VSAT Technology and Applications

Prepared for the Israel Amateur Radio Club

By: 4X1DA Rich Harel
November 14, 2002

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 Agenda

Introduction to Gilat Satellite Networks

What is a VSAT ?
Typical VSAT Applications
Satellite Communication Fundamentals
VSAT Network Architectures
Access Schemes
Network Components
Network Management
VSATs Applications in Amateur Radio
Demonstration of Equipment
Summary

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Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.

3
 Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.

Founded in 1987
Over 950 employees worldwide
Core technology: End-to-end two-way satellite broadband platform
Sales, service and support offices worldwide
Traded on NASDAQ (GILTF) since 1993
Revenues in 2001: $389M
Headquartered in Petech Tikva, Israel
Three Regional Headquarters:
Spacenet (North America) Mclean, VA
Gilat Latin America Sunrise, FL
Gilat Asia, Pacific Rim and Africa Petach Tikva, Israel

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 What is a VSAT ?

VSAT = Very Small Aperture Terminal

Satellite-based Wide Area Network (WAN), with
centrally managed hub
Remote site: less than 1.2m dish antenna
Multi-service platform: Data, telephony and
multimedia communications
Optimal for continent-wide networks of
hundreds or thousands of units
Small networks integrated in shared hub
service
Large networks, in the tens of thousands, for
Internet access

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 VSAT Advantages

Full or partial independence from terrestrial infrastructure

Cost savings over terrestrial lines
Nationwide reach, distance-independent
Network management from a single point
Quick deployment, network flexibility
Consistent and rapid response time
Increased network availability
and reliability
Inherent broadcast / multicast platform

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 Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast

Each Unicast Packet is Numbered and Acknowledged

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 Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast

Multicasts Packets are Not Acknowledged

Different Data Steams can be sent simultaneously to many users
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 Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast

Broadcast Packets are sent to all users in the Network Simultaneously

Broadcasts are Not Acknowledged
VSAT Networks can use Reliable Broadcast Protocols and applications that are based on NACKs, not ACKs

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 VSAT Speeds
Compared to Dialup Modem

The name of the game is THROUGHPUT !

A 56K Modem will typically connect at speeds of only 43Kbps

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 VSAT Markets

Enterprise
Retail; Oil & Gas; Banking; Government
POS; Back Office; Browsing; Telemetry
Telephony
Public: Public Call Offices, small businesses,
farmers, private lines
Corporate: Telephony/Data infrastructure
Internet (IP)
High-speed, always-on, Internet-access for
consumers, small businesses and schools
Intranet and IP infrastructure for the enterprise
IP multicast-based services
BTV
Content delivery

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 Characteristics of GEO Satellites

35,680 Km above the Earth

~24 Hour Period
Average 14-17 Year Lifespan
Single Satellite theoretically can provide up to 42% Earth Coverage
Large, expensive, difficult to launch
Located approximately every 2o above the equator
Several Satellites may operate at the same azimuth on different
frequencies/polarization

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 The Clarke Belt

xx

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 GEO/LEO Comparison
Geosychronous (GEO) Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Example Eurosat Hot-Bird Series Iridium
Referred Fleet Constellation
to as:
Suitable TV/Radio Broadcasts; Handheld Global Telephony Networks;
For: VSAT/Data Communications Remote Sensing; Reconnaissance;
Networks; Telephony Networks; Weather
Data Multicast
Altitude 35,680 km 200-1400 km
Orbit Geosynchronous (Inclination 00) Polar (Inclination 900)
Period 24 Hours AOS-LOS Depends on Altitude
(Period Typically 90 Minutes)
Cost 200-300m $US Relatively Cheap
Stand- Yes (Bent-Pipe) No (Works in a Constellation)
Alone (*Single LEO Satellites must be
constantly tracked and suffer from
Doppler Effect)
Size 20-30 meter span As small as 13m
Bands C; X-C; KU; Ka Primarily VHF/UHF; L-Band
Delay Minimum 240ms Minimal
Bitrate DVB 2.5-52 Mbps Low Bit Rates
EIRP 30-54 dBW Depends on Satellite
Frequency No (Only on Orthogonal Yes (On Non-Adjacent Spot Beams)
Re-Use Polarization)
Launch Single Payload (>4000 kg Lift Multiple; Can be Piggybacked
Capability)
Life Span 14-17 Years 4-8 Years
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Geosynchronous Orbit Fleet

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 LEO Orbit Constellation
Globalstar
Loral initiative
Subsidiary of Airtouch (Cellular)
Aimed at global cellular phone coverage
Qualcomm based CDMA
48 satellite constellation (8 planes x 6 ea. + 4
spares)
52 now in orbit !
8 orbital planes of 6 satellites each
80% Earth coverage (+/- 68 degrees)
LEO orbit (1414 km)
Ground Operations Control Centers (GOCCs)
and Satellite Operations Control Centers
(SOCCs) control gateway and control functions

