home Solution Two-way satellite internet vsat. The concept of VSAT. Scheme of organization of satellite Internet based on VSAT-technologies

Two-way satellite internet vsat. The concept of VSAT. Scheme of organization of satellite Internet based on VSAT-technologies

It happens that for a city person there is a problem of stationary Internet. However, a big problem confronts him at the moment when he finds himself in a country house. We will talk about this, namely, about satellite access to the Network.

Imagine a situation

You, your family and your favorite car ended up in the most pristine corner of our country. Perhaps you came just to have a cultural rest, or perhaps for permanent residence. One way or another, whether you relax or hit downshifting, the realities of modern life are such that without the Internet there is no way and nowhere. Actually, there are a lot of options - from 3G to LTE. However, each has its own pros and cons. So, the speed and quality of a 3G connection depends on the channel load, and LTE simply does not catch in virgin forests. But there is a way out, and we know it - satellite Internet VSAT! In our case, from AltegroSky.

How it works?

VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) is an earth station satellite communications with a small antenna diameter of about 0.9 - 2.4 m. Its main purpose is the transmission of various kinds of content and voice traffic via satellite channels. VSAT does not need maintenance, it connects in 10-15 minutes directly to your terminal equipment, acting as a wireless modem.

When you go online, your computer creates a request that goes to the satellite modem. The task of the modem, i.e. modulator / demodulator - convert one type of signal (digital) to another (radio). Here, the digital request is converted into a radio signal with a frequency of 1 MHz, and then it enters the antenna transmitter, which converts it into a high-frequency Ku / Ka-band signal and sends it to the antenna. The signal reflected from the antenna rushes to a satellite hanging above the equator at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers above the earth - this is the so-called geostationary orbit. Its raisin is that any object at this height moves around the Earth at the same speed with which the Earth itself rotates, i.e. it becomes stationary relative to the earth. And now the question is, will you, while on the train, move relative to the ground while the train is moving in the opposite direction to your movement? However, let's not deviate from the topic.

The satellite also has an antenna. She takes the signal special devices amplify it, and then the satellite is reflected back to Earth. From St. Petersburg in the West to Kamchatka in the East, from Tehran in the South to Norilsk in the North, the signal will be visible everywhere. And above all, it is seen and received by a large nine-meter antenna of the Central Communications Center of the Operator. There, the radio signal is again converted into digital and IP protocol and sent to the Internet. Then the request goes to the site you need, and the requested information is sent back: first via the Internet to the Central Communications Center, then through a large antenna to a satellite above the equator and back to Earth to your antenna.

So, we see that the request you sent to the Internet will return after traveling at least 160,000 kilometers (or even more if it goes somewhere on Earth to the USA). Hence, some of the disadvantages of this technology - a long "ping", sometimes reaching 0.7 seconds. For an ordinary person, this means the inability to play dynamic 3D shooters in multiplayer mode, as well as delays during Skype video calls - you will receive an answer about the interlocutor not immediately, but after half a second, as during live TV news broadcasts. There are simply no other disadvantages, therefore, there are ...

Only pluses!

First, VSAT-Internet is available anytime and anywhere. 5 geostationary artificial earth satellites (AES) are used as relay satellites in the AltegroSky network. This provides 100% coverage of the territory of Russia for the provision of communication services in any region.

Secondly, VSAT-Internet is quite fast - the speed reaches 8 Mbps. The figure, of course, is less than the theoretical 3G speed in ideal conditions, but it is more stable and real. Specialists of the ION Laboratory observed these speeds with their own eyes. Yes, the ping is big, but for downloading files, for example, and for surfing the web - that's it!

Thirdly, the user of the VSAT Internet will not depend on anything - the Internet will be always and everywhere, however, due to weather conditions, the quality of communication may slightly deteriorate. In addition, VSAT is not only high-speed Internet, but also telephone communications, wireless wifi networks, remote video surveillance of the house and territory, videoconferencing.

Fourth, VSAT Internet is two-way. Unlike one-way satellite Internet, here the signal goes not only from the Network to the subscriber, but also from the subscriber to the Network, and therefore the speed of data exchange and ease of use (no crossings with cell phones not necessary) in this case out of competition.

