SES, O3b Networks collaborate to provide Internet capacity for Digicel

Satellite Services, a leader in providing satellite solutions, and O3b Networks are working together to provide high-quality internet bandwidth for Digicel across Papua New Guinea. The company contracted capacity on SES’ NSS-9 satellite and O3b’s Medium Earth Orbit fleet.

The multi-year agreement will allow Digicel, a fast growing mobile phone network provider, to utilize the O3bTrunk service and the C-band capacity of SES’ NSS-9 satellite at 183 degrees East. This will continue to provide high-quality voice and fast mobile data services to Digicel’s customers all over Papua New Guinea.

SES Chief Commercial Officer Ferdinand Kayser released a statement elaborating on the aspects of the company’s new deal with Digicel:

"As a long-term partner of Digicel, we understand their business needs and are pleased to meet them again by collaborating with O3b Networks. The contract with Digicel is a fine example of how geostationary and Medium Earth Orbit satellites complement each other to offer a unique connectivity solution. The comprehensive coverage of the NSS-9 satellite, coupled with the high throughput and low latency offered by the O3b constellation, will enable Digicel to provide reliable and cost-efficient cellular network services to their customers in Papua New Guinea."

Echoing the remarks of Mr. Kayser, O3b Networks CEO Steve Collar said: "Digicel is an innovator in mobile services in the Pacific region. O3b is pleased to support their ongoing innovation with a cost-effective solution to extend coverage with O3b's high capacity, low latency satellite transport.”

“We at Digicel are continually looking to ensure the best possible customer experience by innovating and delivering the best technology to our customers across the Pacific region,” Digicel CEO John Mangos said in a statement. “We look forward to working with SES and O3b Networks to expand our network capacity to service our growing customer base in Papua New Guinea.”

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SpaceX CRS-1 Payload, Internet From Satellite

SpaceX CRS-1 is the third flight for the uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, an American private space transportation company based in Hawthorne, California; a partially reusable spacecraft by Space X (also known as the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation).

It is the fourth overall flight for the company’s two-stage Falcon 9 launch vehicle, a rocket-powered spaceflight launch system. Aside from that, it is also the first Space X operational mission under their Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, or the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration” (“NASA”), the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation’s civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research, for the delivery of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) by commercial firms. The launch occurred on 7 October 2012 at 20:34 EDT (8 October 2012 at 00:34 UTC).

In May 2012, it was reported that the CRS-1 Falcon 9 had already been transported to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (“CCAFS”), an installation of the United States Air Force Space command’s 45th Space Wing, headquartered at the nearby Patrick Air Force Base. The CRS-1 Dragon later arrived on August 14, 2012. On August 31, 2012, a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDH) was completed for the CRS-1 Falcon 9 to test out the systems of the rocket prior to spacecraft integration and launch, and on September 29, a static fire test was completed; both of these tests were completed without the Dragon capsule attached to the launch vehicle stack. The mission passed its Launch Readiness Review on October 5, 2012.   

When launched the CRS-1 Dragon will be filled with about 1,995 lb (905 kg) of cargo, 882 lb (400 kg) without packaging. Included is 260 lb (120 kg) of crew supplies, 390 lb (180 kg) of critical materials to support the 166 experiments onboard the station and 66 new experiments, as well as 232 lb (105 kg) of hardware for the station as well as other miscellaneous items.

The Dragon will return 1,995 lb (905 kg) of cargo, 1,673 lb (759 kg) without packaging. Included is 163 lb (74 kg) of crew supplies, 866 lb (393 kg) of scientific experiments and experiment hardware, 618 lb (235 kg) of space station hardware, 69 lb (31 kg) of spacesuit equipment, a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes, and 55 lb (25 kg) of miscellaneous items.

A 150 kg (330 lb) prototype second-generation Orbcomm satellite (“OG2”), intended to supplement and eventually replace the current first generation constellation, is planned to be launched as a secondary payload from Falcon 9’s second stage.  

See: Internet From Satellite for customers on remote locations 

Two-way satellite-only communication: Portable satellite Internet modem

Two-way satellite Internet service involves both sending and receiving data from a remote very-small-aperture terminal (VSAT), a two-way satellite ground station or a stabilized maritime VSAT antenna with a dish antenna that is smaller than three meters; via satellite to a hub telecommunications port (teleport), a satellite ground station with multiple parabolic antennas (i.e., an antenna farm) that functions as a hub connecting a satellite or geocentric orbital network with a terrestrial telecommunications network. It will then relay data via the terrestrial Internet.

