Hughes EchoStar XVII to make satellite broadband more affordable

Maryland-based satellite company Hughes Network Systems says that its new geostationary satellite, the EchoStar XVII will help make satellite broadband more affordable. The new satellite, which was launched last July 2012, carries 60 ka band transponders, and has an operating life of about 15 years.

Hughes said that the EchoStar is powered by 85.5-foot solar arrays which can generate a minimum of 16.1 kilowatts of power to help deliver 100 Gb of data per second across North America, allowing companies like Frontier Communications to deliver high-speed internet on satellite services to rural clients and remote locations.

The new generation ka band satellite will help improve broadband access in rural regions where fibre optic cables are unavailable. Hughes also said the satellite broadband solutions is capable of supporting high-bandwidth applications.

NBN satellite ground stations now have contractors

NBN Co announced last week the it had awarded to construction companies contracts to build the ten-satellite ground stations which is part of the long-term satellite broadband service. The total worth of the contracts is around $180 million.

 

Senator Stephen Conroy, who is the Minister for Broadband, Communications, and Digital Economy, announced that Cockrom Corporation, and Perkins Pty LTD had been selected to build the teleports spread across Australia. Perkins will be constructing the four ground facilities located in Western Australia, while Cockram would be building the six satellite ground stations in SA, Tasmania, NSW, and Queensland.

 

According to NBN Co., construction will start early next year and is expected to be completed by 2014. The internet from satellite service is targeted at remote and rural clients beyond the fibre footprint of NBN or its fixed wireless services. Aside from the satellite ground stations, two ka band satellites will also be launched by 2015.

 

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US Government picks ViaSat for satellite broadband services for military aircrafts

ViaSat, one of the leading satellite communications provider in the world, has been chosen by the US Government to provide satellite broadband services to military aircraft. The contract which was awarded to the California-based communications provider includes the provision of an all-IP service for regional access, as well as worldwide roaming for enroute mission coverage.

 

According to ViaSat, the one-year contract tasks them to enable access to services like VoIP sessions and commercial Internet technology during transoceanic or even transcontinental flights. The satellite terminals to be provided by ViaSat is based on the existing ViaSat ArcLight® technology which has been widely used by various defence organizations and government aircrafts across the globe. Using a high speed Ku-band network, the ArcLight technology allows for high-speed mobile broadband performance as well as advances ISR missions using cutting-edge antennas that can easily be installed in military aircrafts.

 

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Inmarsat to feature M2M Communications technology at MobileCON 2012

One of the leading providers of global mobile satellite communications - Inmarsat - will be featuring its latest technologies at the upcoming MobileCON 2012 to be held at the San Diego Convention Centre from October 9-11 2012.

 

Inmarsat will be highlighting its M2M portfolio at the event, in response to growing global demand for data connectivity as a result of increased worldwide data traffic. The satellite company’s M2M portfolio inlcludes new devices, together with valued-added services which focus on the growing sector of data collection and remote monitoring.

 

The rise of powerful mobile devices with new bandwidth-intensive applications has driven the popularity of 3G and 4G LTE networks designed for mobile backhaul applications and remote, data monitoring services. Inmarsat said that since its M2M system operated in the L-band, the technology is not prone to issues such as rain-fade interference, thereby making them more viable for use in remote regions.

 

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