If you‘re one of the 14.5 million Americans living in rural areas with limited or no access to cable, DSL or fiber internet, satellite broadband could be your best bet for getting online. And in 2023, you have more options than ever as a new generation of providers is shaking up the industry with cutting-edge technology and improved performance.
The two heavyweights in this space are Starlink and Viasat. Both provide high-speed internet to homes and businesses via satellites, but they take very different approaches in terms of technology, pricing and performance. In this in-depth comparison, we‘ll put Starlink and Viasat head-to-head to see which is the best satellite internet provider for remote users.
How Satellite Internet Works
First, a quick primer on satellite internet technology. Traditional satellite ISPs like Viasat and HughesNet rely on large geostationary (GEO) satellites orbiting 22,000 miles above the equator. These satellites receive radio signals from ground stations, amplify them, and beam them down to a dish mounted on the subscriber‘s property. The dish relays the signal to a modem inside the building, which converts it into usable internet service.
GEO satellites can cover large swaths of territory and remain fixed in the sky from the user‘s perspective, which is why they‘ve been the backbone of satellite internet for decades. However, this approach has some inherent limitations:
- The signal has to travel ~44,000 miles round trip, resulting in high latency (ping times of 500-800ms)
- Overall bandwidth is constrained by the small number of satellites (usually 1-3 per provider)
- Performance can be impacted by weather, line-of-sight obstructions, and network congestion
Enter Starlink, which takes a radically different approach using thousands of small low earth orbit (LEO) satellites just 300-1,200 miles overhead. By being physically closer to users and communicating via advanced phased array antennas and laser inter-satellite links, Starlink can achieve much lower latency and higher speeds than GEO systems.
Starlink: The LEO Disruptor
Founded by tech mogul Elon Musk, Starlink is the pioneer of next-gen satellite internet. After years of development and launches, Starlink began serving its first customers in late 2020. As of 2023, the service has over 1 million subscribers globally and is valued at over $100 billion.
Under the hood, Starlink operates a constellation of over 3,500 small satellites in LEO, with plans to expand to over 40,000. These satellites form a mesh network in the sky, dynamically routing traffic between each other and ground stations for optimal performance.
The secret sauce is Starlink‘s advanced phased array antennas, which can rapidly steer beams to track satellites as they move overhead. This allows Starlink to achieve latency of just 20-40ms – comparable to cable internet and 10-20x better than GEO satellites. Speeds are also impressive, with Starlink advertising 50-350 Mbps downloads and 10-40 Mbps uploads.
Real-world performance data shows Starlink largely delivers on these claims. According to speed test data from Ookla, in Q4 2022 Starlink had median download speeds of 104 Mbps in the US, compared to around 25 Mbps for Viasat and HughesNet. Uploads clocked in at 12 Mbps, and latency was an excellent 43ms on average.
| Provider | Median Download (Mbps) | Median Upload (Mbps) | Median Latency (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink | 104.97 | 12.04 | 43 |
| Viasat | 23.68 | 2.92 | 631 |
| HughesNet | 22.55 | 2.62 | 716 |
Source: Ookla Speedtest Intelligence, Q4 2022
However, Starlink does have some limitations. Availability is still patchy – as of early 2023, the service is waitlisted in many areas as SpaceX builds out more ground stations and launches more satellites. Starlink is also quite expensive, with hardware costs of $599 and service starting at $110/month.
Speeds can also suffer during peak times in congested areas. And while Starlink now offers a portability feature for RVs and boats, it requires a clear view of the sky and can‘t be used while in motion.
Viasat: The GEO Stalwart
Founded in 1986, Viasat is one of the largest satellite ISPs with over 590,000 subscribers in the US. The company operates a fleet of five GEO satellites providing coverage to most of the country.
Viasat‘s current workhorse is the ViaSat-2 satellite, which launched in 2017 and enabled the company‘s unlimited data plans and speeds up to 100 Mbps in select areas. In real-world testing, most Viasat subscribers see speeds in the 25-50 Mbps range, making it viable for multiple devices and HD streaming.
Viasat offers a range of plans with speeds from 12-150 Mbps and pricing from $49/month for 12 Mbps service to $249/month for 150 Mbps business service. Equipment lease fees start at $13/month and there‘s often a hefty $15 no-contract fee.