The satellite dish at each location must be precisely pointed to avoid interference with other satellites. The two way satellite market can be divided into those systems that support professional applications, such as banking, retail, etc., and those built to provide home or small business users with access. The key difference between these systems can be seen in their ability to support advanced quality of service controls. While systems for professional such as those from VT iDirect (“iDirect”), a Herndon, Virginia based company that develops satellite-based IP communications technology, will allow the operator to define and meet strict service level agreements (”SLA”), a part of a service contract where the level of service is formally defined--those used for consumer access provide a ‘best effort’ service level.  

Some providers oblige the customer to pay for a member of the provider’s staff to install the system and correctly align the dish--although the European ASTRA2Connect system (now “SES Broadband”), a two-way satellite broadband Internet service available across Europe, which launched in March 2007, and uses the Astra series of geostationary satellites, encourages user-installation and provides detailed instructions for this. Many customers in the Middle East and Africa are also encouraged to self installs. At each VSAT site, the uplink frequency bit rate and power must be accurately set, under control of the service provider hub, example connection Magellano Internet Satellitare KaSat.

These are the several types of two-way satellite Internet access, including: time division multiple access (TDMA), a channel access method for shared medium networks; and single channel per carrier (SCPC), referring to using a single signal at a given frequency and bandwidth.

Two-way systems can be simple VSAT terminals with a 60-100 cm dish and output power of only a few watts intended for consumers and small business or larger systems which provide more bandwidth. Such systems are frequently marketed as “satellite broadband” and can cost two to three times as much per month as land-based systems such as ADSL (“Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line”), a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voice band modem can provide.  

The satellite modems, or modems used to establish data transfers using a communications satellite as a relay, required for this service are often proprietary, but some are compatible with several different providers. They are also expensive, consisting in the range of US $ 600 to US $ 2000.

The portable satellite Internet modem usually comes in the shape of a self-contained flat rectangular box that needs to be pointed in the general direction of the satellite--unlike VSAT the alignment need not be very precise and the modems have built in signal strength to help the user align the device properly.

The modems have commonly used connectors such as Ethernet, a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks (LANs), or Universal Serial Bus (USB), an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices. Some also has an integrated Bluetooth transceiver, a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (using short-wavelength radio transmissions in the ISM band from 2400-2480 MHz) from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks (PANs) with high levels of security, and double as a satellite phone. The modems also tend to have their own batteries so they can be connected to a laptop computer (a personal computer for mobile use) without draining its battery.

The most common in such system is INMARSAT plc’s (a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global, mobile services) BGAN (“Broadband Global Area Network”), a global Satellite Internet Network with telephony using portable terminals--these terminals are about the size of a briefcase, a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle, and have near-symmetric connection speeds of around 350-500 kbit/s. Smaller modems exist like those offered by Thuraya (from the Arabic name Thurayya meaning Star), an international mobile satellite services provider that delivers communications solutions in more than 140 countries across Europe, the Middle East, north central and East Africa, Asia and Australia, but only connect at 444 kbit/s in a limited coverage areas.

Using such a modem is extremely expensive--bandwidth costs between $5 and $7 per megabyte (abbreviated as “Mbyte” or “MB”--a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with three different values depending on context: 1 048 576 bytes (220) generally for computer memory; and one million bytes (106, see prefix mega-) generally for computer storage). The modern themselves are also expensive, usually costing between $1,000 and $5,000.

See: Two-way satellite-only communication: Bandwidth

Enterprise, government defence orgs need NewSat

Milsatmagazine, the world’s leading military satellite news publication, published an article on Ka-band (covering the frequencies of 26.6 to 40 GHz) for enterprise and government customers.

With a rapidly growing global market for satellite communications (“comsat”), an artificial satellite sent to space for the purpose of telecommunications, and an ever increasing demand for network/data/digital bandwidth, which in computer networking and computer science are terms used to refer to various bit-rate measures, representing the available or consumed data communication resources in bits per second or multiples of it (bit/s, kbit/s, Mbit/s, Gbit/s, etc.), Ka-band is being hailed as the next step for satellite communications. Enterprise, government defence and military organizations have expressed the need to upgrade the capability and capacity of their satellite communications, as a Ka-band satellite can support significantly greater volumes of traffic than its C- or Ku-band counterparts.

