2012-02-05 Ofcom reported that Great Britain has only 7.6 Mbps average broadband speed. However, the agency saw a 22% increase on average speed last year. Another concern is the huge difference between advertised and actual broadband speed. For instance, subscribers of BT "20 Mbps" package only get between 7.8 Mbps and 9.7 Mbps, while Sky customers only get between 6.8 Mbps and 8.3 Mbps. The "24 Mbps speed" ad of Karoo is also far from reality as subscribers only get between 7.4 Mbps and 9.5 Mbps on average. Adam Scorer, Consumer Focus, said that this is unfair for subscribers who pay for what is the advertised speed. Ernest Doku of uSwitch.com said rural Internet connections are worse, with residents getting only 2 Mbps. As a result, Ofcom has introduced new rules on broadband speed advertising, to be effective in April, to protect consumer interests. Other News: Australia's NationalBroadband Network Company (NBC ) turned down a freedom of information request which called for the disclosure of the cost Australians would pay for the extension of fibre broadband service. The proposed network aims to provide 93% coverage nationwide. But some of the 7%, who wouldn't want to settle for less fast satellite broadband and wireless connections, can pay additional extra charges to get fiber extension if they are close to the network boundary. NBN maintains that the cost would vary depending on factors like distance from the actual fiber optic footprint. The company argues that disclosing price data would be bad for its business. Customers who seek extended connection are asked to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent them from revealing the extension costs. 2012-01-31 The 2012 AOG exhibition and conference, to be held in Perth, is the largest exhibition of its kind in Australia. There will be 450 exhibitors from across 16 countries. The annual event gives ample of networking opportunities for top industry leaders to share their knowledge on the latest trends in the oil and gas industries. NewSat Perth representatives, Ashley Neale and James Hamilton, will join the conference and take opportunities to exchange product knowledge with oil and gas firms. NewSat is the satellite communications provider to various communications and network firms that serve major oil companies like Chevron, Apache and Woodside. These partners include ITC Global, Caprock, ASTA, Toll Group and Rignet. NewSat has provided critical communications services for oil and gas projects across Australasia, giving remote locations the ability to effectively manage and coordinate operations and improve safety. Newsat offers high-speed satellite communications solutions which support voice, data and video transfer. This year's conference will showcase the latest in subsea, asset management, safety, engineering and flow control, notably Dedicated Subsea Zone, Drilling & Downhole Zone, Health, Safety & Environment and Education, Research and Training. The event will run from February 22 and 24 , 2012 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. 2012-01-31 You can add items from the left menu by dragging them here.
2012-01-26 Skycasters, a major satellite Internet solution provider, has partnered with Ka You Communications for the provision of a turnkey satellite communications system for EAS CAP compliance. IPReady, the communications solution offers very secure Internet link needed at transmitter location. Due to satellite-based connectivity, the solution doesn't have to rely on terrestrial lines and immune to the shortcomings of landlines. The FCC has approved the new Emergency Alert System/Common Alerting Protocol (EAS CAP) , requiring US radio stations to connect transmitter sites to the IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) database via Internet. Compliance requires reliable Internet link. Running on static IP address, IPReady allows many transmitter sites to connect to the database even in the absence of cables or cell sites in the surrounding areas. The regulation is scheduled to take effect on June 30, 2012. With few months left, radio operators must find a reliable and secure Internet service to connect their remote sites to IPAWS. Those with many transmitter sites in remote areas would be affected the most. IPReady is based on iDirect satellite platform, allowing all transmitters to be connected to the network. Running the entire network on a single platform simplifies transmitter operation and remote command over transmitters from the main hub. Skycasters' enterprise satellite Internet network supports remote transmitter control with systems from Larcan, Moseley, Burke and other manufacturers. 