Hispasat expands broadband satellite network with new Gilat SkyEdge II system

Spain-based satellite operator Hispasat has secured an additional SkyEdge II system from Gilat Satellite Networks in a recent deal. Hispasat will use its newest VSAT system for the third phase of its expansion plans for its Spanish broadband satellite network.

Hispasat started expanding its broadband satellite network in 2011 in concert with the “Avanza 100%” national broadband access program of the Spanish government. Avanza 100% seeks to ensure that underserved areas across Spain receive satellite broadband connectivity.

The SkyEdge II VSAT system will max out the space segment efficiency of Hispasat's satellite network by enabling 32APSK Adaptive Coding and Modulation transmissions. This enables speeds of up to 100 Mbps on every one of the network's 36 MHz transponders in conjunction with the Hispasat-1E broadband satellite.

Inmarsat picks NSSLGlobal as new reseller for GX satellite broadband

Inmarsat has appointed NSSLGlobal Ltd. to be its newest Value Added Reseller (VAR) for the Global Xpress (GX) product. NSSLGlobal will deliver the planned Inmarsat satellite broadband product to the maritime market.

GX uses Ka-band technology to deliver speeds up to 50 Mbps across the entire world. It is expected to be the first superfast satellite broadband service available to the shipping industry.

In comparison with current VSAT counterparts, GX terminals are more affordable and compact. Maritime operators that normally could not afford or accommodate the bigger satcom system can thus fit the GX system into their budget and aboard their vessels. At the same time, they will also enjoy consistent delivery of superior connectivity.

The Inmarsat FleetBroadband product will complement the resilience of the upcoming Global Xpress satellite broadband product in harsh environments. Both products enjoy the global coverage and reliability that Inmarsat is known for.

Founded in 1969, NSSLGlobal Ltd is an independent service provider for satellite communications solutions. Its thousands of maritime customers range from deep-sea merchant fleets to the super yacht market.

Newtec VSAT systems expand SES satellite broadband services

Satellite broadband equipment from Newtec is helping to expand the high-speed, high-capacity broadband services offered by SES Broadband Services.

The Newtec-SES collaboration develops the ASTRA Ka-band services offered by SES Broadband. Using Newtec VSAT systems, ISPs can access the SES Broadband satellite network and tap the services from the new Ka-band hubs at SES' headquarters in Castle Betzdorf, Germany.

Newtec will deliver the initial orders of its MDM2200 Ka-band consumer terminals to the ISPs that distribute SES Broadband services across Europe. The ISPs will pay special attention to regions that lack sufficient terrestrial broadband connectivity and offer voice, data and television services to consumers in those remote regions.

The Newtec MDM2200 satellite broadband platform can access both Ku-band and Ka-band frequencies. It is capable of hitting download speeds of up to 22 Mbps and can facilitate a broad selection of applications.

The collaboration between Newtec and SES Broadband Services started in 2007. Newtec has delivered and installed more than 120,000 of its Ku-band VSAT terminals since then, and its Ku-band terminals can easily be upgraded to Ka-band.

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Orange Business Services offers MEA customers its satellite broadband services

Orange Business Services is looking for additional revenues in the MEA (Middle East and Africa) region by offering its Satellite VPN satellite broadband services to the shipping, oil, and gas sectors in the region's remote areas.

The business-to-business (B2B) division of France Telecom-Orange, Orange Business Services offers satellite broadband and other satellite services to customers from a slew of vertical sectors such as finance, government, mining, oil & gas, and shipping. The Company has already set up more than 1,200 satellite-based solutions in the MEA region alone.

Company have come to rely on high-speed communications to complete their international business deals. But there are remote parts of the world where conventional terrestrial infrastructure cannot be accessed. In those cases and locations, enterprises can use VSAT (very small aperture terminal) systems to access satellite broadband connectivity and services.

Gilat connects Peruvian schools with satellite broadband connectivity

Gilat Satellite Networks won a contract with the Peruvian Ministry of Education to link up thousands of schools across Peru using satellite broadband connectivity.

The Company will provide, install, maintain, and deliver technical support for SkyEdge II-c hub and 'Aries' VSAT equipment to 2,600 schools throughout Peru. The deal is worth $12.8 million and will span three years.

The SkyEdge II-c Aries VSAT platform is a cost-effective platform capable of providing high-speed Internet from satellite services and FUP Fair Use Policy.

Peru is seeking to balance out its educational disparities with measures such as the satellite broadband deal with Gilat. Sandro Marcone Flores, head of the Directorate General of Educational Technologies, explained that the South American country sought to bring computer technology to an increasing number of school children using satellite broadband and other methods. 

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• New X2nSat satellite broadband service leverages Newtec modems

Habitat for Humanity taps Hughes for satellite broadband during Queens, NY reconstruction

Hughes Network Systems is providing satellite broadband services to Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, NY as the latter rebuilds homes in Breezy Point in Queens, NY that had been devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

Habitat for Humanity is coordinating the reconstruction of the homes of Breezy Point residents from a nearby command center equipped with satellite communications technology. The command center can access broadband Internet by satellite and voice services through Hughes' new Internet Access Solutions.

The Hughes broadband Internet by satellite solution leverages the EchoStar 17 satellite. The next generation Ka-band satellite deploys JUPITER high-throughput technology that can deliver satellite internet speeds of up to 15 Mbps.

