Delivering high-speed Internet for rural areas can open doors of economic opportunity, expand educational options, and enhance emergency services, but this won’t come easily or at a minimal cost. The costs for installing fiber optic Internet and broadband Internet infrastructure that can upgrade rural America to broadband speeds comparable to urban regions is too high for many Internet providers that usually do business in highly populated urban and suburban areas.
Rural communities have access to some of the most basic infrastructure that could bring internet Internet service to them, such as plain old telephone service (POTS) and digital subscriber lines (DSL). These types of infrastructure can look primitive and significantly less efficient compared to more modern forms of Internet service such as fiber optic Internet. For example, POTS broadband uses physical copper wires to connect homes to communications networks, making it cheaper than other forms of broadband but too slow for modern applications like video conferencing and virtual office work.
In contrast, wireless rural Internet service providers such as UbiFi have used methods such as sending Internet signals through the 4G cell towers scattered across rural communities. Both mobile 4G Internet providers like UbiFi and the best satellite Internet providers like Viasat can eliminate expensive infrastructure costs like cable or fiber installation. However, only UbiFi and other mobile Internet providers can meet your needs if your applications require faster data rates and lower latency since satellite Internet service generally carries high levels of latency. If you do decide to go with a mobile Internet company, be sure to do research on your chosen provider’s coverage area to make sure you can receive the best possible service.