Qualcomm GSP1600 16
Obtaining Satellite Details
http://www.lyngsat.com

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Obtaining Satellite Details
http://www.lyngsat.com

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Satellite Details Amos 1
http://www.spacecom.co.il/

Middle East Beam

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Satellite Details Amos 1
http://www.spacecom.co.il/

European Beam

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 VSAT Network Architectures
One Way

One-Way Receive Only

High Bit-Rate DVB Compliant Outbound
Inbound Return Channel via Dial-Up Modem
Can be used with existing infrastructure
Example: Harmonics CyberStreamTM
Baseband
Equipment

Satellite

DVB Modulator

LAN

DVB Receiver
RFT
IP Encapsulator
VSAT TVRO
Antenna

TCP/IP ACKs NACKs Modem/ISDN

Router Return

Internet
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 VSAT Network Architectures
Two-Way Star Topology

All VSATs Communicate via a Single Hub

Network is Independent of Existing Infrastructure
VSAT Antenna Size dependent upon Power and Gain of Hub Antenna
Also Upon Inbound Bitrate, ODU Power and Satellite Footprint
Contention Based Access Usually TDMA or FTDMA
Typical Ping Times Approximately 650-700ms
VSAT

VSAT VSAT

Hub

VSAT VSAT

VSAT VSAT

VSAT
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VSAT Network Architectures
Two-Way Star Topology Double Hop

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 VSAT Network Architectures
Two-Way Mesh Topology

VSATs communicate directly with each other

Some systems require initial signaling via the Hub
Larger Antennas, Higher Power required at the VSAT
Smaller Antenna, Lower Power required at the Hub
Used extensively in Telephony Networks
Delay minimized on VSAT to VSAT Calls

VSAT VSAT

VSAT VSAT

VSAT VSAT

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 Network Components
Satellite

RFT

DVB Video
DVB
Receiver
Optional Outbound Two Way
Video/Audio Baseband
Broadcast
Programming

Skystar 360E
SkyBlaster 360E
VSAT

Intranet NMS

Router

Internet

PCs
Application Servers/
Firewall/ Acceleration Servers
Content Filtering Farm (Optional) 25
Typical Hub Configuration

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 Network Management

Entire Network Controlled, Configured and Monitored from a Single

Location called the NOC (Network Operations Center)

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Typical VSAT Indoor Unit
(Skystar 360E)

(Front) (Rear)
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 Typical VSAT Outdoor Unit/Antenna
Reflector

Feed-Assembly
LNB-F (Optional)
LNB-F (Optional)

LNB
LNB

SSPA (HPC)

(Front) (Rear)
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 VSAT Communication Bands

VSAT Networks use Geostationary Satellites (GEO)

All located directly above the equator, at an altitude of ~36,000 km and
spaced approximately every 2 degrees

Band Up-Link Down-Link Notes

(GHz) (GHz)

L .9-1.6 .9-1.6 Shared with terrestrial

S 1.610-1.625 2.483-2.5 Shared with ISM

Band

C 3.7-4.2 5.925-6.425 Shared with terrestrial

Ku 11.7-12.2 14-14.5 Attenuation due to

rain

Ka 17.7-21.7 27.5-30.5 High Equipment cost;

attenuation due to
rain

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 Space Segment

VSAT Networks lease space segment from the Fixed Satellite Service
(FSS) Provider
Price is mainly determined by Bandwidth and Power
Geosynchronous Satellites frequencies consist of an Uplink and
Dowlink, each covering a 500 MHz bandwidth
The many transponders operating within this range typically extend
from 36-72 MHz each
Each Transponder has a finite power level that is shared amongst the
users
Excessive Power levels can cause distortion to all users on the
transponder

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 Bit Rate/Symbol Rate

Bit Rate
Symbol Rate =
# of bits transmitted with each symbol

If more bits can be sent with each symbol, then the same amount of
data can be sent in a narrower spectrum
For example, for a bitstream of 80 kbps using BPSK (1 bit per
symbol), the symbol rate is the same. For QPSK (2 bits per symbols),
the symbol rate is the bit rate or, 40 kbps. For 8PSK (3 bits per
symbol) is would be 1/3 the bit rate, or 26.66 kbps

