Developments in VSAT systems

The term VSAT stands for very small aperture terminal; a small microwave earth station providing communication via satellite. It is the network services provided through such terminals which are of importance, rather than the terminal themselves. VSAT services developed rapidly in the 1980s in the USA, and have since been taken up throughout the world, although usage in Western Europe has been more limited, partly due to the already well established terrestrial infrastructure and partly due to regulatory constraints. VSAT systems are underpinned by satellite links, using microwave technology, modulation and coding, multiple access schemes, and appropriate link budgets to achieve a certain performance level. The real challenge however lies in integrating this into a complete service marketed to the user, and this calls for a good deal of careful network management. A VSAT network is operated by a service provider, who leases satellite transponder capacity and offers a range of tariffs to the end customer. All current VSAT systems employ geostationary satellites