Editing Internet access (section)

===Wireless broadband access===
[[Wireless broadband]] is used to provide both fixed and mobile Internet access with the following technologies.

====Satellite broadband====
[[File:Ghana satellite.jpg|thumb|Satellite Internet access via [[VSAT]] in Ghana]]

[[Satellite Internet access]] provides fixed, portable, and mobile Internet access.<ref>[http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall99/Coffey/ "Internet in the Sky"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216120858/http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall99/Coffey/ |date=2012-12-16 }}, D.J. Coffey, accessed 8 May 2012</ref> Data rates range from 2&nbsp;kbit/s to 1&nbsp;Gbit/s downstream and from 2&nbsp;kbit/s to 10&nbsp;Mbit/s upstream. In the northern hemisphere, satellite antenna dishes require a clear line of sight to the southern sky, due to the equatorial position of all geostationary satellites. In the southern hemisphere, this situation is reversed, and dishes are pointed north.<ref name=how>[http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question606.htm "How does satellite Internet operate?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927053708/http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question606.htm |date=2011-09-27 }}, How Stuff Works, Retrieved 5 March 2009.</ref><ref name=geostationary>{{cite web| url=http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/geostationary-satellite| title=Geostationary Satellite Definition| author=Margaret Rouse| publisher=Search Mobile Computing| access-date=June 24, 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610040610/http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/geostationary-satellite| archive-date=June 10, 2015}}</ref> Service can be adversely affected by moisture, rain, and snow (known as rain fade).<ref name=how/><ref name=geostationary/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/rain-fade| title=Rain Fade Definition| author=Margaret Rouse| publisher=Search Mobile Computing| access-date=June 24, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622005223/http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/rain-fade| archive-date=June 22, 2015}}</ref> The system requires a carefully aimed directional antenna.<ref name=geostationary/>

Satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) operate in a fixed position {{convert|35,786|km|mi|abbr=on}} above the Earth's equator. At the speed of light (about {{convert|300,000|km/s|mi/s|abbr=in|disp=or|sigfig=3}}), it takes a quarter of a second for a radio signal to travel from the Earth to the satellite and back. When other switching and routing delays are added and the delays are doubled to allow for a full round-trip transmission, the total delay can be 0.75 to 1.25 seconds. This latency is large when compared to other forms of Internet access with typical latencies that range from 0.015 to 0.2 seconds. Long latencies negatively affect some applications that require real-time response, particularly online games, [[voice over IP]], and remote control devices.<ref>{{cite book| title=The Basics of Satellite Communication| author=Joseph N. Pelton| date=2006| publisher=Professional Education International, Inc.| isbn=978-1-931695-48-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=The First 100 Feet: Options for Internet and Broadband Access| author=Deborah Hurley, James H. Keller| date=1999| publisher=Harvard college| isbn=978-0-262-58160-8| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/first100feetopti00debo}}</ref> [[TCP tuning]] and [[TCP acceleration]] techniques can mitigate some of these problems. GEO satellites do not cover the Earth's polar regions.<ref name=how/> [[HughesNet]], [[Exede]], [[AT&T]] and [[Dish Network]] have GEO systems.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://about.att.com/mediakit/broadband| title=AT&T Broadband Services| publisher=ATT| access-date=June 24, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610121009/http://about.att.com/mediakit/broadband| archive-date=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.hughesnet.com/| title=Home| publisher=Hughes Net| access-date=June 24, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623192705/http://www.hughesnet.com/| archive-date=June 23, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.exede.com/| title=Home| publisher=Exede Internet| access-date=June 24, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617072311/http://www.exede.com/| archive-date=June 17, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dish.com/bundles/| title=Bundles| publisher=Dish Network| access-date=June 24, 2015| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613031716/http://www.dish.com/bundles/| archive-date=June 13, 2015}}</ref>

[[Satellite internet constellations]] in [[low Earth orbit]] (LEO, below {{convert|2000|km|mi|abbr=in|disp=or|sigfig=4}}) and [[medium Earth orbit]] (MEO, between {{convert|2000|and|35786|km|disp=or|abbr=in}}) operate at lower altitudes, and their satellites are not fixed in their position above the Earth. Because they operate at a lower altitude, more satellites and [[launch vehicle]]s are needed for worldwide coverage. This makes the initial required investment very large which initially caused OneWeb and Iridium to declare bankruptcy. However, their lower altitudes allow lower latencies and higher speeds which make real-time interactive Internet applications more feasible. LEO systems include [[Globalstar]], [[Starlink]], [[OneWeb]] and [[Iridium satellite constellation|Iridium]]. The [[O3b]] constellation is a medium Earth-orbit system with a latency of 125 ms. COMMStellation™ is a LEO system, scheduled for launch in 2015,{{Update inline|date=April 2021}} that is expected to have a latency of just 7&nbsp;ms.

