Eager Customers Are Out There
As the demand for voice services such as VoIP and IP-data networking increases, service providers and vendors alike can point to numerous success stories in the form of existing large-scale regional VSAT networks that have been deployed in many parts of the world. Houston-based Caprock Communications, for example, purchased two Infiniti hubs from iDirect, one in the United States and one in Europe. "These hubs, combined with an existing one in Asia, will allow Caprock to provide multiple two-way, pure IP networks over an enormous global coverage area, supporting a variety of requirements for frequencies, topologies or bandwidth," says Douglas.
An iDirect hub has been installed by Speedcast in Hong Kong to support multiple virtual network operators (VNO). "Each VNO rents network capacity from Speedcast," says Douglas. "This capacity is physically isolated from the resources rented by other service providers and can be managed in any manner the service provider sees fit, including using private IP addresses. The VNO model allows new operators to develop niche opportunities worldwide and provides them with state of the art network management tools, security and functionality to deliver the applications customers need without a significant up-front investment."
Douglas sees the proliferation of true broadband IP over satellite networks as empowering customers. "They have the ability to utilize satellite access at each end of a network or integrate it into a network that utilizes satellite access points, as well as landline termination depending on the availability and economics," Douglas says. "Additionally, we are seeing terrestrial wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and WiMax open new markets to broadband satellite networks." Douglas also looks forward to the positive impact of advanced forward error correction technologies that will improve the efficiency of two-way data satellite networks, he says.
Mainstream Data has received inquiries about its two-way data technology from a large provider of content distribution and point-of-sale connectivity that provides interactive distance learning to several thousand retail locations, as well as from an emerging regional digital signage provider, says Calder. "We can deliver a combination of broadcast DVB- S content distribution together with VSAT interactivity for those sites requiring two-way service," he says. "This is a virtual private IP network solution for clients who need content distribution and Internet connectivity that integrates seamlessly into a hybrid satellite/terrestrial network. We try to make it as simple as possible to get started, but often find that we must educate the customer on the nuances of satellite bandwidth versus terrestrial networks."
Gilat has installed a 600-site network for Posta Kenya linking postal offices across the country to provide a communications solution for more than 42 million people. Services include telephony, fax, Internet and money transfers. China Telecommunications Corp. selected Gilat to provide a large-scale, satellite-based rural telephony network for the Tibet region of China. The system is used mainly for providing public call offices with more than 4,000 lines, with services such as telephony, fax and data, says Meyran.
A pair of recent customers for International Datacasting, a syndicated television program distributor and a manufacturer of a digital cinema application, were both seeking large networks using satellite distribution and terrestrial return paths, Clifton said. "We currently offer a variety of terrestrial return path options that take advantage of the asymmetric nature of IP-multicasting applications and the growing availability of low-cost terrestrial connectivity," he adds.
Polarsat installed a full-mesh VSAT network for Civil Aviation in China. The system supports a variety of services and data rates using the Polarsat VSATPlus 2 product, which provides services based on a combination of circuit-switched voice and data with packet-switched data in particular. A national telco in North Africa also has deployed a network using Polarsat's Flexidama/SkyIP to serve multiple oil companies. "Under centralized management and control, each oil company has its own dedicated traffic hub and associated remote terminals. The telco can assure and maintain VLAN support to these competing companies, while maintaining a single satellite network," says McPhaden.
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