The kit itself costs 25,000 rubles. The money is rather big, but a smartphone or laptop sometimes costs more. In addition, you can always fold with a neighbor and buy one plate for two! For this money, you get not only a dish antenna, but also one of two modems. Which one will be yours depends on the territory where your house is located. The SurfBeam2 modem is suitable for most subscribers, and the HN9200 is for those who plan to deploy a network in the east of the Moscow region. All equipment straight from the States! However, we are most concerned about tariff plans, because here you pay not once or twice, but as much as you use the service.

So, there are two types of tariff plans - unlimited "CONNECT" and "WITHOUT BORDERS" and with payment for traffic. In addition, tariff plans vary depending on the equipment. So, "WITHOUT BORDERS" are unlimited plans for the HN9200 modem, and "CONNECT" is for SurfBeam2.

Things with "unlimited" are as follows.

Two points need to be made clear here. The first point is that you will always have access to the Internet, the speed depends on whether you have used up your daily traffic volume or not - this is the time. The second point - as soon as the daily amount of traffic is used up, you go into the Soft limit mode, in which the speed is reduced. You can study the topic of tariff plans in more detail on the AltegroSky website.

Satellite Internet is a technology for providing Internet access through an artificial Earth satellite (AES), which acts as a relay between the earth station (CZSSS) and the subscriber's transceiver equipment. Modern technologies allow the use of subscriber stations with antennas of small diameter, such stations have an abbreviation consisting of English letters VSAT, which in Russian is read as "visat".

More recently, Satellite Internet technology included two connection methods: one-way satellite Internet and two-way satellite Internet. Currently, one-way satellite Internet is obsolete and is practically not used anymore. Further, Satellite Internet refers to two-way satellite Internet.

Communication satellites, being at a considerable distance from the earth, can provide radio signal coverage for very large areas. For example, one satellite can cover the whole of Europe and the central part of Russia at once, or only 2-3 satellites can cover the entire territory of Russia. Thus, where for thousands of kilometers around there is not a single "wired" Internet provider and there is not a single provider cellular communication, satellite communication technology can easily provide stable and high-speed Internet access!

Benefits of Satellite Internet

We list the main advantages of Satellite Internet compared to other wireless Internet technologies:

Access possible anywhere. The main and main advantage of two-way satellite Internet (as opposed to one-way) is the ability to access the Internet where there are no "terrestrial" Internet providers. All you need for this: a place to install the antenna, a direct line of sight to the satellite and the presence of power.
The simplicity and versatility of the modem. Once installed and configured, the equipment does not require any maintenance from the user to maintain its performance. At the exit of any satellite modem the user receives a standard computer network (Ethernet) port to which a PC, WiFi router, server, M2M controller, video surveillance recorder or any other network device can be connected;
high speed internet. Satellite communication channel can provide speed up to 40 Mbps at the reception and 12 Mbps to the transmission from the subscriber! Unlike 3-channel connectivity technologiesGor4G, the speed in which can float depending on the network load, the satellite communication channel is stable and is guaranteed to provide the speed according to your tariff plan(TP) 1 .

Concept of VSAT

VSAT(Very Small Aperture Terminal) literally translates as "a terminal with a very small aperture" (antennas).

These are satellite ground stations, specifications which comply with the requirements of Recommendations MCE-R S.725-S.729.

Among the main requirements:

VSAT stations belong to the Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and must comply with the requirements of the Radio Regulations;
the frequency bands allocated to the FSS are used for operation (14 and 6 GHz on the uplink and 11-12 and 4 GHz on the downlink);
antenna diameter is in the range of 0.9-3.5 m;
information transfer rate from the station - from 1.2 to 2.048 Mbit / s;
stations are installed directly at the user, and their density in a limited area can be very high;
stations can work autonomously, control and management of stations in the network are carried out centrally;
stations can be used for data transmission and telephony in digital form and in the mode of operation only for reception (simplex) or for reception / transmission (duplex);
the stations use a low-power radio transmitter (from a few units to tens of watts) with a mandatory limitation of the radiated power for the safety of users.

VSAT networks are built on the basis of geostationary repeater satellites. This makes it possible to simplify the design of user terminals as much as possible and to equip them with simple fixed antennas without a satellite tracking system. To ensure operation through small subscriber stations of the VSAT type, satellite transmitters must have an output power of about 40 watts.

