All satellite services today are "broadcast anywhere" services. They are asymetric - meaning that upload and download speeds are different. Also, since a satellite transponder is a shared resource, as its usage increases individual users will see fluctuations in service. Satellites also are very far away. Some are stationed in the Van Allen Belt at 22,300 miles above the equator. So, communicaton delays are a part of any satellite based service. Even with all of these draw backs a satellite based communications service may be the best, or only, option.

The main benefit of a satellite based service is its ability to multicast to a very large area of the continental United States. This fact has been used effectively by broadcast video providers for years (DirecTV). Internet communications satellite offerings also benefit by being able to bring internet service to any location in the United States. But, costs for the infrastructure of a satellite service are higher due to the nature of spacecraft and their rather short life spans. For cost reasons alone satellite systems can not compete with terrestrial wired connections for lack of transmission delay or initial investment. But, they provide communication links where wired services are not available or there is a desire to seek a path of higher ground for redundancy and backup.

A Primary Link is a communication link that will be used as a sole connection to the internet. A Backup Link is generally idle, or marginally used until it is needed. A Backup Link is maintained only to provide a failover solution if a sites primary land based communications connection goes out of service. The acquisition and maintenance price of a Backup Link is less than a Primary Link of the same capacity.