Companies such as iBeam and Edgix use satellites to distribute content to their own cache centers. SkyCache prefers to work with the caching firms, simply serving as a means of transportation for their content. For example, SkyCache and Akamai signed a partnership today in which Akamai will install satellite dishes at its 45 regional content distribution sites to use SkyCache's service. Saving money Those services, and similar ones being offered by iBeam, Edgix, and SkyStream, could save ISP customers money by avoiding the purchase of additional leased lines for data communications. For ISPs, it's all about delaying expenses.
Analysts say satellites are a cost-effective way to distribute data.
Analysts also believe the satellite content distribution companies will find a niche in foreign markets, where leased line data connections are expensive. About 30 of SkyCache's more than 200 ISP customers are located in Europe. Whether you're using iBeam or SkyCache or Akamai or Sandpiper, that's going to help you get there. It's just a piece of it, but it's a very important part of the Internet infrastructure. Inc. All rights reserved.