High Desert Internet's own FAQ answers this question with a flat no, and it is still the right answer. Some of the numbers that went with that answer were out of date, though, so this page replaces them with figures from the FCC and NASA, each with its date. The short version is distance. A tower is a few miles to a few tens of miles away. A geostationary satellite is tens of thousands of kilometers away.
Takeaways
- Satellite internet bounces your data off a satellite. Fixed wireless goes to a tower on the ground and then onto a wire.
- The FCC measured 594 to 612 ms of delay on geostationary satellite service, against 12 to 37 ms on wired and ground-based service (2018 report).
- Low-earth-orbit satellite such as Starlink is much closer than the older geostationary kind, and its delay is lower. It still needs open sky.
How is a tower link different from a satellite link?
A fixed wireless signal goes from the antenna on your building to a tower, then continues over the provider's own network to the wider internet. The High Desert FAQ puts the link distance at up to about 40 miles. The signal never leaves the ground.
A satellite signal goes from the dish on your house up to a satellite and down to a ground station, and the answer makes the same trip in reverse. NASA's Earth Observatory lists geostationary orbit at about 36,000 kilometers above the surface, roughly 22,000 miles. The FCC's Measuring Broadband America report describes the round trip from earth station to satellite and back as approximately 44,500 miles.
Why does the distance change the delay?
Radio travels fast, but not instantly. Delay, called latency, grows with the length of the path. The FCC's 2018 Measuring Broadband America report measured median latency of 594 to 612 ms on geostationary satellite services, while the wired and ground-based services it tested ranged from 12 to 37 ms. The FCC added that the higher delay may impair the perceived quality of highly interactive applications, such as video calls.
Delay is a separate thing from speed. A satellite plan can advertise up to 100 Mbps and still feel slow to a video call, because each round trip takes longer. Our guide on what latency is explains the difference.
What about Starlink?
Starlink is also satellite, but its satellites sit far lower than the geostationary kind. A shorter trip means lower latency, and that is the whole of Starlink's advantage over the geostationary systems. This site prints no Starlink latency figure; Starlink publishes its own, and Ookla publishes measured medians by quarter, so read those pages for a current number.
On its own site, read 10/15/26, Starlink lists residential plans at $55, $85 and $130 a month, says speeds are up to 400+ Mbps on the top tier, and says speeds are maximums that are not promised and will be slower during congestion. It also offers a 30-day trial. Its dish needs a view of open sky, the way a fixed wireless antenna needs a view of a tower. The Starlink comparison has the full published list with dates.
Why do I need line of sight if there is no satellite?
Because radio at these frequencies travels in a straight line and does not bend around obstacles. The antenna on your home and the tower must see each other. A satellite dish has the same need, aimed upward instead of sideways. For a tower link, the thing to check is what stands between your roof and the tower: trees, a ridge, a neighbor's building. Our guide on line of sight goes through the check.
Does weather affect them the same way?
Not exactly, and neither provider can promise immunity. Both kinds of link need a clear path, and anything that changes that path or loads the equipment matters. The FCC's 2026 Section 706 Report says satellite service reliability may decline during congestion and that actual speeds depend on location, time of day and plan (FCC 26-55, paragraph 28). For a tower link, our weather guide covers what is known and what is not.
Which one fits my home?
If no tower can see your roof, satellite may be the only option, and it is a real one. If a tower can see your roof, a local fixed wireless provider offers a shorter path, a technician visit and a phone number in your own area code. High Desert's plans are Bronze at $50 a month with up to 500 Mbps down, Silver at $75 with up to 800 Mbps and Gold at $99 with up to 1 Gig, each with up to 200 Mbps up and no contracts (hdiss.net, read 10/15/26).
To find out which applies, submit the address or call 775-575-9593. Someone at the office studies the route from the closest tower to your roof and phones you with the result. A clear route leads to a technician visit to confirm it, and a blocked one is reported just as plainly.
Sources
- fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/measuring-broadband-america/measuring-fixed-broadband-eig (FCC Measuring Broadband America, Eighth Report, read 10/15/26)
- science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/catalog-of-earth-satellite-orbits (NASA Earth Observatory, read 10/15/26)
- starlink.com/ (Starlink residential plan cards, read 10/15/26)
- docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-55A1.pdf (FCC 26-55, paragraph 28, read 10/15/26)