Since VSAT stations belong to the Fixed Satellite Service, it is possible to build satellite networks on their basis to provide the services provided by this service, i.e. data transmission, voice transmission, image transmission, videoconferencing, Internet access; multimedia.

VSAT - small satellite earth station

VSAT(English) Very Small Aperture Terminal) - a small satellite earth station, a terminal with a small antenna, has been used in satellite communications since the early 90s.

According to the international classification, VSAT includes satellite stations with antennas less than 2.5 meters. As a rule, a simplified procedure for obtaining frequency authorizations is applied for VSAT.

Story

The emergence of VSAT is associated with an experimental satellite telephone network in Alaska, created in the late 60s in the course of experiments with the ATS-1 satellite. The network consisted of 25 earth stations installed in small settlements. The experiment was successful and was extended. It is worth noting that at that time the smallest satellite station had an antenna with a diameter of 9 m and cost about 500 thousand dollars.

Further development and reduction in the cost of VSAT systems led to the creation by Equatorial of economically efficient systems satellite communications based on VSAT, which gave impetus to the emergence of new companies offering VSAT equipment. The market began to develop rapidly, and competition in it increased sharply. Finally, the whales of the telecommunications business also paid attention to the market, which, without further ado, began to buy companies that are successfully developing in the market. American telecommunications giant AT&T acquired Tridom. Ku-band VSAT pioneer Linkabit teamed up with M/A-COM to become the leading supplier of VSAT equipment. Hughes Communications subsequently acquired a stake in M/A-COM.

This is how Hughes Network Systems was born. Scientific-Atlanta, a manufacturer of large satellite communication stations, entered the VSAT equipment business by acquiring Adcom. Initially, GTE Spacenet provided VSAT services using equipment from other vendors. Equatorial merged with Contel in 1987, which simultaneously acquired Comsat's VSAT division. And in 1991, GTE Sapacenet acquired Contel. In 1987, the founders of the company created a new company - Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. for the production of VSAT. Thus, the main pool of players in the VSAT production market was formed, which remains to this day.

Compound

VSAT consists of two main parts, ODU (OutDoorUnit) - an external unit, that is, an antenna and a receiver, usually 1-2 W and IDU (InDoorUnit) - an indoor unit or satellite modem.

An outdoor unit (ODU) is an outdoor unit installed at the focus of an antenna that transmits to and receives from the hub via satellite modulated radio signals. The ODU consists of a Solid State Amplifier (SSPA, BUC), a Low Noise Unit Down Converter (LNB) and a Polarization Selector (OMT). BUC and LNB connected to individual ports OMT. This configuration allows the reception of a signal with a certain type of polarization and the transmission of a signal with a different type of polarization, usually orthogonal. The interconnect cable has F-type connectors. Factory VSAT antennas are equipped with feed and OMT.

An indoor unit (IDU) is a small tabletop unit that converts information passing between analogue communications on the satellite and local devices such as telephones, computer networks, PC, TV, etc. In addition to the main conversion programs, IDUs may also contain additional functions, such as security, network acceleration, and other properties.

RSCC VSAT

VSAT FAQ

VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal)- small satellite earth station, that is, a terminal with a small antenna. It has been used in satellite communications since the early 90s.

Employees of NEIS-Telecom Siberia install a 1.8 m VSAT antenna

Setting up the VSAT GILAT 1.2m antenna in the Biysk traffic police

Typical installation VSAT 1.2 m

Mobile point of the Security Council of the Russian Federation antenna VSAT 1.2 m

Story

The emergence of VSAT is associated with an experimental satellite telephone network in Alaska, created in the late 60s in the course of experiments with the ATS-1 satellite. The network consisted of 25 earth stations installed in small settlements. The experiment was successful and was continued. It is worth noting that at that time the “smallest” satellite station had an antenna with a diameter of 9 m and cost about 500 thousand dollars.

Further development and cheaper VSAT systems led to the creation by Equatorio of cost-effective satellite communication systems based on VSAT, which gave impetus to the emergence of new companies offering VSAT equipment. The rapid development of the market began, and competition in it sharply increased. Finally, the whales of the telecommunications business also paid attention to the market, which, without further ado, began to buy companies that were successfully developing in the market. American telecommunications giant AT&T acquired Tridom. Ku-band VSAT pioneer Linkabit merged with M/A-COM to become the leading supplier of VSAT equipment. Hughes Communications subsequently acquired the division from M/A-COM.

