Need mobile Internet access in remote areas? At the recent CES, RaySat showed its SpeedRay 3000 antenna for Ku-band satellite access on the move. The antenna on display had a transparent radome and on examination, it appeared to consist of several rows of flat antennas that could be rapidly tilted. These were mounted on a turntable that would allow the panels to quickly point at any azimuth heading. A RaySat product page on its web site said the SpeedRay 3000 was the "world's first vehicle-based satellite antenna providing in-motion, high-speed Internet access to motorists, including emergency personnel, riding in cars, trucks or motor homes."
The system includes a router to allow multiple users to access the same antenna. It also provides reception of digital satellite TV and music channels. Data rates should be similar to those offered by Ku-band satellite Internet providers such as HughesNet, which offers business customers maximum upstream speed in the 500 kbps range and maximum downstream speed up to 2 Mbps and Starband with somewhat slower data rates.