====Mobile broadband====
[[File:Mobile Broadband service mark.jpg|thumb |150px |Service mark for [[GSM Association|GSMA]] ]]
[[Mobile broadband]] is the marketing term for wireless Internet access delivered through mobile phone towers ([[cellular network]]s) to computers, [[mobile phone]]s (called "cell phones" in North America and South Africa, and "hand phones" in Asia), and other digital devices using [[portable modem]]s. Some mobile services allow more than one device to be connected to the Internet using a single cellular connection using a process called [[tethering]]. The modem may be built into laptop computers, tablets, mobile phones, and other devices, added to some devices using [[PC card]]s, [[USB modem]]s, and [[USB sticks]] or [[PC Card dongle|dongles]], or separate [[wireless modem]]s can be used.<ref name="ergen">{{cite book |title= Mobile Broadband: including WiMAX and LTE |publisher= Springer Science+Business Media |year= 2005 |author= Mustafa Ergen |isbn= 978-0-387-68189-4 |doi= 10.1007/978-0-387-68192-4 }}</ref>

New mobile phone technology and infrastructure is introduced periodically and generally involves a change in the fundamental nature of the service, non-backwards-compatible transmission technology, higher peak data rates, new frequency bands, wider channel frequency bandwidth in Hertz becomes available. These transitions are referred to as generations. The first mobile data services became available during the second generation (2G).

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-top:5px; margin-right:20px; line-height:1.2em;"
|+ style="padding-bottom:1px;" |[[2G|Second generation (2G)]]&nbsp;<span style="font-weight:normal">from 1991:</span>
|- style="font-style:italic; padding-top:1px; padding-bottom:1px; line-height:0.9em; font-size:90%;"
|  style="font-weight:normal; border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white; text-align:right;"|Speeds in&nbsp;kbit/s
! colspan=2 style="font-weight:normal; border-bottom:solid 1px #888888;" |down and up
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[Circuit Switched Data|GSM CSD]] 
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| 9.6&nbsp;kbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[Cellular digital packet data|''CDPD'']] 
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| up to 19.2&nbsp;kbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[General Packet Radio Service|GSM GPRS]] (2.5G)
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 56 to 115&nbsp;kbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution|GSM EDGE]] (2.75G)&nbsp;
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| up to 237&nbsp;kbit/s
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; margin-top:5px; margin-right:15px; line-height:1.2em;"
|+ style="padding-bottom:1px;" |[[3G|Third generation (3G)]]&nbsp;<span style="font-weight:normal">from 2001:</span>
|- style="font-style:italic; padding-top:1px; padding-bottom:1px; line-height:0.9em; font-size:90%;"
|  style="font-weight:normal; border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white; text-align:right;"|Speeds in&nbsp;Mbit/s
! style="font-weight:normal; border-bottom:solid 1px #888888;" |down
! style="font-weight:normal; border-bottom:solid 1px #888888;" |up
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[W-CDMA (UMTS)|UMTS W-CDMA]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|0.4&nbsp;Mbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[High Speed Packet Access|UMTS HSPA]]
|align=center | 14.4
|align=center | 5.8
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[UMTS-TDD|UMTS TDD]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-bottom:solid 1px #888888;"|16&nbsp;Mbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[CDMA2000|CDMA2000 1xRTT]]
|align=center | 0.3
|align=center | 0.15
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} ''[[CDMA2000|CDMA2000 EV-DO]]''
|style="border-bottom:solid 1px #888888;" |2.5–4.9
|style="border-bottom:solid 1px #888888;" |0.15–1.8
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} [[Evolved EDGE|GSM EDGE-Evolution]]&nbsp;
|align=center | 1.6
|align=center | 0.5
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; width:auto; max-width:281px; margin-top:5px; margin-right:10px; line-height:1.3em;"
|+ style="padding-bottom:1px;" |[[4G|Fourth generation (4G)]]&nbsp;<span style="font-weight:normal">from 2006:</span>
|- style="font-style:italic; padding-top:1px; padding-bottom:1px; line-height:0.8em; font-size:90%;"
| colspan="2" style="font-weight:normal; border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white; text-align:right;"|Speeds in&nbsp;Mbit/s
! style="font-weight:normal;" |down
! style="font-weight:normal;" |up
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; background blue;"|{{·}}
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|[[HSPA+]]
| align=center |21–672
| align=center nowrap |5.8–168
|- valign=top
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white;"|{{·}}
|  style="white-space:nowrap; border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|[[Mobile WiMAX]] (802.16)
| align=center |37–365
| align=center |17–376
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white;"|{{·}}
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|[[LTE (telecommunication)|LTE]]
| align=center nowrap |100–300
| align=center |50–75
|- valign=top
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white;"|{{·}}
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white; border-right:inherit;"|[[LTE-Advanced]]:
|  style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;" colspan="2"|&nbsp;
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white;"|&nbsp;
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} moving at higher speeds
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|100&nbsp;Mbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white;"|&nbsp;
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|{{·}} not moving or moving at lower speeds
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|up to 1000&nbsp;Mbit/s
|-
| style="border:solid 1px white; background:white;"|{{·}}
| style="border:solid 1px white; border-right:inherit; background:white;"|''[[IEEE 802.20|MBWA]] (802.20)''
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|80&nbsp;Mbit/s
|}
{{clear|both}}
The download (to the user) and upload (to the Internet) data rates given above are peak or maximum rates and end users will typically experience lower data rates.