Compound

VSAT consists of two main parts, ODU (OutDoorUnit) - an external unit, that is, an antenna and a transceiver, usually 1-2 W and IDU (InDoorUnit) - an indoor unit or satellite modem.

An outdoor unit (ODU) is an outdoor unit installed at the focus of an antenna that transmits to and receives from the hub via satellite modulated radio signals. The ODU consists of a solid state amplifier (SSPB, BUC), a low noise block (LNB) downconverter and a polarization selector (OMT). BUC and LNB are connected to separate OMT ports. This configuration allows the reception of a signal with a certain type of polarization and the transmission of a signal with a different type of polarization, usually orthogonal. The interconnect cable has F-type connectors. Factory VSAT antennas are equipped with feed and OMT.

An indoor unit (IDU) is a small table top unit that converts information passing between analog communications on the satellite and local devices such as telephones, computer networks, PCs, TVs, etc. In addition to the basic conversion programs, IDUs may also contain additional features such as security, network acceleration, and other features.

Work principles

A VSAT-based satellite communication network includes three main elements: a central earth station (if necessary), a relay satellite, and subscriber VSAT terminals.

The central earth station in the satellite communication network performs the functions of the central node and provides control over the operation of the entire network, redistribution of its resources, troubleshooting, billing of network services and interfacing with terrestrial communication lines. Typically, the DSC is installed in the network node, which accounts for the most traffic. This can be, for example, the main office or computer center of a company in corporate networks, or a large city in a regional network.

VSAT subscriber station A VSAT subscriber terminal usually includes an antenna-feeder device, an outdoor external RF unit and an indoor unit (modem). Outdoor unit is a small transceiver or receiver. Indoor unit provides pairing satellite channel with user terminal equipment (computer, LAN server, telephone, PBX fax, etc.).

VSAT network repeater satellites are built on the basis of geostationary repeater satellites. This makes it possible to simplify the design of user terminals as much as possible and to equip them with simple fixed antennas without a satellite tracking system. The satellite receives the signal from the earth station, amplifies it, and sends it back to Earth. The most important characteristics of the satellite are the power of the onboard transmitters and the number of radio frequency channels (trunks or transponders) on it. Transmitters with an output power of about 40 W are required to ensure operation through small-sized subscriber stations of the VSAT type. Modern VSATs usually operate in the 11/14 GHz Ku band (one frequency value for reception, another for transmission), there are also systems using the 4/6 GHz C band, and the 18/30 GHz Ka band is also being mastered.

The transceiver equipment and the antenna-feeder device are usually built on the basis of standard equipment available on the market. The cost is determined by the size of the antenna and the power of the transmitter, which significantly depend on the technical characteristics of the relay satellite used. To ensure communication reliability, equipment usually has 100% redundancy.

Channel-forming equipment provides the formation of satellite radio channels and their docking with terrestrial communication lines. Each of the suppliers of satellite communication systems uses its own original solutions for this part of the DSC, which often excludes the possibility of using equipment and subscriber stations of other companies to build a network. Typically, this subsystem is built on a modular basis, which makes it easy to add new blocks to increase its throughput as traffic grows and the number of subscriber stations in the network grows.

A modern VSAT provides information to the VSAT owner at a speed of up to 4 Mbps (in multicast mode up to 30 Mbps) and information transmission up to 1..2 Mbps.

Modern VSATs have one or more Ethernet ports and built-in router functionality. Some models, through expansion, can be equipped with 1-4 telephone ports.

Situation today

According to 2007 data, there are more than a million VSATs in the world, of which there are more than 500,000 in the USA alone. In Russia, at the end of 2006, there were about 5,000 VSATs, but the pace of VSAT deployment is very high and as of November 2007, 17,675 stations were installed.

Significant growth in the number of VSATs in 2007 was due to the implementation of federal targeted programs - Universal Communication Service (public Internet access points) and Education (Internet in Russian schools).

Consumers Russian market VSAT can be divided into four segments:

State institutions
Large corporations with an extensive network of branches and representative offices.
Medium and small regional business.
Private users (satellite Internet).

