Can I use satellite internet for videoconferencing?

For several years now, videoconferencing has played an increasingly important role in the lives of individuals and companies. For regular exchanges with friends or family or to attend company meetings, this method of communication has become essential. For individuals as well as for professionals, satellite internet allows not to be deprived of this precious tool for exchanging and sharing. Let's look into the constraints and the benefits of using this type of high-speed internet connection to communicate using a video link.

In the world of work, but also in everyday life, videoconferencing is becoming more and more popular. Allowing for more effective and more personalised communication than a simple telephone conversation, video conferencing has many advantages to offer... provided that you have access to the Internet. It is therefore entirely possible to use a satellite connection to communicate via Skype, Facebook, Teams or Zoom. However, there are some limitations.

Satellite internet offers an excellent connection speed of up to 50 or even 100 Mbps with Eutelsat's Konnect offer. However, compared to fibre or 4G, there are short latency periods, i.e. short waiting times during the transmission-reception of the signal. These disadvantages are almost invisible when browsing websites, but can be experienced during certain operations, for example:

• Watching films or series in streaming, with a loading delay when the video is launched;
• Playing online games such as MMOs, FPSs...;
• Exchanges via videoconferences.

In reality, by connecting to a video conference via satellite internet, it is possible to experience a slight delay between the interventions of the people participating in the meeting. This is a drawback that should be pointed out to the other person in order to be able to understand each other correctly during the exchange. Moreover, using satellite broadband to take part in a video conference also means being at home or in your company's premises, close to the box connected to the satellite dish that allows data to be sent and received from satellites in orbit.

Unlike ADSL, 4G or fibre optics, access to the Internet by satellite is not conditional on the presence of major infrastructure close to the home or business. In other words, almost the entire African population can benefit from a broadband connection, even if they live in a rural area, in a country where network infrastructure is scarce or in a remote location. This means that participating in video conferences is no longer restricted to residents of urban areas, large cities and capital cities in Africa. All that is required is to have an antenna, transceiver and modem installed in a home or office. The best option, which greatly improves the quality and speed of the satellite connection, is to seek the intervention of a professional. Experienced in this type of telecommunication, he or she can determine the best orientation for the satellite dish and thus obtain the best possible signal quality.

The widespread use of videoconferencing via satellite internet makes it possible to take advantage of an indispensable communication tool in many areas, such as:

• Exchanging with close friends, family or friends who are geographically distant or even expatriates abroad;
• Conducting job interviews at a distance;
• Communicating and exchanging best practices with colleagues;
• Organising and participating in virtual meetings;
• Negotiating contracts with clients and suppliers;
• and so on.

Eutelsat's Konnect offering is also used in very specific areas of activity, such as agriculture and mining, two sectors that are often far removed from traditional broadband networks. For miners and farmers alike, satellite technology allows them to continue to talk to their customers, suppliers and family without having to travel. This is an undeniable advantage, which has also become a huge asset for military communications, as well as during natural disasters.