The Disaster Preparedness Registry of the Global VSAT Forum helped Habitat for Humanity to identify the satellite resources that will be needed by their command center. In addition, a Cisco on-site TacOps team provided customers with services such as a connection switch for their computers, access to wireless Wi-Fi, and a call manager for their phones.

RuSat debuts new VSAT satellite broadband solution in Russia

Russian satellite service provider RuSat reported the debut of a new satellite broadband service that leveraged the newest VSAT hub and end-user terminal technology from Newtec.

The new RuSat service will tap the Yamal-402 satellite deployed by Gazprom Space Systems back in December 2012 to deliver fast and affordable satellite broadband connectivity throughout the entirety of Russia, where VSAT services had previously been expensive and limited in coverage.

The Newtec VSAT terminals will initially use Ku-band. Upgrading their interactive LNB will allow them to use Ka band without the need to adapt hardware to the satellite modem or the antenna.

RuSat already has its first customer for its satellite broadband service. Internet service provider Raduga Internet will provide the consumer market with satellite Internet services using RuSat's solution. 

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HCIL will deploy satellite broadband network for 3000 bank branches in India

Hughes Communications India, Ltd (HCIL) won a five-year, $6 million contract from C-Edge. HCIL will be deploying a satellite broadband network and managed services that will link together more than 3,000 branches of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in India.

HCIL will connect various District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) and State Apex banks in India. The first phase of the new satellite broadband network will be implemented in the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

Hughes will also deploy 3,000 HN9200 VSAT terminals as part of the significant banking project. The Company will further provide shared Network Operations Center (NOC) services such as backhaul, hosting, end-to-end IPSec management, and satellite bandwidth.

A joint venture of the State Bank of India (SBI) and TATA Consultancy Services (TCS,) C-Edge intends to reengineer the business processes of more than 140 banks in India. It also seeks to transform the information technologies used by those same banks. C-Edge selected the unique solution employed by HCIL to optimize its customers' technology, security, cost, and operations.

HCIL offers a wide range of satellite broadband networking technologies, solutions, and services, including managed services. Its solutions can meet every communication challenge faced by Indian businesses and governments.

How does VSAT work?

Check out this video on what and how VSAT works. We all know how VSAT technology is crucial for internet by satellite to work. In this video, we get an introduction to the system, and which customers VSAT's are ideal for. 
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Gottlieb International compares Global Xpress, EpicNG in its first maritime satellite broadband webinar

Maritime VSAT buyers should sign up for the "The Battle for the Broadband Maritime Customer - Global Xpress vs. EpicNG, the KVH V11, O3b" webinar by Gottlieb International Group. Not only is it free, but it will also provide forecasts on the future of satellite broadband in the maritime industry.

Gottlieb's Market Research and Business Development services help VSAT service providers in structuring, pricing, and marketing their service offerings for upstream markets like the maritime sector.

Its very first webinar will compare Inmarsat's Global Xpress and Intelsat's EpicNG, two competing satellite  communications services which leverage the new Ka-band frequency. Gottlieb will also discuss how the new satellite broadband services offered by two of the sector's biggest VSAT companies will affect the future of the market.

The webinar will take place on September 13, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Asian viewers can watch a replay at 9:00 a.m. SGT (Singapore time) on Friday, September 14th.

Interested parties can download the registration page at Gottlieb's home page, filling it up, and either faxing or emailing it back to Gottlieb. The company will provide a link and password to its maritime satellite broadband webinar.

Internet by satellite broadband for rural communities

Many parts of the world have no access to the internet. Even in developed nations, there are still regions which aren't serviced my mobile communications. Majority of these locations cut off from the web are in the rural regions. In remote areas, terrestrial infrastructure cannot easily be built. The geography of far-flung regions poses a challenge: building telephone lines or digging to embed fibre optic cables is not ideal in mountainous region, or vast arid lands; any infrastructure work may also mean degradation of forest areas or resource-rich lands. 

A VSAT System used in Australia's desert communites

In such situations, the most recommended solution would be satellite broadband. Satellite communications, despite the rise of fibre as we can see in NBN projects across the globe, is becoming the most viable alternative to bring the Internet in rural regions. A technology called VSAT has made the deployment of such systems possible, with little interference to a location's geography. Thus, communities found in remote regions like the deserts in Australia, or even the mountain ranges in Nepal, can rely on VSAT systems because little space is required.

The lack of public infrastructure in rural regions mean satellite broadband is often their only option left. The downside to the technology though would be cost and latency issues. Satellite communications technology isn't cheap, since the service you're paying for makes up for the millions of dollars needed to launch a rocket into space. And since the satellites orbit thousands of kilometers above the earth, signal transmitted via VSAT systems to communications ports both on the ground and in space may face delays. 

Luckily, many operators are looking into improving their technology. This would include the rise of more powerful Ka band satellites. Ka band satellite can carry more payloads, and deliver powerful coverage in vast regions. Many satellite broadband systems are already relying on the new spectrum, and soon enough, more operators will be offering the service at a cheaper cost. 

Do you want to learn more about satellite broadband? Check this out see and read about the Two-Types of Satellite Broadband Systems.