Active users of VSAT are marine vessels, where stabilized antennas are used, which allow tracking the satellite, despite the change in the ship's heading. Currently, almost all passenger cruise ships have a marine VSAT installation on board. Typically, the main concern for marine users is right choice VSAT operator with unlimited coverage around the world. As well as automatic transition from one satellite to another while sailing.

An employee of NEIS-Telecom Siberia adjusts the antenna of a mobile VSAT

Major VSAT manufacturers in the world:

Advanetch Wireless (Canada);

Codan (Australia);

Hughes Network System (USA) - HughesNet (DirecWay), HX;

Gilat (Israel) - SkyEdge;

ViaSat (USA);

iDirect(USA);

NDSatCom (Germany);

Istar (Russia).

typical cost VSAT corporate class for the end client about 2500..3000 US dollars. For mass access to satellite Internet services, VSAT kits are offered, usually with limited network functionality, at a price of 14-30 thousand rubles.

Deployment of VSAT and inclusion in the network takes from 1-2 hours for simple typical installations to 4-6 or more for “problem” ones (with a search for visibility to the satellite, installation of non-standard supports, etc.). If special preparation of the place for the antenna support is required (ground drilling, concreting, welding, etc.), then the installation time may increase significantly.

The main use of VSAT is the organization of broadband Internet access, telephone communication, data transmission for corporate networks, video conferencing, distance learning, reservation of terrestrial communication channels.

It is used mainly outside large cities, where there are no reliable and high-speed terrestrial communication channels.

VSAT(Very Small Aperture Terminal) literally translates as "a terminal with a very small aperture" (antennas).

These are satellite earth stations, the technical characteristics of which comply with the requirements of Recommendations MCE-R S.725-S.729.

Among the main requirements:

VSAT stations belong to the Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) and must comply with the requirements of the Radio Regulations;
the frequency bands allocated to the FSS are used for operation (14 and 6 GHz on the uplink and 11-12 and 4 GHz on the downlink);
antenna diameter is in the range of 0.9-3.5 m;
information transfer rate from the station - from 1.2 to 2.048 Mbit / s;
stations are installed directly at the user, and their density in a limited area can be very high;
stations can work autonomously, control and management of stations in the network are carried out centrally;
stations can be used for data transmission and telephony in digital form and in the mode of operation only for reception (simplex) or for reception / transmission (duplex);
the stations use a low-power radio transmitter (from a few units to tens of watts) with a mandatory limitation of the radiated power for the safety of users.

Worldwide, the number of installed VSAT stations is measured in hundreds of thousands, and the number of subscribers served by them is measured in hundreds of millions.

It should also be noted that, along with such advantages of this technology as the relative cheapness and speed of installation, the use of the VSAT station requires permission from the relevant authorities. Recently, however, a simplified registration procedure for VSAT subscriber terminals has been introduced in Russia.

Types of VSAT terminals

There are several types of VSAT earth stations. They can be roughly divided into three generations. The advent of each new generation of VSAT became possible with the development of new technologies, the creation of powerful communication satellites and the development of new frequency bands.

The first generation VSATs operated in the C-band and were used only in networks of the TV and radio broadcasting type, i.e. user terminals could only receive data streams, and the transmission mode was not provided for in them. Networks of this type are still widely used for the distribution of financial and business information, stock reports, the transmission of newspaper pages, in asymmetric Internet access systems.

The second generation of VSAT ground stations is characterized by the fact that they can support two-way (duplex) communication. These terminals are used by banking and financial organizations in data exchange networks, in retail and wholesale trade networks, industrial enterprises to communicate with branches and suppliers, as well as to organize high-speed two-way Internet access and telecom operators for dedicated backbone channels between remote nodes with a large volume data exchange. Most of them operate in the Ku-band, although in some countries the networks still use the C-band.

Third-generation terminals with antennas 1.2 m or less in diameter have become very common. They are used in large networks, characterized by a low level of intermittent traffic between them. Such terminals are simple in design, have a low price and operate exclusively in the Ku-band.

Recently, the fourth generation of VSAT for multimedia applications, USAT (Ultra Small Aperture Terminal), has appeared on the market. They operate in the Ku- and Ka-bands and provide speeds up to several megabits per second. At the same time, the size of their antennas (in the Ka-band) does not exceed 76 cm, and the price is in the range of $ 500-1000. An example of such equipment is.

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