Friday, September 28, 2007


Satellite Internet
services are used in locations where terrestrial Internet access is not available and in locations which move frequently. Internet access via satellite is available worldwide, including vessels at sea and mobile land vehicles. There are three types of satellite Internet service:
One-way multicast
One-way multicast satellite Internet systems are used for Internet Protocol (IP) multicast-based data, audio and video distribution. In the U.S., a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license is required only for the uplink station and no license is required for users. Note that most Internet protocols will not work correctly over one-way access, since they require a return channel. However, Internet content such as web pages can still be distributed over a one-way system by "pushing" them out to local storage at end user sites, though full interactivity is not possible. This is much like TV or radio content which offers little user interface.11
System hardware components
Similar to one-way terrestrial return, satellite Internet access may include interfaces to the public switched telephone network for squawk box applications. An Internet connection is not required, but many applications include an File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server to queue data for broadcast.
System software components
Most one-way multicast applications require custom programming at the remote sites. The software at the remote site must filter, store, present a selection interface to and display the data. The software at the transmitting station must provide access control, priority queueing, sending, and encapsulating of the data.
One-way with terrestrial return
One-way terrestrial return satellite Internet systems are used with traditional dial-up access to the Internet, with outbound data traveling through a telephone modem, but downloads sent via satellite at a speed near that of broadband Internet access. In the U.S., an FCC license is required for the uplink station only; no license is required for the users.
System hardware components
The transmitting station (also called "teleport", "head end", "uplink facility", or "hub") has two components:
Internet connection: The ISP's routers connect to proxy servers which can enforce quality of service (QoS) bandwidth limits and guarantees for user traffic. These are then connected to a DVB encapsulator which is then connected to a DVB-S modem. The radio frequency (RF) signal from the DVB-S modem is connected to an up converter which is connected via feed line to the outdoor unit.
Satellite uplink: The block upconverter (BUC) and optional low-noise block converter (LNB), which may use a waveguide to connect to the optional orthomode transducer (OMT) which is bolted to the feed horn which is connected by metal supports to the satellite dish and mount.