Broadband Satellite update

18 November, 2005

Shin Satellite's IPStar was finally launched on the 12th of August 2005.

It's a whopper

• The Ipstar, which cost $511 million, is one of the largest telecommunications satellites to be launched.
• It has a lift-off mass of six tonnes.
• Satellites normally carry at least two on-board processors but on Ipstar many of these functions will be managed from the ground.
• That will free up space and power on the satellite.
• It also uses narrower beams than traditional satellites, making coverage more efficient.

Now, it's not for gaming. The signal has to travel to space and back. 2 thumbs up for Iconz: unlike woosh, iconz point out the latency issue on their broadband page.

It's not cheap either ( plans start at $99.00 for 256Kbps/1GB ), but it is the only broadband solution for many parts of new zealand as has 100% coverage.

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