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 Modulation Types
Q

0 State"1"
180deg 1 State
0deg "0"
BPSK Binary Phase Shift Keying
I
Use alternative sine wave phase to
encode bits
0 1
Q Simple to implement
315deg 01
315o 00 State 45deg
45 11 00
o
State
Inefficient use of Bandwidth
Very Robust
I
One bit per symbol (2 States)
QPSK Quadrature (Quarternary) Phase
225deg
225o 00 11
State 135deg
135o 1010
State
Shift Keying
Q
Efficient use of Bandwidth
Requires more complex receiver for
I demodulation
Two bits per symbol (4 States)
MSK Minimal Shift Keying
Easy to Generate More Complex
Receiver
Special form of FSK
Spectrally efficient, better noise
performance at receiver
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 Forward Error Correction (FEC)
FEC provides the ability for transmitted data to be self-correcting
without the need for re-transmission (As in ARQ)
Thus, we can transmit with LESS POWER - The price is Overhead
and Bandwidth !
FEC means that for every bit sent, an additional bit of overhead is
sent; means for every 3 bits, one bit of overhead, and so on
BER

10E-1
Un coded
10E-2
Coded
10E-3

10E-4

10E-5
Coding
10E-6
Gain

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Eb/N0 35
 Forward Error Correction (FEC)
Two classes of Forward Error Correction codes
Convolutional Codes and Block Codes
Convolutional Coding (Viterbi Decoding)
Based on minimum hamming distance code words feed through a shift register
Reed Solomon Code (RS) is a form of Block Code that breaks the data stream up into fixed size blocks
and adds redundancy symbols
On the other side of the link, the data is decoded using linear algebraic algorithms . This type of code adds
considerable overhead
Concatenated Viterbi refers to an error correction technique which uses Viterbi in conjunction with
Reed Solomon coding. Adds approximately 2dB to the link budget
Turbo Codes with an even stronger coding gain will eventually replace Convolutional and RS coding

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 Bit Error Rate (BER) & Eb/N0

Bit error rate is Directly Proportional to the Eb/N0 Threshold

Typical BER in some VSAT Systems can be <1.00E -08 (Less than one
error in every 100,000,000 bits) for an Eb/No of only 4.8dB
Robust in the digital worlds describes a system that can be (near)
error-free in a noisy signal path

Place Picture of C/N Here Place MSK Signal Here

CW DPSK Modulation

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 Link Budget (Margin)

The process of correctly sizing uplink and downlink paths

for:
Satellite
Hub
Remotes
Takes into account:
Satellite performance
Path Loss
Atmospheric effects
Frequency bands
Uplink antenna and amplifier performance
Download antenna size and receiver noise figure
Path Loss at 12 GHz over 36,000 km can exceed 205 dB !

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 Access Schemes
The Need for Bandwidth Efficiency
Bandwidth (and power) = $
Better bandwidth efficiency
translates into Cost Savings
Outbound and Inbound BW
proportional to: OB IB
Number of Users
Bit Rate
Power/Modulation & Error
Correction Coding
Type of traffic F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 Fn
QoS (Quality of Service)
Outbound Transmission:
Constant, Single Frequency
Inbound Transmission: Bursty,
Frequency Hopping
All VSATs must share the
allocated inbound BW

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 Access Schemes
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
Frequency 1

Transmissions occur on the same 17

frequency from multiple sources
When a collision occurs, each
source waits a random amount of 11
time before re-transmitting
19
Time slots are allowed to pass
unused 12

Time
In a loaded network, more 11 17
17 Collision Occurs
collisions will occur, increasing
the random wait time
18
Collision Recognized

11 Retransmits after 3 slots delay time

17 Retransmits after 5 slots delay time

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 Access Schemes
Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
Frequency 1

Transmissions occur on the same 17

frequency from multiple sources
When a collision occurs, each
source waits a random amount of 11
time before re-transmitting
19
Time slots are allowed to pass
unused 12

Time
In a loaded network, more 11 17
17 Collision Occurs
collisions will occur, increasing
the random wait time
18
Collision Recognized

11 Retransmits after 3 slots delay time

17 Retransmits after 5 slots delay time

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Access Schemes
Frequency/Time Division Multiple
Access Random Access (RA)
Allocated Bandwidth
Inbound Frequencies
1.2MHz
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10
120kHz Frequency

102 053 021 006

Time 006 102 053 021

Slots
021 102 006

102
006 Collision

102 006 Retransmission

Time

VSAT 006 VSAT 021 VSAT 053 VSAT 102

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 Access Schemes
Automatic Dedicated Access
A private frequency is allocated to a single VSAT
Collision free, high throughput channel for batch
applications and file transfer
When a DA is required by a VSAT, initiate request
is sent in RA mode, triggered
According to IP-socket or IP address
According X.25 destination address f
Throughput based RA DA DA
Then, a DA frequency is allocated
11 34 31 17
14 17
21 17 34
t 21 14 17 34
25 17 34
17 34
25 14 17 34
17 34
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 Access Schemes
Automatic Partial Dedicated Access
Partial allocation for better
utilization of DA channel
Optimal for Constant Bit Rate f
(CBR) applications, such as voice
RA
Guarantees fixed response time
DA can be flexibly divide into PDAs
11 31 17 15
14 17 32
21 17
21 14 17 15
25 17 32
17
25 14 17 15
17 32