2012-01-23 After sending its Wideband Global SATCOM 4 to orbit on Jan. 19, Boeing confirmed that the military satellite is functioning properly. After a series of orbital maneuvers, WGS-4 can be positioned into geosynchronous Earth orbit to join other WGS satellites, namely WGS-1, which began serving the Pacific Ocean region in April 2008; WGS-2, which began covering the Middle East since August 2009; and WGS-3 which is aimed at the Atlantic Ocean market. The WGS satellites are designed to provide high-bandwidth communications solutions for the US army and its foreign allies. The Block II series is equipped with advanced radio frequency bypass to allow for the transmission of airborne intelligence and images at a capacity three times greater than those seen in Block I satellites. The entire WGS fleet is using the proven Boeing 702HP platform which has efficient xenon-ion propulsion, deployable thermal radiators and gallium-arsenide solar arrays. The WGS communications payload offers great flexibility that is critical in military communications. The satellites interconnect terminals operating in various frequency bands and reposition coverage beams according to mission requirements. WGS facilitates tactical communications to and between ground troops. The US army uses WGS to receive data and images from airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. Boeing Vice President Craig Cooning said the company is dedicated in completing the succeeding WGS satellites. Related News: 2012-01-02 World Teleport Association has released its list of Top Teleport Operators of 2011. The annual ranking commends the notable teleport operators in global satellite communications industry. For the first time in the ranking%u2019s history, total expenditures on satellite capacity has been disclosed by the listed carriers. The top 20 Independent Operators spent a total of US$1 billion per year on transponder leasing. On average, the expenditures constituted 45% of their revenues. There are three categories used for the rankings: the Independent Top Twenty, the Global Top Twenty, and the "Fast Twenty.%u201D The Independent Top 20 is based on the amount of all types of revenues.
The Global Top 20 is based on earnings from customized satellite communications sources, including operations of satellite communications fleet and business-to-business fiber networks.
2011-10-20 
Despite the rising Internet penetration rate worldwide, there are regions still not reached by Internet services due to lack of ICT facilities. There are still rural areas in Australia where broadband communication is not possible, either due to poor signals or absence of telecommunication lines. But teleports are revolutionizing wireless communication in remote regions where telecommunication networks are no where to be found. Telecommunication companies and ISPs find it unprofitable to serve low-density regions. The cost of developing fibre network is too huge, and doing so in a small rural area would mean huge losses for the broadband carriers. Satellite broadband fills the gap by offering wireless connectivity via satellite links and teleports. Although sending signals via satellite hub can have cost and latency issues, satellite broadband has international coverage. Since satellite broadband is a relatively new broadband technology, it costs more than traditional broadband plans like DSL and cable. To effectively maximize the efficiency and overall cost of satellite broadband, satellite companies are combining advanced teleports and terrestrial communications facilites with satellite communications, for instance satellite-WiFi. The cost of satellite broadband can be reduced by a factor of 10 with this technique. The use of higher order modulation technique is also expected to further reduce the cost of satellite broadband. Satellite broadband can bring countless benefits to rural communities where no other Internet service is available. With satellite teleports and VSAT, rural hospitals can administer telemedical services. Rural health would also improve through teleradiological services and video-conferencing. Teleports can link rural schools and introduce emails and web browsing to students. Internet penetration would further increase with the launch of local Internet cafes. Traffic aggregation for improving efficiency entails interfacing with various communication standards and setting levels of access priority for each user. Laying out the satellite broadband strategy for rural communities requires emphasis on timeliness of signal transmission. For instance, satellite broadband capacity should suit not only the bandwidth requirement of hospitals sending diagnostic images online, but also the ideal time limit needed to carry out interactive telemedical services. Web browsing is the most common use of broadband, but other applications like VoIP should be considered as well. Achieving the optimum bit rate and latency is possible through transmission and bandwidth scheduling from the hub point. Data transmission rate can be adjusted based on real-time demand and type of application usage. Satellite broadband operators, for instance, can give priority to voice signals since VoIP requires faster speed than web browsing and emails. Satellite broadband operators can also adjust transmission priority by service type (i.e. government agencies, residential users or corporate users). Many satellite broadband services are optimized using 1/2 or 3/4 error control coding and QPSK or 8PSK modulation. Advanced modulation and coding systems can greatly improve spectral efficiency (the amount of transponder bandwidth per bit rate), the transmit power and the size of antenna needed to achieve the required bit error rate performance. There are also iterative techniques that allow for the use of high order QAM modulations that can almost reach the saturation at high data rates. | Categories
Satellite Broadband
Wireless Telecom Internet Social Media Telecom Satellite Internet Technology Military Satellites uncategorized Archive
RSS feed |