It is therefore important to choose an internet service provider that will provide the internet connection most efficiently. In this post, we will review what are arguably the two most popular providers at the moment – Starlink Vs Viasat – and the provider that is most suited for your needs. Such providers distinguish depending on the technology, geographical availability, speed and cost. It’s time to take the plunge and go into the details to identify the one!
1. Coverage Area
Starlink:
Starlink which is part of SpaceX is targeting coverage all around the world one day. The satellite constellation will ideally offer complete coverage of the planet, with the present coverage provided to several areas in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, among others. More so, prospective Starlink consumers residing in remote ‘spoke’ areas will have this service benefit them more than anyone else; these areas typically lack sufficient geeks from conventional internet service providers.
Viasat:
Specific territories of operation include the United States, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam, Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America. This provider mainly aims at customers found in rural or remote areas or those in regions that require off-road such as mountains and forests among others. Viasat has an even better performance over these rural and remote regions making it the best option for any user in need of a service provider beyond normal internet service providers.
2. Speed and Latency
Starlink:
Starlink is low Earth orbit satellite broadband that can provide up to 1 Gbps speeds and latencies within the range of 20-40 milliseconds. Most consumers are likely to be provided with a bandwidth that ranges from 50Mbps to 150Mbps with variations during peak hours. The latency time and speed could diminish based on the location and the time of the day but in most cases it is fast.
Viasat:
Viasat offers speeds from as low as 12 Mbps and as high as 100 Mbps. As for the service speeds, Viasat internet service provider is somewhat slower than Starlink, yet the latency varies between 5-30 milliseconds. It’s especially a blessing on the back end to reduce that latency, particularly for users with activities that require lower latency, things like gaming, video calls and live streaming.
3. Pricing
Starlink:
Additionally, Starlink’s service is pricier in comparison to its competition. The initial payment, in turn, has an equipment cost of $499 for the user terminal, and a monthly service fee of $99. It loses these costs by the absence of Data caps possibility of achieving high-speed connectivity that can benefit the users in rural areas that are in desperate need of better connectivity.
Viasat:
Nonetheless, Viasat is slightly cheaper than Hughes. The price of the satellite dish ranges between $599 and $799 while modem prices range between $vert$), and the monthly service charge ranges from $110 for a 12Mb plan. While users tend to upgrade to faster plans, the given monthly fee grows, $to 250 for the 100 Mbps service. Data allowance is also available with Viasat plans, and usage of such allowance influences the total monthly price.
4. Data Caps and Limitations
Starlink:
One most prominent features that Starlink has over most other internet service providers is that it has unlimited data usage. However, the performance may decrease during peak usage because the network tends to take time to optimize the traffic. Such community-end users may also experience throttling due to the relatively high bandwidth needed to perform such tasks.
Viasat:
Viasat only offers limited data usage per plan to control their delivery of data, which varies from 15GB – 150GB per month. Data is already split between upload and download speeds, and hence resources that use more bandwidth such as streaming services or online games will use data quickly. They also may charge extra fees for using more than a certain amount of data consumable in a month. Still, to sum up, there are more possible advantages of static IP addresses that Viasat provides to their clients:
5. User Experience
Starlink:
A lot of users who are taping into Starlink have given it a pass for being fast and offering limitless data. Still, the users noted that it takes longer, and has high latency during peak hours of usage. Because the information infrastructure does not have a physical structure, the connection could be hindered by weather or satellite positioning.
Viasat:
The customers of Viasat love it for being a stable connection that does not lag when engaging in different actions. Albeit the speeds provided above may not augur with those of Starlink, Viasat remains a stable service provider with steady coverage of the rural areas which makes it a go-to provider for users in such regions who require stable connectivity. Several users have reported their discontent with data limits and sometimes a reduction in the internet’s overall speed; however, Viasat remains a more appropriate option for Internet users who do not have an excessive load on the resource.
Conclusion:
When deciding which to use between Starlink and Viasat, it is important to compare them. If you have a limited internet connection choice and you are located in a faraway area where you need to have super fast and very reliable Internet with minimal latency, Starlink is what you may need. However, if you want a cheaper plan with limitations on how much data you will be using and if you don’t have activities that require low latency then Viasat can be a good option for you.
All in all, both of the providers are apt to provide satellite internet service with their special strengths and weaknesses. Reflect on the information described in this article and compare the needs and provide the best internet service for you.
