How about if I use this page to share my experience with satellite Internet access? Okay with everybody?
When we last checked, Starband was the only company offering two-way satellite service. During the first couple of months of 2001, there were lots of problems (read the messages at DSLReports.com about Starband’s apologies and refunds and discounts). People seem to have calmed down recently.
DirecPC is slowly rolling out its own two-way satellite service. Pricing is fuzzy and it’s hard to get any information. Earthlink has apparently delayed its rollout of the service. The link on the Earthlink site to request more information is broken. Pegasus has a nice web site about its two-way DirecPC service, but the more you look at the Pegasus site, the less is actually there. Like prices, or availability. Or a phone number – any phone number – for Pegasus. I filled out their form to request information and got back an automated reply that said in effect, “We’ll get back to you.”
So I’ve ordered two-way DirecPC service from OrbitSat.com. As far as I know, it’s the only place taking orders right now. Price is $699, which includes professional installation. They describe the timing as “waiting list – June 1.” There’s no way to tell what I’ve ordered or what the monthly charge will be or what company will be responsible for my connection. As to the hardware, the only interesting thing is that the modem in the house plugs into a USB port, which might make it more complicated to share the connection among multiple computers.
This ought to be interesting . . .
