Editing Satellite Internet access (section)

===Portable satellite Internet===
====Portable satellite modem====
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[[File:Portable Satellite Internet Modem and Antenna.jpg|thumb|Portable Satellite Internet Modem and Antenna deployed with the [[Emergency Response Unit (IFRC)|Red Cross]] in [[South Sudan]] in 2014.]]

These usually come in the shape of a self-contained flat rectangular box that needs to be pointed in the general direction of the satellite—unlike VSAT the alignment need not be very precise and the modems have built in signal strength meters to help the user align the device properly. The modems have commonly used connectors such as  [[Ethernet]] or [[Universal Serial Bus]] (USB). Some also have an integrated [[Bluetooth]] transceiver and double as a satellite phone. The modems also tend to have their own batteries so they can be connected to a [[laptop]] without draining its battery. The most common such system is [[INMARSAT]]'s [[BGAN]]—these terminals are about the size of a [[briefcase]] and have near-symmetric connection speeds of around 350 to 500&nbsp;kbit/s. Smaller modems exist like those offered by [[Thuraya]] but only connect at 444&nbsp;kbit/s in a limited coverage area.

At $5 to $7 per megabyte on average, portable satellite internet is typically more expensive than other modes of Internet access, with modems usually costing between $1,000 and $5,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmpcs-us.com/inmarsatbgan.htm |title=Inmarsat BGAN |publisher=GMPCS |access-date=2013-08-29}}</ref> Due to this, it is most often used on vehicles without access to other modes of Internet access, such as seafaring vessels.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

====Internet via satellite phone====
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For many years{{When|date=July 2011}} [[satellite phone]]s have been able to connect to the Internet. Bandwidth varies from about 2400 [[bit/s]] for [[Iridium Satellite LLC|Iridium network satellites]] and [[ACeS]] based phones to 15&nbsp;kbit/s [[upstream (networking)|upstream]] and 60&nbsp;kbit/s [[downstream (networking)|downstream]] for [[Thuraya]] handsets. Globalstar also provides Internet access at 9.6&nbsp;kbit/s; like Iridium and ACeS a [[dial-up]] connection is required and is billed per minute, however both [[Globalstar]] and Iridium are planning to launch new satellites offering always-on data services at higher rates. With Thuraya phones the 9.6&nbsp;kbit/s dial-up connection is also possible, the 60&nbsp;kbit/s service is always-on and the user is billed for data transferred (about $5 per [[megabyte]]). The phones can be connected to a laptop or other computer using a USB or [[RS-232]] interface. Due to the low bandwidths involved it is extremely slow to browse the web with such a connection, but useful for sending email, [[Secure Shell]] data and using other low-bandwidth protocols. Since satellite phones tend to have [[omnidirectional antenna]]s no alignment is required as long as there is a line of sight between the phone and the satellite.