Challenges and Updates with Satellite Broadband

Satellite broadband internet allows households and businesses to connect to the internet. The limitations of several internet service providers in terms of signal coverage and presence of telecom towers are the reasons why for quite some time already, people in the rural areas have no way of connecting to the World Wide Web. 

Despite the technology, there are challenges surrounding satellite broadband internet. First, is the speed. For most residents and business owners who are connected via satellite, the feedback is almost always the same. Downloading and uploading files take some time. Streaming videos and popular shows on the web can be painstakingly long. Playing games can get frustrating to impossible at times. However, between satellite internet and dial-up, the former is a lot faster.

Why speed becomes an issue with satellite broadband is because the connection from a roof mounted satellite antenna on earth and an orbiting satellite in space takes some time to establish. It can take a few milliseconds for a signal to be established, and this is enough to delay the transmission of data.

Second, satellite broadband internet is also affected by the weather. If rain or snow is too severe, the reliability of the satellite internet connection ultimately becomes affected. However, this is a rare case since despite some outdoor equipment being rugged, it is still able to maintain a steady internet connection for the user. 

Another challenge is the latency. Latency is the amount of time a signal travels from its source (the satellite in space) to its destination (the internet user's computer). However, satellite internet, latency is multiplied twice because the computer needs to send a request first to a satellite orbiting in space. With satellites typically orbiting the earth at at 20,000 miles, it becomes a challenge to use VoIP applications and play with real-time strategy and first-person shooter games.

Further, with the challenges that are beyond the control of a satellite broadband connection and any kind of internet connection for that matter, there are inconveniences that the internet user should be wary about so as to manage expectations. These uncontrollable factors can be a congestion in the satellite system or the fact that the website you are visiting has various page elements such as a Flash animation homepage.

As far as the NBN Co is concerned, the eligible households and businesses today can connect to the NBN Co's interim satellite service until installation NBN Co's Long Term Satellite Service becomes complete in 2015. 

For the time being, if you are interested in applying for the interim satellite service, know the registered internet service providers that can link you with a satellite internet service. Make sure that you are eligible. If you are, a registration ID will be issued together with an information and declaration pack.

Why FTTH / FTTP Works Best than Copper-Based Internet

Today, it is definitely all about speed. The faster you get can get your tasks done, the more time you can have for other things. Time and speed are the currencies in this fast-paced world we call life even including the internet.

When it comes to ensuring optimal internet speed, the discussion whether to get FTTH and FTTP or conventional copper wires always comes up. Below are reasons why FTTH or fibre-to-the-home or fibre-to-the-premises is better than going for copper. 

1.       It is faster.

A reason why internet speed is faster using fibre optic cables is due to its lightweight composition. Fibre optic cables are made of photons, which are significantly lighter compared to electrons that are elemental in copper wires. Between photons and electrons, the former is lighter in terms of weight.

Another reason why internet speed is faster is based on the kind of data transmission it follows. Data transmission in fibre is done through light pulses while electricity is for copper. No one can refute the fact that nothing can get any faster than the speed of light. Aside from increased speeds, data is transmitted more with fidelity in fibre.

2.        It is safer.

In the event of a natural calamity such as a storm or a hurricane, physical infrastructures are always at the risk of destruction. It can fall down on the ground and it can also cause fatal shock hazards especially when flooding occurs. This is generally the case for telecommunication posts powered with electrical wires.

With dielectric fibre optic cables, these safety hazards are not present. Fibre optic cables are non-conducting and need not be powered at a high voltage. Copper wires are open faced. You can see several strings of wires hanging on power lines, and in a heavily urban environment, this can be a big environmental risk. 

3.       It is more secure.

Fibre optic cables are more secure because it does not radiate signals like copper wires do. It is wiretap-proof so if there are important documents you are migrating or storing online, you can be sure that these will be well-protected. If there is indeed an intention to wire tap it though, light leaks from the fibre optic cables, and it is definitely not hard to miss where the tampering is coming from.

Since fibre optic cables are installed outdoors and indoors inside a wire cabinet, physical security is ensured unlike copper wires that are open faced and thus easy to tamper with.

4.       It is more immune to environmental factors.

The beauty of fibre optic cables lies in its glass construction. Glass is a good insulator. It is immune to interferences such as electrostatic and electromagnetic interferences. And again, with its glass composition found at its core, fibre optic cables are not affected by erratic temperature changes. If the fibre optic cable cabinet is located near an industrial facility or if the weather outdoors changes from hot to cold, you don’t have to worry about the quality of your internet connection getting affected by these environmental forces.

