Japan launches Kizuna satellite, hopes it will deliver high-speed internet

Granted, most of us here in America would turn our noses up at receiving in-home broadband via satellite -- after all, cable and DSL seem to be treating most of us quite alright -- but Japan is hoping to provide access to more regions in Asia-Pacific with its recently launched Kizuna. The experimental satellite is not yet intended for commercial use, but if all goes well, it will enable data transmissions "of up to 1.2 gigabytes per second" at a low cost across Japan and 19 other locales in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, we've no idea when it will escape the bondage of testing and actually be put to good use, but at least Japan's well on its way to actually establishing that wireless island, eh?

[Via CNN, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Randomness @ Feb 23rd 2008 2:48PM]

"after all, cable and DSL seem to be treating most of us quite alright"

The cable and DSL companies treat us like crap. I'm guessing you've never had to use Comcast, ATT, Verizon, or any of the other virtual broadband monopolies? Or spend months trying to rectify overbilling while you get passed from department to department to local office where they are all unable to help?

[Eh @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:22PM]

Ya, I wouldnt call 1.5mbit DSL treating us well. American ISP's are some of the worst in the industrialized world.

[Moff @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:44PM]

The real problem with Sat Internet is ping time. It has to travel all the way up to the sat and all the way down. Then it finally enters the internet.

This delay is around 1 second. That makes anything that is ping time intensive die. Downloading big files should still be fine.

[Flashpoint @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:52PM]

Moff

Your right...latency is bad for Satellite. Satellites aren't even good for cellular phones...thats why cell towers are so important.

And if they claim 1.2GB per second, that's total bandwidth which will then be divided by the number of accessing users - so, it has the potential to be even slower.

[Urza @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:57PM]

The other problem with satellite is you only get good down speed. Every setup I've ever seen has relied on satellite for down transitions, but standard phone line for upstream. So you're basically stuck with 56k upstream bandwidth.

[Sam Winter @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:54PM]

@Urza

You are wrong. Before I was able to get service from a wireless ISP, I had two-way satellite service from DirecPC. The dish setup is both a receiver AND transmitter, although the upload speed was still pretty slow at 256kbps or 512kbps, but it was MUCH BETTER than needing to use a 28.8 phone line.

Regardless how much bandwidth they can squeeze out, the 800ms-1500ms latency of non-low-earth-orbiting satellites just kills the internet experience. Totally worthless to those who can receive DSL and cable.

America has the most pathetic broadband infrastructure of pretty much any developed nation. Because of the moronic, corrupt republicans, you cable company and phone company DO NOT have to sell wholesale services which allows other companies to offer you cable or DSL service. This intrinsic monopoly is what keeps DSL speeds at < ~3mbps when other countries have thing like VDSL/VDSL2 that can run upwards of ~30mbps. Also, many countries are really starting to ratchet up fiber-to-the-home installations, whereas the USA only has one large-scale buildout (Verizon) and even that is only in certain areas in their current coverage area.
Many people always resort to the same tired argument about population density. The flaw in that argument is that the population density of the top 25 markets (or even top 100) in the United States is quite high, definitely high enough to warrant fiber-to-the-home rollouts and general competitive broadband. And yet the only company doing a nationwide rollout of FTTH is Verizon FIOS and only to their existing subscriber areas.

[Russ @ Feb 23rd 2008 5:08PM]

@Urza - there is two way satellite around: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Internet_access#Two-way

In rural Australia: $USD1011 for installation/hardware, and $USD230 a month gets you 512/128, 2GB of downloads and uploads.

Not cheap!

[Schmitty @ Feb 24th 2008 12:49PM]

I agree...even here in Canada we usually have much better internet service for the same or cheaper price...

For example, I pay $39.99 per month for 7Mbps/1.2Mbps DSL, and it's fibre optic, so the pings are amazing. For only around $90 per month, we can get 16Mbps service....

Cable prices are about the same too, around $50 for 8/1Mbps...

[Billy @ Feb 23rd 2008 2:54PM]

YO

[OneLove @ Feb 23rd 2008 2:57PM]

Now, I can surf the net while in the jungles of Saint Lucia!