[[WiMAX]] was originally developed to deliver fixed wireless service with wireless mobility added in 2005. CDPD, CDMA2000 EV-DO, and MBWA are no longer being actively developed.

In 2011, 90% of the world's population lived in areas with 2G coverage, while 45% lived in areas with 2G and 3G coverage.<ref name=ITU-ITCFacts>[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/facts/2011/material/ICTFactsFigures2011.pdf "The World in 2011: ITC Facts and Figures"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510070621/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/facts/2011/material/ICTFactsFigures2011.pdf |date=2012-05-10 }}, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Geneva, 2011</ref>

[[5G]] was designed to be faster and have lower latency than its predecessor, 4G. It can be used for mobile broadband in smartphones or separate modems that emit WiFi or can be connected through USB to a computer, or for fixed wireless.

====Fixed wireless====
[[Fixed wireless]] internet connections that do not use a satellite nor are designed to support moving equipment such as smartphones due to the use of, for example, [[customer premises equipment]] such as antennas that can't be moved over a significant geographical area without losing the signal from the ISP, unlike smartphones. Microwave wireless broadband or [[5G]] may be used for fixed wireless.

=====WiMAX=====
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ([[WiMAX]]) is a set of interoperable implementations of the [[IEEE 802.16]] family of wireless-network standards certified by the [[WiMAX Forum]]. It enables "the delivery of [[Last mile (telecommunications)|last mile]] wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wimaxforum.org/technology/ |title=WiMax Forum – Technology |access-date=2008-07-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722062158/http://www.wimaxforum.org/technology/ |archive-date=2008-07-22 }}</ref> The original IEEE 802.16 standard, now called "Fixed WiMAX", was published in 2001 and provided 30 to 40 megabit-per-second data rates.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/community/features/interviews/blog/speeding-up-wimax/?cs=40726 |title= Speeding Up WiMax |author= Carl Weinschenk |date= 16 April 2010 |work= IT Business Edge |quote= Today the initial WiMax system is designed to provide 30 to 40 megabit-per-second data rates. |access-date= 31 August 2011 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110905081903/http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/community/features/interviews/blog/speeding-up-wimax/?cs=40726 |archive-date= 5 September 2011 }}</ref> Mobility support was added in 2005. A 2011 update provides data rates up to 1&nbsp;Gbit/s for fixed stations. WiMax offers a metropolitan area network with a signal radius of about 50&nbsp;km (30 miles), far surpassing the 30-metre (100-foot) wireless range of a conventional Wi-Fi LAN. WiMAX signals also penetrate building walls much more effectively than Wi-Fi. WiMAX is most often used as a fixed wireless standard.

