Bentley Walker debuts Freedomsat Ka-band satellite Internet in Iraq, Afghanistan

American military personnel and contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan will be able to enjoy satellite broadband thanks to Bentley Walker and its Freedomsat satellite Internet service.

Freedomsat taps the Hylas2 satellite for Ka-band capacity. It offers speeds of up to 10Mbps at low cost, twice that of the previous Bentley Walker service.

As part of its ongoing relationship with US military personnel serving overseas, Bentley Walker previously supplied 4Mbps Ku-band Internet service. The older service uses the HX50 modem and is currently the most popular Internet connectivity service for personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Satellite Internet allows American military personnel and civilian contractors to stay in contact with family and friends back home. It also helps in rebuilding and installing infrastructure and other important tasks.

Bentley Walker is the first ISP that offered high-speed Ka-band satellite Internet service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Its Freedomsat package has a unique pin service that allows 24/7 activation and access for users. In addition, Bentley Walker also offers detailed web filtering services.

Computing for the maximum transmit cable length of a VSAT Internet system?

Note the BUC gain and power supply requirements. Note your minimum and maximum modem output levels.

Using the BUC gain work out the appropriate input level for saturation.

Calculate the modem levels for various BUC output levels and try to design a system that allows the BUC to saturate with the modem perhaps still 5 dB below its maximum output. Operating any equipment at its extreme limits is not recommended. That gives you the dB loss for the transmit IFL cable, review the cable spec at L band to find the length. If you will be operating a very small carrier, with the BUC at very low power, e.g. 0.1W then take this into account, or use a lower power BUC. You dont want to get into the situation where you can't reduce the power sufficiently, even with the modem ats it minimum output. A longer cable may provide useful L band attenuation while allowing the DC and 10 MHz reference through.

Using the power requirements of the BUC, e.g. 55W at 15 to 24V.What power can your modem put out without overheating etc. If marginal then use an external power supply with cooling fan etc.

For higher powers, like 55W, it helps to use the maximum voltage at the modem end, in this case 24V. This minimises the current (amps) and thus the voltage and DC power loss in the cable. Solid copper centre wire is mandatory. 50ohm cable may be helpful as it has a thicker centre wire, if the modem and BUC can match 50ohms. Copper coated steel centre wire must be avoided!. Be conservative. Ask if the DC current taken by the BUC is smooth. It may comprise spikes at the switch mode power supply frequency and may spike also when the modem transmits a burst. Work out the cable ohms and compare with the cable specification versus length. DC power is very demanding on the coax centre pins, centre socket springs and the sheath wire connection at the plugs. A smear of electronic grade silicone contact grease can help exclude oxygen and moisture from the metallic points of contact.

You might also want to read

• Wireless backhaul for remote regions

Hughes TurboPage with ActiveCompress upgrades HN/HX systems

Hughes recently announced that it will be upgrading its HN/HX systems with the TurboPage with ActiveCompression feature. The upgrade will greatly increase bandwidth efficiency and provide support for the newest generation of IPv6 Internet addressing.

HN/HX systems possess numerous IP features and functionality that make them perfect for satellite routing where full IP functionality and performance is needed. The Hughes-designed systems provide advanced bandwidth management capabilities that allow operators to customize various Quality of Service (QoS) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on a per-remote basis. Being pure IP-based solutions, they also incorporate a strong set of IP functions and features.

Hughes TurboPage with ActiveCompression can boost compression gain of transmitted HTTP traffic by up to 50 percent. It compresses both text and image data to decrease the volume of data transmitted through satellites. This improves bandwidth efficiency and performance across the entire network.

Hughes ActiveCompression also protects the original quality of both text and images during and after compression.

According to Adrian Morris, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Hughes, the HN/HX systems' new features future-proofs the networks of Hughes customers. "The Internet's growth creates an almost endless demand for new bandwidth,” he said, and added that same growth is causing the Internet to outstrip its own protocols.

“By providing network operators with higher compression rates for more efficient bandwidth use and dual-stack support to ease the transition to IPv6,” said EVP Morris, “we've given them the tools to ride out the Internet's growing pains without disrupting service to their customers.”

One such customer was Vodacom Group, Ltd., which needed to improve its converged service offerings in throughout Africa. Last year, Vodacom selected Hughes' HN and HX satellite broadband solutions to improve network speeds and bandwidth efficiency.

Satellite making internet-on-the-go possible

In our globalizing world, more and more people are clamoring for internet-on-the-go. The demand for Wi-Fi connection has increased also due partly to the rise of more powerful, and smarter mobile devices. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops, are rendered almost useless in places where there is no Internet connection.

Many industries, sectors, and organizations are looking at internet from satellite to provide wireless connection anytime, anywhere. Terrestrial networks may be the most favored technology for broadband distribution, but in places where geography makes it impossible to lay cables, satellite technology is the ideal solution.

Internet by satellite is also being used in the transport sector. Airlines and cruise ships are installing satellite terminals to provide in-flight and on-board Internet connection to passengers. Even train stations and trains are using the wireless technology to provide greater connection on-the-go. 

Business travelers, tourists, and commuters are welcoming the arrival of such technology. This means they can read the news, send emails, use mobile travel applications on their phones, and even make video calls before they board trains and planes, or while honeymooning in a cruise ship of the coast of Chile. 

Satellite internet may not completely replace fibre technology. But it is certainly the best solution and coverage for the last mile. 

ViaSat Exede considers bundling VoIP with Internet-by-satellite service

ViaSat is considering an expansion of its Exede Internet-by-satellite Ka-band service

by adding a VoIP satellite service to its Internet-only 12 Mbps offering.

According to Lisa Scalpone, Vice President of Exede, more than 100,000 have subscribed to the company's 12 Mbps Internet-by-satellite service. "We feel pretty good that people will make that trade for one, two, three megabits service,” she said. “For people who need to do things with speed, 12 Mbps is decisive."

Exede offers high-speed broadband service that can favorably compare with fixed wireless, 4G mobile, and stock copper-based DSL counterparts. According to various analytical models, around 35% to 40% of Exede's customer base selected the ViaSat satellite service despite the availability of DSL or cable wireline options in their location.

In addition, Exede is planning to release a competitively-priced bundle of broadband and voice services. "For the VoIP service,” Scalpone said on the challenges faced by the company's new offering, “the biggest issue is proving lag does not matter.”

According to VP Scalpone, VoIP calls can match or even improve upon the quality found in a typical narrowband cell phone call. Exede takes care to optimize and prioritize VoIP calls within the broadband network.

To prove its argument, ViaSat is building and turning over VoIP demonstration units to its retailers for testing by customers. "We have to demo everywhere," Scalpone said of Exede's planned VoIP satellite service. "If we can show people, I think it's going to be huge."

Exede's planned Internet and voice bundle will probably include home number portability, 911, and caller ID features. Its stand-alone Internet-by-satellite offering currently costs $50 per month.