The article explains how the benefits of small, affordable user terminals, cost-effective network deployments, increased mobility, higher capacity, bandwidths and speeds have been driving demands. New ka-band satellites such as NewSat’s Jabiru-1 employ novel designs to provide the advantages of multi-spot beams, yet with the advantages of ku-band-like coverage.      

NewSat is to date the largest independent satellite communications in Australia. NewSat-owned Jabiru is Australia’s first independently owned satellite operator to manage a fleet of commercial Ku- and Ka-band satellites.

See: NewSat's Internet from Satellite Services

Hughes to deliver three HughesNet Gen 4 Business Internet service plans

Hughes communications subsidiary for satellite broadband, Hughes Network Systems, is gearing up for the introduction of 3 satellite broadband plans tailored for businesses. The internet from satellite solution will deliver up to 15mbps speeds coupled with higher data allowances under three service plans: the Business 200 plan, the Business 300 plan, and the Business 400 plan. The price range for the services sit between $80 to $130.

According to Hughes Network Systems, the business internet service plans include business grade support, commercial installation, free anti-virus software for up to three computers, and of course, the HughesNet Express Repair Premium which comes free for the first year.

The Maryland-based company said that satellite technology will help enterprises with business operations in remote regions where access to broadband is limited via the terrestrial networks. With satellite broadband, small and medium-sized business will no longer have to rely on DSL connections or expensive options like T1 lines.

Blue Sky Satellite Communications to launch prepaid Internet from satellite

South-African satellite communications provider Blue Sky announced plans to launch an Internet from satellite service on a prepaid basis early next year. According to the company, the new service will primarily serve mining companies across the country.

According to Blue Sky CEO Pedro Camacho, offering a prepaid-based satellite internet service will be a first in the market, and aims to provide coverage to budget conscious mining companies. Prepaid satellite bandwidth will allow organizations in the resource industry to monitor their spendings.

One-fourth of Blue Sky’s revenue comes from the mining industry, as well as several oil and gas projects relying on satellite technology to deliver crucial communications to work sites. Satellite internet technology allows even the most remote mining sites to have email services, voice communications, and other messaging applications that improves operational efficiency.

Unfortunately, smaller mining companies are unable to benefit from the technology because of the cost. Blue Sky’s offering is looking to change all that. The prepaid internet from satellite allows monthly service fees to be more affordable. Mr. Camacho also said that the company offers on-site personnel to help maintain the communications equipment.

 

Options for internet access in remote communities still limited

Rural folks face a lot of problems connecting to the Internet despite the rise in technology. Many still rely on slow and unreliable DSL connection to access the world wide web. Despite plans from a few providers to extend services, many rural communities are still beyond the reach of wired-service, or in recent developments and trends, fibre networks.

 

Usually, residents in the said areas turn to satellite internet. Back then, the technology was considered a last resort due to the high-costs of getting satellite hardware and having a satellite dish installed. Usage limits were also pretty strict in the technology, and latency issues plagued the service, worsened only by radio or rain fade interference.

 

Satellite Communications trailer

The past years, however, have seen a rise in satellite internet service. Hughes Network has already penetrated the market while just recently, Dish Network announced its own broadband via satellite service aimed at rural communities. Companies like ViaSat are also looking to tap into the increased demand for the wireless technology, transitioning from a revenue mostly based on Government-satellite service, to high-speed internet solutions.

 

Recently, the rise of the ka band spectrum as a commercial opportunity has also contributed to more operated offering internet from satellite service. Ka band is said to be the logical successor to C-band and Ku band, both of which are already inevitably on the way to saturation. The latest spectrum will deliver more powerful capacity with the launch of equally powerful birds in the coming years.

 

However, it is important to note the fine print in many of today’s satellite internet services offered to rural clients. For example, Dish Network’s DishNet service requires you to bundle the broadband package with its TV packaged unless you want to shell out an additional $10. Plus, if you’re a new customer, hardware installation fees can also add up to another $10. Other conditions also limit the use of the allocated data cap to specific time periods only.

 

Other options for rural folks include broadband from cellular-data service but the technology too, fails to reach the remote countryside. The Federal Communications Commission is looking on a National Broadband Plan to deliver Internet access to the nearly 20 million American cut off from high-speed broadband connections.

 

Some plans include reclaiming no unused or underused TV channels to create more spectrum room for wireless data connection. But until any of these plans materialize, rural folks may just have to rely on satellite broadband and hope for improvements in the service, and the fine-print.

 

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