down to the earth at a receiving station and then continue over a terrestrial link to the server hosting the web site you are trying to connect with. The longer the route the longer the signal takes to get from one end to the other.

...all this adds to my belief that vingn was a waste of tax payer dollars.

Yeah but think of all the ISP choices we will have in the next 1-3 years.

On their website, one of their markets is the Cruise ship industry.

It looks like they will have a presence here.

More random info:

Individuals cannot subscribe directly to the service.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O3b_Networks,_Ltd. :

"O3b will primarily serve mobile operators and Internet service providers, providing for voice and data."

"The name 'O3b' stands for '[The] Other 3 Billion', referring to the population of the world where broadband Internet is not available without help."

The satellites are only positioned over the equator, limiting service to within 45 degrees north/south of the equator, which serves much of the world's emerging markets.

As the trend moves tward wireless the VI has been digging up the roads to install cable. They are probably spending millions for the project on an island with a relatively small population and a struggling economy. I can't help but wonder if there is more to it than people know. Same with all of the new towers on the hilltops and service no better than it was before.

As the trend moves tward wireless the VI has been digging up the roads to install cable. They are probably spending millions for the project on an island with a relatively small population and a struggling economy. I can't help but wonder if there is more to it than people know. Same with all of the new towers on the hilltops and service no better than it was before.

wireless technology doesn't match up very well with Fiber optic cables..... 100gb/s (Fiber) is VASTLY supperior to .040gb/s (WI-MAX) that's the best wireless has to offer currently.

wireless technology doesn't match up very well with Fiber optic cables..... 100gb/s (Fiber) is VASTLY supperior to .040gb/s (WI-MAX) that's the best wireless has to offer currently.

ummm, we're running 1Gbps wireless in our backhaul between towers.....and we don't depend on a single WAPA pole (google what happens to them after a storm).

wireless technology doesn't match up very well with Fiber optic cables..... 100gb/s (Fiber) is VASTLY supperior to .040gb/s (WI-MAX) that's the best wireless has to offer currently.

ummm, we're running 1Gbps wireless in our backhaul between towers.....and we don't depend on a single WAPA pole (google what happens to them after a storm).

Knock on wood and hope that it doesn't happen, but if we have a big wind storm I think the aftermath on above ground utilities will be worse than last time.

Look at all the extra cables including fiber that have been hung on the poles. With the extra weight and wind load I can envision even more poles coming down. I don't know for sure why WAPA uses such tall poles other than to keep their cable above the heat from brush fires.

Check out some of the utility poles on the East End Rd., South Shore Rd in Mt Welcome area and near the casino. Poles are already leaning and others have been weakened by being scorched in brush fires.

Restoration of the aerial fiber may take a long time after a storm as all the contractors working on the project seemed to be from Puerto Rico.

wireless technology doesn't match up very well with Fiber optic cables..... 100gb/s (Fiber) is VASTLY supperior to .040gb/s (WI-MAX) that's the best wireless has to offer currently.

ummm, we're running 1Gbps wireless in our backhaul between towers.....and we don't depend on a single WAPA pole (google what happens to them after a storm).

Granted 100gbps via fiber to a home is probably not happening anytime soon, but the faster links like 1gbps wireless are point to point microwave shots aren't they? You won't see that kind of directed energy to a house anytime soon either

I didn't mean to knock bbvi at all & Infact ill be getting it as soon as I buy a house 🙂