=====Wireless ISP=====
[[File:Wi-Fi Logo.svg|thumb|150px|Wi-Fi logo]]
[[Wireless Internet service provider]]s (WISPs) operate independently of [[mobile phone operator]]s. WISPs typically employ low-cost IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi radio systems to link up remote locations over great distances ([[Long-range Wi-Fi]]), but may use other higher-power radio communications systems as well, such as microwave and WiMAX.
[[File:WI-FI Range Diagram.svg|thumb|Wi-Fi range diagram]]
Traditional 802.11a/b/g/n/ac is an unlicensed omnidirectional service designed to span between 100 and 150&nbsp;m (300 to 500&nbsp;ft). By focusing the radio signal using a [[directional antenna]] (where allowed by regulations), 802.11 can operate reliably over a distance of many km(miles), although the technology's line-of-sight requirements hamper connectivity in areas with hilly or heavily foliated terrain. In addition, compared to hard-wired connectivity, there are security risks (unless robust security protocols are enabled); data rates are usually slower (2 to 50 times slower); and the network can be less stable, due to interference from other wireless devices and networks, weather and line-of-sight problems.<ref>{{cite book|title=Certified Wireless Network Administrator Official Study Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnMunBGVDuMC&q=cwna+official+study+guide|author=Joshua Bardwell|author2=Devin Akin|page=418|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|year=2005|edition=Third|isbn=978-0-07-225538-6|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109135240/https://books.google.com/books?id=QnMunBGVDuMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=cwna+official+study+guide&hl=en&ei=EJaXTpSaFMPSiALTu4HCDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA|archive-date=2017-01-09}}</ref>

With the increasing popularity of unrelated consumer devices operating on the same 2.4&nbsp;GHz band, many providers have migrated to the [[List of WLAN channels#5 GHz (802.11a/h/j/n/ac/ax)|5GHz ISM band]]. If the service provider holds the necessary spectrum license, it could also reconfigure various brands of off the shelf Wi-Fi hardware to operate on its own band instead of the crowded unlicensed ones. Using higher frequencies carries various advantages:
* usually regulatory bodies allow for more power and using (better-) directional antennae,
* there exists much more bandwidth to share, allowing both better throughput and improved coexistence,
* there are fewer consumer devices that operate over 5&nbsp;GHz than over 2.4&nbsp;GHz, hence fewer interferers are present,
* the shorter wavelengths don't propagate as well through walls and other structures, so much less interference leaks outside of the homes of consumers.

Proprietary technologies like [[Motorola Canopy]] & Expedience can be used by a WISP to offer wireless access to rural and other markets that are hard to reach using Wi-Fi or WiMAX. There are a number of companies that provide this service.<ref>[http://www.wispa.org/directories/member-directory "Member Directory"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220031021/http://www.wispa.org/Directories/Member-Directory |date=2017-02-20 }}, Wireless Internet Service Providers’ Association (WISPA), accessed 5 May 2012</ref>

=====Local Multipoint Distribution Service=====
[[Local Multipoint Distribution Service]] (LMDS) is a broadband wireless access technology that uses microwave signals operating between 26&nbsp;GHz and 29&nbsp;GHz.<ref>[http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cis788-99/ftp/lmds/index.html "Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LDMS)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010031040/http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~jain/cis788-99/ftp/lmds/index.html |date=2012-10-10 }}, Vinod Tipparaju, November 23, 1999</ref> Originally designed for digital television transmission (DTV), it is conceived as a fixed wireless, point-to-multipoint technology for utilization in the last mile. Data rates range from 64&nbsp;kbit/s to 155&nbsp;Mbit/s.<ref>[https://www.angelfire.com/nd/ramdinchacha/DEC00.html "LMDS: Broadband Out of Thin Air "], Niraj K Gupta, from My Cell, Voice & Data, December 2000</ref> Distance is typically limited to about {{convert|1.5|mi|km}}, but links of up to {{convert|5|mi|km|sigfig=1}} from the base station are possible in some circumstances.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120530205217/http://www.ijest.info/docs/IJEST09-01-01.pdf "Review and Analysis of Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS) to Deliver Voice, Data, Internet, and Video Services"]}}, S.S. Riaz Ahamed, International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, Vol. 1(1), October 2009, pp. 1–7</ref>

LMDS has been surpassed in both technological and commercial potential by the LTE and WiMAX standards.