[Jonathan Worrel @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:01PM]

1.2Gbps smokes my 6Mbps connection saturated by the (high cholesterol) of the overly obese American broadband networks that fail to provide us with decent speeds. The US is becoming used to consuming more and more data (see: give me a bigger straw to drink from an endless smoothie), and eventually, we are all going to have one big heart attack.

[cmonkey @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:13PM]

Actually, the AP article quoted by Engadget got it wrong. I can't find any information about total throughput, but it can deliver 1.2 gigabits to industrial setups with 5m dishes and 155 megabits to home setups with 45cm dishes. It's really pretty amazing.

[cmonkey @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:15PM]

Bah, replied to the wrong post. This was supposed to be to Dankoozy.

[Joshua Walters @ Feb 23rd 2008 6:04PM]

The 1.2gbs is probably a total to be spread across the network.

It would work great even with a hundred users if they were ONLY browsing the web.

[Temple @ Feb 23rd 2008 10:13PM]

>>The 1.2gbs is probably a total to be spread across the network.

Nope. Its per antenna.

1.2 Gbs is for a 5M antenna and are designed for enterprises. The 45-cm antenna will equip average users for 155 Mbps down / 6 Mbps up. So its plenty fast, but Japan already has dirt cheap 100Mbs fiber-optic right today; this satellite for the country folk living in the boonies (like those tiny Okinawan islands like Ishigaki-jima).

http://www.jaxa.jp/countdown/f14/overview/kizuna_e.html

[Dankoozy @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:01PM]

1.2GB per second has to be the total bandwidth of the satellite. and why are they measuring in gigabytes, not gigabits like most people do? japan is a freakin crazy place, I wonder how long they would last in a black out, without interwebs for more than a few milliseconds that whole country would just turn to chaos.

[bob sakamano @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:01PM]

is this called the "outernet" ?

[martin @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:02PM]

ah crap america shot it down.

[Phreak511 @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:16PM]

Not if the Chinese do it first.


And least ye forget, they are STILL pissed at Japan over WWII...

[John Yuen @ Feb 23rd 2008 6:14PM]

They'd prolly be less pissed if the Japanese stopped rewriting their history books and stopped trying to pretend it never happened.

[magic @ Feb 23rd 2008 6:54PM]

And you blindly believe the version of history written by the Red Communist Party? Come on, at least Japan has a spectrum of textbooks ranging from conservative to liberal and freedom for schools to choose which textbook to use, just like all other industrialized democratic countries. China does not allow different interpretations of history other than the one that's decided by the government. The Japanese textbook you are talking about is only used by 0.0017% of schools in Japan. I'd take the freedom of speech any day over Chinese ways of thinking, thanks.

[Ron Smith @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:13PM]

forgot to mention that it has a latency of about 2-3 seconds, so I doubt it wil completely replace existing service.

[Shawin @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:08PM]

Height of Satellite above earth is proportional to area covered and inversely proportional to speed i'd say

[AlexL @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:26PM]

What about upstream bandwidth and latency? Those two are the reasons people will not use satellite internet when there are landline alternative available. Downstream bandwidth has nothing to do with it.

[Toby Wilkins @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:39PM]

I think its a great idea, I remember a few years ago I was looking into this kind of connection

[YoMomma @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:46PM]

the good ol us will nuke it down soon.

[Andrew @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:27PM]

...What?

[Thomas Owens @ Feb 25th 2008 6:58AM]

Some of us here in the US still are on satellite internet (hughesnet) because cable and dsl aren't available where we live :-)

[Jason @ Feb 23rd 2008 3:57PM]

Satellite internet sucks in America. Hghesnet limits your download amount per 24 hrs depending on your plan. For me, I can't download more than about 400 MB before my download and upload speeds get throttled to below dial-up speeds. It sucks major. It's called the Fair Access Policy but there's nothing fair about it at all.

