Satellite vs. Wireless Broadband

damien

MediaSat CEO Interviewed in SiliconRepublic

Some choice quotes:

Fitzpatrick concedes that there is a vocal lobby in support of flat-rate access but does not believe that the majority of users feel that way. “The people who shout most about flat rate are the people who want to abuse it,” he says scathingly.

A lot of users believe, misguidedly in his view, that they should be able to get affordable broadband no matter where they happen to live

“There are people who think that you should be able to run a business from anywhere on the planet but that’s insane"

His thoughts on E-Working:

“It’s very bad for people and causes very high level of depression,” he claims. “You need human contact and it’s the one thing the workplace provides.”

bminish

They call it 'doing a Ratner' - in memory of the famous gaffe committed by Gerald Ratner back in 1991, when he admitted selling "crap" in his High Street shops.

quote stolen from Here

.Brendan

eircomtribunal

This link to the siliconrepublic article should work "better".

Frighteningly misinformed this MediaSat top-guy. Would be worried if I worked for him, but then: The gaffe our regulator and DCMNR have made with broadband will finance his satellite gaffe. Probably alone the schools to be connected by MediaSat will keep them in profit.

P.

Tom Dunne

damien.m wrote:

MediaSat CEO Interviewed in SiliconRepublic

Some choice quotes:

Quote:
Fitzpatrick concedes that there is a vocal lobby in support of flat-rate access but does not believe that the majority of users feel that way. “The people who shout most about flat rate are the people who want to abuse it,” he says scathingly.

Yes, I would rather pay for my 56k connection by the minute. It just makes so much sense.

Quote:
A lot of users believe, misguidedly in his view, that they should be able to get affordable broadband no matter where they happen to live

Yes, us damn culchies. Living 30 miles from Dublin and having the cheek to want broadband.

Quote:
“There are people who think that you should be able to run a business from anywhere on the planet but that’s insane"

ROFL.

His thoughts on E-Working:
Quote:
“It’s very bad for people and causes very high level of depression,” he claims. “You need human contact and it’s the one thing the workplace provides.

Had a great laugh at this one. Of course all those silly surveys that prove teleworkers are more loyal and productive have to be rubbish. No wonder my e-working colleagues hug me when I see them.

But wait, can you run a VPN connection over MediaSat's service? You can't? Interesting....

cgarvey

I'm extremely confused (and worried) as to how someone with such ill-formed opinions on his target market area got to be in a such a position. Granted the flat-rate arguments are biased (because they're obviously tight/short on bandwidth), but the link with e-working and depression totally baffled me .. WTF? Is there any such link? Next, he'll be suggesting that us culchies aren't entitled to ESB.

bminish

cgarvey wrote:

but the link with e-working and depression totally baffled me .. WTF? Is there any such link? Next, he'll be suggesting that us culchies aren't entitled to ESB.

It's pretty bloody depressing trying to 'E-work' over a Satellite internet connection especially with something like SSH sessions.
PC anywhere type apps are the best though.

Move mouse & wait 2 seconds to see where the pointer will end up on the PC at the far end

Perhaps it’s MediaSat’s ‘E-Working customers that are depressed and want to work in their employer’s office, rather than this being a more general malady in the ‘E-working’ world
.Brendan

jwt

bminish wrote:

It's pretty bloody depressing trying to 'E-work' over a Satellite internet connection especially with something like SSH sessions.
PC anywhere type apps are the best though.

Move mouse & wait 2 seconds to see where the pointer will end up on the PC at the far end

Perhaps it’s MediaSat’s ‘E-Working customers that are depressed and want to work in their employer’s office, rather than this being a more general malady in the ‘E-working’ world
.Brendan

Any objections to me stealing and using that quote ?

John

bminish

jwt wrote:

Any objections to me stealing and using that quote ?

John

Steal away

BTW I didn't think that MediaSat's CEO played it that well at the GBS round 2 launch, didn't he say from the floor something like latency isn't a problem, it's only a couple of hundred msec ?

.brendan

bealtine

bminish wrote:

Steal away

BTW I didn't think that MediaSat's CEO played it that well at the GBS round 2 launch, didn't he say from the floor something like latency isn't a problem, it's only a couple of hundred msec ?

.brendan

foot.shoot(self)

bminish

bealtine wrote:

foot.shoot(self)

Well the launch of the GBS round 2 was a banner day for VSAT operators with all the schemes announced bar one being VSAT systems , there was quite a bit of 'foot shooting' going on.

One of Ildana's People told the room that latency wasn't the problem with Sat, it's the contention that's the problem.
Ildana also said that they had happy gamers, Business and VoIP users. These happy users didn't appear to be in the audience though.

.brendan

jwt

Ildana went strangely quiet when asked to put their specs in writing.

I think I upset one or two VSat operators, they all appear to have lost my business cards with which they were going to follow up with detailed explanations about why VSAT is the best thing since sliced bread.

However, if VSAT is the only way of getting BB, and I mean ONLY way, then I for one don't have a problem with it. The thing that worries me is GBS funding being used to pay for VSAT GBS, and if people in the community subsequently find it unsuitable or unfit for purpose, they are cream crackered if they attempt to reapply for more funding.

