Which factor is the primary challenge of using satellite internet?

Latency issues are indeed the primary challenge of using satellite internet. This arises from the physical distance that signals must travel between the earth and satellites in orbit, often thousands of miles. When a user sends a request over the internet, the signal has to travel up to the satellite, then back down to a ground station, and finally back to the user's device. This round trip can result in significant delays, typically measured in hundreds of milliseconds, which can make the online experience frustrating for activities that require real-time responses, such as video conferencing or online gaming.

Other factors, while they can impact user experience, do not present the same level of universal challenge as latency. For instance, limited user access can vary based on geographic location and the availability of service providers, while high installation costs may be a concern but are not a universal barrier to effective usage once the service is set up. Signal strength can be affected by weather and other environmental factors, yet issues with latency are inherently tied to the nature of satellite communication itself, affecting all users consistently. This makes latency a more significant challenge in the context of satellite internet usage.