[tyler @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:34PM]

must agree i am on the same system its horrible! but its the only broadband i can get ..... :( and the whole thing about uplink using a dialup connection thats only the old setups new ones require no phone line (i dont even have a land line phone anymore)

[tyler @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:34PM]

must agree i am on the same system its horrible! but its the only broadband i can get ..... :( and the whole thing about uplink using a dialup connection thats only the old setups new ones require no phone line (i dont even have a land line phone anymore)

[asddgasd @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:00PM]

So how about them dodgers

[spacegravity4me @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:46PM]

Yep, we suck in the most craptastic way. I hate us now. Thankx.

[Rob @ Feb 23rd 2008 4:54PM]

People in Japan, and South Korea, have some sweet internet speeds. The only civilian with the sweetest speed is that grandma in Europe. The details escape. But, she gets some crazy numbers.

[Egger @ Feb 23rd 2008 5:40PM]

hello

[Alex Salazar @ Feb 23rd 2008 6:39PM]

"of up to 1.2 gigabytes per second"

1.2 gigaBYTES per second? that's almos 10 gigabits per second.

I don't believe that.

--
BSD México
http://www.bsd.org.mx/

[DJ TJ @ Feb 24th 2008 12:30AM]

TYPO!

It should be gigabits

[ripper @ Feb 24th 2008 3:13PM]

yup, typo introduced by the AP wire service, in japanese coverage it's correct, 1.2Gb/s

[Andrew teh 1337 KiNg Haxxorz @ Feb 23rd 2008 8:15PM]

19 OTHER LOCALES IN SOUTH EAST ASIA!

Is Indonesia one of 'em, coz if it is I am damn happy. The ADSL Internet in here is slow and inconsistent, and I would happily switch to any ISP that provides a frickin download time of 1.2 GIGABYTES per SECOND!

[ark_v2 @ Feb 23rd 2008 8:53PM]

Japan: I HATE YOU.

[Ricky P @ Feb 23rd 2008 9:50PM]

I don't care how fast DSL is , if I've got to pay that along with an ISP Bill or one Bill equalling the two I'll stick with Via Phone Lines :).

[charliehorse43 @ Feb 23rd 2008 11:40PM]

Plainly you have never lived in a rural area. We have no DSL or Cable here. Most people who are tied of dial-up go to wireless line of site internet or satellite.

[Charbax @ Feb 24th 2008 12:03AM]

What is the total throughput that the satellite can manage to all the customers? Is it unlimited or what?

Is 1.2GB/s the total bandwidth available, how many people can get that speed at the same time using the satellite? Is there no limit?

How much does an emitting satellite dish system cost for which bandwidth costs?

What will be the costs to get connected on this system? Metered by bandwidth used?

Would there be a reason to send up several of this type of satellite covering the same region to increase the available bandwidth?

I think that if this type the satellite can support an unlimited amount of 1.2GB/s connections, and that if the two-way satellite dish is relatively affordable, this would be PERFECT solution for Africa, southern Asia, and to cover all other region of this planet with developping countries. This should be a priority for the World Bank to finance the launch of this type of satellite to cover in priority the poor regions of the world.

Satellite -> WiMax -> WiFi Mesh would cover the whole world with broadband in a very short period of time and for an affordable price of a few cents per month per user.

[spacegravity4me @ Feb 24th 2008 2:05AM]

And then the magical unicorns would rule and carealot will be safe, warm, and snuggly forever and ever! LOL! Dude, I'm kidding. I think that's a great idea, I just don't see them doing it soon. I really wish they would though. That'd be very nice. :)

[jamesFF @ Feb 24th 2008 12:38AM]

Now how am I going to hear about underwater cables getting destroyed if japan keeps launching these satellites?

[Poom @ Feb 24th 2008 1:49AM]

=O This is awesome!!! Luckily, I'm in southeast Asia. 1.2Gb/s... hehe

[monkfishbandana @ Feb 24th 2008 5:07AM]

I only read the title while scrolling down the main page. I interpret this story as meaning that Japan fired a satellite into space, hoping that somehow it would deliver high-speed internet; they have no research into this, they're just going to see what happens.

[Jamar @ Feb 24th 2008 6:18AM]

Another painful reminder of JUST how far behind America is in broadband usage. Another example is how Japan has some 20-odd FiOS providers (because the developer has to sell bandwidth to other providers at a fair price unlike America) versus just Verizon in the States.