Once a community has installed VSAT in a GBS scheme its going to be bloody expensive and difficult to use anything else. Copper and wireless based ISPs aren't going to be in a rush to go into competition with an established provider when theres plenty of fresh community GBS schemes going begging.


John


EDIT

I would appreciate it if people who actually use VSAT both in standalone and GBS format would PM me with specific details of their experiences both good and bad.
By specific I mean areas where it works fine, areas where it fails, ping, latency etc.

I realise the majority who PM are going to be negative commentators but I'm interested in those who use and think it's fine.

If you could include the name of the operator as well that'd be cool

The reason for the PM is i don't want to have this thread degenerate into a slagging session (well more than it is)
Thanks

bminish

jwt wrote:

However, if VSAT is the only way of getting BB, and I mean ONLY way, then I for one don't have a problem with it.

In Ireland there is little or no need for VSAT, IF there was just for once some joined up thinking applied to the problem. VSAT is a quick fix solution.


I have been to places where VSAT is the only viable solution and they are a lot more remote than anywhere in Ireland.

recent changes allowing areas to come together when applying are encouraging but on their own will not be enough to crack the problem.

.brendan

eircomtribunal

bminish wrote:

In Ireland there is little or no need for VSAT,..

Isn't a strong argument to be made from the fact that the 100% population and geographical broadband coverage in NI will be achieved without the use of satellite?
P.

Capt'n Midnight

bminish wrote:

I have been to places where VSAT is the only viable solution and they are a lot more remote than anywhere in Ireland.

Everyone in Ireland should be able to get 28Kb, unmetered connection for a monthly charge. The vast majority of these should also be able to get ISDN again at a fixed montly charge + install fee. We would then have what was available in Germany for over a decade.

Everyone within N? Km of an existing exchange should be able to get ADSL in the near future or at least have a definite install date. Communities within 8Km of a ADSL termination could be able to connect wirelessly into the point there.

None of this is technically difficult since the first part is only maintainance which should be done anyway and fixed rate calls is just a billing change. ADSL is off the shelf technology and could be implemented if the incumbent wasn't being asset stripped on an on-going basis.

The only reason satellite BB could be considered here apart from a totally redundant Failover solution, is the rip-off cost of telecoms here.

viking

A lot of users believe, misguidedly in his view, that they should be able to get affordable broadband no matter where they happen to live

Its a shame the CEO of MediaSat didn't inform the "misguided" Minister of Communications of his "mistake" during his speech at the GBS 2 launch:

I want every village and every rural community to have a broadband option there should be no home, office, school or library in Ireland that cannot get broadband real broadband that enriches the online experience.

Towns and villages with broadband will attract inward investment and offer untold opportunities for the people of those towns.

Ridiculous isn't it Mr Fitzpatrick, but then again you would have to say what you have said, because if every town had a affordable broadband then there wouldn't be a need for MediaSat or any other satellite resellers now would they...?

Fallschirmjager

“You need human contact and it’s the one thing the workplace provides.”

well he obviously worked in better places then i did!!!

as i sit here in my home...i will use this as a mantra while i shine my sniper rifle...obviously looking to the nearest wi-max tower to saute my nuts when i climb it to pot shot a few struggling web users.... anyone else smell chicken?

i worked 2 days home last week...effect greater productivity...and made the M50 one car lighter for 2 days (did ye notice?)

i supect his comments on working at home/where companies set up/etc is more to do with his uplink investments then any understanding/power of high speed LOW LATENTCY WEB ACCESS to shape our environment...

as for latency...i had the displeasure of web sharing to a poor bugger receiving via sat...nothing short of frustratingly depressingly awful...get used to the following comments : okay can u see it now?, and 'ok hit refrest that might help...'.
my recommendation : record it and email it...if on sat...

Finally....Mark, i have a long time ago moved aware from career advice but i will give you some pearls of wisdom a guy called Dave Conroy (who i worked for a while) gave me:

Me : (on noticing some new product feature in sql server): gee that looks really cool..

Dave : a word of advice 'NEVER BELIEVE YOUR OWN BULL****....'

take ot or leave it --it is your choice....

jbkenn

A lot of users believe, misguidedly in his view, that they should be able to get affordable broadband no matter where they happen to live

You are entitled to your view, now I will give you the view of a rural community in East Clare, I spent yesterday afternoon in a community of 200 households, helping to do Line of Sight testing for a wireless network which they intend to install under the County and Group Broadband Scheme, 35 households have signed up for the first phase and put "their money where their mouth is". They plan to get their backhaul from an existing GBS and relay it to a planned GBS in the next community.

Are all these people all techies?, potential Dotcommers, no, they are Farmers, Carpenters, Teachers and Mechanics, if fact just a cross section of any rural community, exemplified by the old gent, who, has no idea what broadband is, but, who recognises that with technology they can help keep their community alive.
They want Broadband in their community, particularly, their School, and whoever got the contract to supply their school with Satellite broadband can keep it in the van, they dont want it, they will not accept second best,they only want the best available technology for their community.

So be aware, there are communities like this all over the country, like Knockmore in Mayo, with the "can do" attitude and drive, to get things done. Rural Ireland will no longer accept "second best".

jbkenn