t 46
 Access Schemes
Dual Bit Rate
Support of dual bit rate improves space
segments utilization
Any 2 bit rates can be supported f
Each VSAT supports two bit rates with
multiple access modes
RA DA PDA
Lower bit rate for RA and higher bit rate
for DA
11 17 15
Each Receiver Cage at the hub can handle
two bit rates 14 17 32
21 17
21 14 17 15
17 32
17 36
25 14 17 15
17 32
76.8 153.6 76.8
t
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 Acknowledgments over Satellite
Spoofing

The Problem: TCP/IP requires acknowledgment of each and every

packet
The Satellite delay [(36,000/300000)2]2 in addition to all the routers
along the way adds significant latency
Spoofing Concept:
Acknowledge TCP packets locally at the VSAT/Hub Send
Acknowledge Summary periodically

No Spoofing With Spoofing 48

 Acknowledgments over Satellite
Internet Page Acceleration (IPA)

On Terrestrial Based Networks, each HTML object is requested and

acknowledged
IPA requests all the objects on a specific URL
All objects on an HTML Page are sent to the VSATs at once

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 Amateur Radio Applications
Internet-to-Radio Link
Typical Node

VSAT Antenna

PC + Sound Card + VoIP Application

VHF or UHF
Omni

VSAT

Radio/PC Interface

VHF/UHF Conventional or Trunked Repeater

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Amateur Radio Applications
Internet-to-Radio Link

New York Repeater/VSAT

Hub

VoIP
Servers

Boston Repeater/VSAT

VoIP Internet Direct

Internet
London Repeater/Direct
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 Amateur Radio Applications
Internet-to-Radio Link - eQSO

xx

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Amateur Radio Applications
Internet-to-Radio Link - Echolink

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Amateur Radio Applications
HF Remote Base/Diversity Reception

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 FAQs (1)

What are the Largest VSAT Networks in the World ?

Starband ~44,000 (US ISP); US Postal Service ~33,000
How many VSATs are operation World-Wide ?
>400K installed by Gilat alone
Can a Star VSAT communicate with another VSAT without a Hub ?
Star Topology No. Mesh Topology VSATs can operate Point-to-Point.
Can a VSAT work Mobile ?
No, due to the associated delay is some systems and antenna pointing issues.
Mobile systems are under development.
Can a VSAT be used anywhere ?
No. It can not be used at the extreme North and South latitudes due to coverage
of Geostationary satellites. You must have line-of-site coverage towards the
satellite your network is working on.
What are typical upsteam and downsteam speeds that can be achieved with a
VSAT ?
Depends on the VSAT ISP. Btopenworld in the UK is offering 500/120 kbps
(Upstream/Downstream) service. Theoretically, much higher speeds can be
achieved.

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 FAQs (2)

Can I view DVB-S video stream from the same antenna/LNB ?

Yes. (So long as it is on the same satellite). Elliptical antennas allow adding two
additional LNBs with switchable polarization.
How many PCs can I connect to a VSAT ?
Theoretically, as many as you want. The limiting factor is that they will be sharing
the Inbound/Outbound Bandwidths. The other limiting factor is the total number
of TCP/IP sockets and whether or not the VSAT ISP set up the VSATs to assign
an IP address to connected PC. Up to 4 is recommended.
What applications are NOT suitable for VSATs ?
VSAT traffic has an inherent latency due to the distance. Real-Time Internet
Gamming other time-critical applications will not work as well as terrestrial lines.
What changes can we expect to see in the future concerning VSAT technology,
markets ?
When Ka-Band Satellite service begins, we can expect to see much smaller
dishes. 8PSK instead of the current QPSK on the Outbound, Internal Caching on
VSAT, plus much more.
The Rural Telephony market is booming and when mobile VSAT equipment
becomes available, the industry is expected to change entirely.

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 Probing Further

Gilat Satellite Networks

Spacenet (Gilat Subsidiary in US)
FAQs (Btopenworld Satellite Service)
Lyngsat (Geostationary Satellite Database)
Phase Modulation Tutorials
Digital Modulation Basics
MPEG Tutorial
DVB Standards Tutorial
FEC Tutorial
Spectrum Analysis Basics
Spectrum Analysis AM-FM Measurements
www.satil.com (Israeli TVRO Information in Hebrew)
AFRTS TVRO Satellite Handbook
Channel Master VSAT Antennas
Telecommutations Glossary

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