The Kinds of People You Meet On the Internet

People use the internet for different reasons. Hence, there are different personalities or kinds of people you can meet on the web.  

1.       The Researcher. The internet is like a glorified library. Instead of a hundred shelves housing thousands of books, the internet is packed with websites where various resources can be found. The researcher is usually a student or a teacher. If there is a topic that they are currently working on, the researcher will most likely sit down on a chair in front of a computer, search for the concerned topic and get loads of references in just a few clicks. Aside from accessing books digitally, the researcher also gets to access similar papers made by co-students or co-teachers from around the world.

However, there is also the danger that with the many resources that can be found online, some may not be verified references or the author is not credible enough. For the researcher, he or she must be responsible in verifying what he or she sees on the internet. 

2.       The Business Man. With the ubiquity of the internet, it is possible to manage an entire business as some would for a physical storefront. Businesses today make it a point that their actual storefront has an online counterpart to accommodate customers who are online as well. Thus, a popular person you can meet on the internet is a businessman fully and constantly engaged in marketing the products or services that he or she has to offer. 

The online business man has a shop that he manages online. If you know him personally, chances are he has asked (or forced) you to like his business’ Facebook page or follow his business’ Twitter account. If he has a promo or a contest, he will urge you to join and have you invite your friends to join the promo or contest too to influence his business’ popularity. 

3.       The Socially Well-Connected. This person is everywhere – on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Foursquar, you name it. This person knows that technology is a daily requirement. It is his bread and butter to stay in the know and to be connected with friends and family. The socially well-connected is found with a smart phone or tablet computer in hand. 

With the attachment the socially-well connected has towards handheld gadgets, this person usually loses touch with reality. Invite them over dinner and chances are they are already hooked on their smart phone even before desserts and conversations start pouring in. 

4.       The Trolls. There are people who simply love stirring a commotion or provoking anger and other related emotion. Trolls are everywhere since to make their trolling effective, they first need to know where the commotion is coming from. When there is a buzz over a controversial topic where almost every single person on the web has an opinion over, they will naturally join the thread and create a comment that is 180 degrees different from the common emotion. 

      Once they drop the bomb, they will leave the thread and simply watch responders lose their mind. Cyber bullying may be illegal, but then the anonymity of trolls makes it possible for them to proliferate and proceed with their activities undetected.

Ultimately, there are more profiles of internet users lurking around the World Wide Web. As the internet continues to be a platform for different activities, more and more personalities will be born.

What Does the The Australian Law Reform Commission Have for Flustered Australians

In this age of camera-enabled smart phones and hardcore social media usage, nothing goes undetected and undocumented especially if it is something  controversial and defamatory at the expense of others. 

If you wake up the next day with your news feed on Facebook showing compromising photos of you from an event you attended the night before, The Australian Law Reform Commission is having the European Union consider its proposed "right to be forgotten” now “right to erasure" amendment. 

This “right to erasure” proposal urges organisations especially social media providers to delete compromising information on their platform at the request of the person who is the subject of that information. This right applies only to information uploaded with the person’s consent. They should have the right to withdraw their consent and have the necessary erasures done immediately upon their request.  

However, this may seem like a pretty ambitious solution since information such as photos and videos when deleted are naturally backed up and archived. To erase history is an exercise in futility, and this definitely applies in digital media. 

Is “right to erasure” truly the solution to compromising information uploaded to the web? If it comes with our consent, then there is the assumption that we have thought about it before sealing our fate on the web. However, what is most glaring in the proposal is that the “right to erasure” does not apply for information uploaded without the person’s consent. Should it be the other way around?

What are the lessons that we can pick up from this?

First, it is our responsibility to control the information we give about ourselves. This prevents the dilemma of erasing every single embarrassing photo uploaded on Facebook and hoping that it is too early for Google to index it all the way to eternity. 

Second, be careful in the photos and videos that you make about yourself and others. Just because it has been captured on your smart phone does not mean that it has to be shared with everyone in your network. If the intention is to stir unnecessary attention even after receiving the consent of the parties involved, be the bigger person in the situation.

And third, learn from other people’s experiences. While compromising photos and videos may seem trivial to others, the impact it has on the person involved can be psychologically damaging. For some unlucky ones, their embarrassing photo or video has made them the subject of cyberbullying. The internet can be a great place to spend time in, but the same cannot be assumed for everyone.

What is your personal take on this?