The main downsides of Viasat are high latency due to the GEO architecture (expect 500-800ms pings) and spotty performance during peak periods. Many plans come with strict data caps (up to 300 GB/month), after which your speeds can be throttled to 1-5 Mbps. Contracts are also a turnoff – most Viasat plans have a 2-year agreement with early termination fees.
Looking ahead, Viasat has begun launching its next-generation ViaSat-3 satellites, which promise major performance upgrades. The first ViaSat-3, launched in late 2022, tripled Viasat‘s total network capacity. Two more are set to launch in 2023, enabling global coverage and speeds up to 1 Gbps. Viasat has also partnered with new LEO providers to offer hybrid GEO/LEO service in the future.
Starlink vs Viasat: The Verdict
So which provider should you choose for rural internet in 2023? The answer depends on your specific needs and location, but here‘s a general breakdown:
Choose Starlink If:
- You need low latency for gaming, video calls, etc.
- You want the fastest possible speeds for streaming, downloading large files, etc.
- You‘re willing to pay more upfront for better technology
- You don‘t mind occasional slowdowns during peak times
- You‘re OK potentially waiting for service if not yet available in your area
Choose Viasat If:
- Latency isn‘t a major concern and 25-50 Mbps is enough speed
- You want a cheaper plan and/or can‘t afford Starlink‘s upfront hardware costs
- You prefer predictable pricing and don‘t exceed your data cap
- You want the option to bundle with DIRECTV satellite TV
- You need service today and can‘t wait for Starlink
Ultimately, Starlink is the more exciting and capable platform, with a clear edge in speed and latency. It‘s the best choice for heavy internet users, streamers, gamers and techies. However, Viasat is still a solid option for more casual users on a budget, and its next-gen satellites could help it close the gap with Starlink in the coming years.
Beyond Starlink and Viasat, there are several other contenders in the satellite internet market worth watching:
- HughesNet – The other major GEO provider with 1.5 million subscribers, HughesNet offers speeds up to 25 Mbps with 15-150 GB data caps.
- OneWeb – UK-based OneWeb is building a 648-satellite LEO constellation; it launched service in Alaska in 2022 but fell behind Starlink after bankruptcy and ownership changes.
- Project Kuiper – Amazon‘s planned LEO network will feature 3,236 satellites but has yet to launch; the first prototype satellites will fly in 2023.
- Telesat Lightspeed – Canadian satellite operator Telesat is building a 298-satellite LEO network for global service starting in 2026.
As these and other mega-constellations come online, satellite internet is projected to see massive growth. According to Allied Market Research, the global satellite internet market will reach over $18.59 billion by 2030, up from $3.67 billion in 2020.
While satellite likely won‘t displace fiber in cities, it‘s becoming an increasingly compelling option for rural consumers. Government initiatives like the RDOF and Starlink‘s rural partnerships with school districts suggest satellites could play a key role in closing the digital divide.
How to Set Up Satellite Internet for Your Home
Once you‘ve chosen a provider, follow these steps to get your satellite internet service up and running:
- Order your equipment (satellite dish, modem, etc.) or schedule a professional installation
- Choose a location for your dish with a clear, unobstructed view of the southern sky. Use apps like Starlink or dishpointer.com to check for obstructions
- Securely mount the dish to your roof or a pole in the ground, ensuring it‘s stable and pointing in the right direction
- Connect the dish to your modem using the supplied coaxial cable (for Viasat/HughesNet) or Ethernet cable (for Starlink)
- Plug your modem into a power source and connect your Wi-Fi router to the modem‘s Ethernet port
- Set up your Wi-Fi network settings through the modem or router‘s admin page and connect your devices
Once everything‘s set up, I recommend running speed tests to ensure you‘re getting close to your plan‘s advertised speeds. If performance is drastically lower than expected, double check all connections and contact your ISP for support. Keep in mind satellite internet can be impacted by weather, so speeds may decrease during heavy rain or snow. Performance can also dip during peak usage times.
If you‘re experiencing frequent slowdowns, try these tips:
- Use your ISP‘s app or web portal to monitor data usage and avoid exceeding caps
- Schedule large downloads and backups overnight when traffic is lower
- Disable auto-play and adjust video quality settings on streaming sites
- Consider a dual-WAN router setup to load balance traffic across multiple connections
- Use wired Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for stationary devices like smart TVs
By understanding the capabilities and limitations of satellite internet, and following best practices for installation and optimization, you can get the most out of whichever service you choose. And with exciting new technologies on the horizon in the coming years, the future is looking brighter than ever for rural internet access.
