by Peter J. Brown

The global satellite industry continues to roll out new broadband services at a steady pace, while watching the competition closely. As wired and terrestrial wireless players continue to gain momentum, the satellite terminal and service providers see a series of exciting opportunities ahead. As the satellite industry continues to move ahead with new tools and new solutions for its pool of clients worldwide, however, the terrestrial wireless industry is exhibiting a great deal of muscle from the likes of AT&T, Motorola, Microsoft and Nokia, to name just a few. Will all the requisite pieces fall quickly and neatly into place for satellite companies? Probably not, yet the outcome may surprise everyone.

Adding More Fuel To The Broadband Fire

Viasat Inc. in Carlsbad, CA, has been pursuing a mix of cost-effective broadband access solutions, including its new line of Starwire Calypso terminals featuring Viasat’s patented Paired Carrier Multiple Access (PCMA) technology. As a provider of DAMA-based solutions, Viasat has been engaged in discussions with more than one of the start-ups who form the nucleus of the emerging broadband satellite sector, according to Stephen W. Cable, Viasat’s vice president for strategic development. This list includes Spaceway, Astrolink, Skybridge, Teledesic and Cyberstar.

Cable talks about a bifurcation of the market, where a three-year window exists prior to the rollout of the next generation of higher-capacity, frequency re-use-based satellites.

“During this window, the number of satellite-enabled broadband access solutions using existing satellites will increase significantly,” Cable says. “The broadband terminals of tomorrow are appearing now and they may well establish patterns of bandwidth consumption far in advance [of next-generation broadband systems] using existing satellite architectures. In that sense, they will help shape demand in the emerging, yet-to-be-defined broadband marketplace as well.

“The next generation of satellites will benefit from the new generation of ground terminals, such as Viasat’s Calypso, which feature a greater degree of adaptability,” Cable adds. “Broadband delivery with full mesh networks can be accessed with existing capacity today. The roster of applications is growing, because end users can share capacity, chop up the costs of the satellites and pay only for the portion they need. This is a very attractive proposition.”

Satellite system providers try to make interfaces as user-friendly as possible, and will continue to do so by adopting standards aggressively in the process. But as far as internal channel access controls and network management and control (M&C) systems are concerned, Cable believes that satellite companies will be cautious before doing anything which might jeopardize existing proprietary interests. He anticipates that while most two-way, interactive systems will focus on offering standards-based end user and public network interfaces, they will continue to utilize proprietary satellite networking designs.

“This philosophy will take time and market pressure to change, even when it is in the best interest of the satellite system providers to embrace standardization in order to benefit from the economies of scale which are beyond their grasp, at least for now,” Cable says. “In the broadcast arena, what the DVB standard has allowed is massive quantities of relatively inexpensive receive-only terminals. In terms of SES Astra’s recent efforts to create a DVB return channel standard–once referred to as ARCS or the Astra Return Channel System, and now known as Astra-Net’s Broadband Interactive System (BIS)–I think the success of Astra’s business model will determine whether or not others jump on the open standards bandwagon.”

Viasat has been pushing its full-mesh, interactive Ku-band Starwire platform, and sees it as targeting a different market segment than Luxembourg-based SES Astra’s hub-based, multi-frequency TDMA approach.

“Our Starwire products support hub and star-type networks as well as full-mesh connectivity, and we see a large number of enterprise applications that benefit enormously from full mesh connectivity. These applications benefit from Viasat’s ability to offer real-time, dynamic IP routing of enterprise traffic over satellite circuits based on end to end quality of service (QoS) metrics. And by also supporting a high-rate forward channel with a multiple access return channel, we think that Calypso and its follow-ons will represent a product line with a solid future. ARCS (now BIS) simply substantiates that,” Cable says.

Any one-way broadcast-oriented broadband strategy is not necessarily outside Viasat’s sphere of influence, according to Cable, but it is not where Viasat will devote much of its energy.

“For the broadband arena, our strengths are in frequency re-use and adaptive or intelligent signal processing techniques such as PCMA, along with efficient real-time bandwidth management as in DAMA,” Cable says. “Seamless networking with multiple standard interfaces is a big concern. The same is true when it comes to providing statistical multiplexing and supporting multiple connections, whether IP, ATM, frame relay or whatever, through the same satellite terminal. We will be addressing these issues as well.

“DAMA is still there as an important element for both existing and future satellite systems. Dynamic control of bandwidth capacity has a big role to play, whether it is on the ground for the transponder-based satellites or, in case of the processed payload satellites, both on the ground and in the payload in the form of onboard switching,” Cable adds. “Both of these satellite designs offer the user certain advantages for different applications. Here at Viasat, we are focused on interactive applications, and how they will manifest themselves in direct user terminals.”

As for the growing impact of terrestrial wireless technology, Cable endorses what he sees as an ultimate win-win scenario.

“I am a big proponent of all things broadband, including the successful deployment of cable modems and DSL. In order for broadband access to succeed for all parties involved, it has to be promoted and it has to grow. In the end, satellite will be a more cost effective solution for significant segments of the market, and yet in the meantime, the success of terrestrial wireless will help greatly to drive up the perceived value of broadband access,” Cable says. “There will be sufficient demand for the primary broadband satellite systems, which are going to be launched in the coming decade. Some customers may be lost to terrestrial wireless service providers, but this is outweighed by the net resulting growth in demand for broadband services.

“We are more bullish on a GEO play near-term than any LEO system,” he adds. “We want to help them get cost effective bandwidth to the end user with terminals and other ground infrastructure.”

Looking For Standardization To Lower Costs

Burnaby, British Columbia-based Norsat International Inc. is developing new user terminals for broadband satellite services. Norsat is preparing so-called Satellite Interactive Terminals (SITs) for delivery to the first commercial Ka-band service providers on opposite ends of the globe. Korea Telecom’s Koreasat 3 has been in orbit since October, and it has three Ka-band transponders. Astra 1H, which joins a cluster of collocated SES Astra satellites at 19.2 degreesE, has been in orbit since June.

After some restructuring and after shedding its non-satellite businesses in 1999, Norsat is looking down the road at what should be a fast-growing market for broadband satellite services, while still actively pursuing new opportunities in the traditional VSAT and narrowband markets. Norsat’s full line of SITs will be rolling out in 2000 as part of Astra-Net’s unique Ka-/Ku-band BIS in Europe.

For Astra-Net, Norsat has teamed up with Nortel Networks, which is building the network control center for this project. The rest of SES Astra’s team on the ground segment side includes Philips Business Electronics B.V., EMS Technologies Inc. and Nortel-DASA (now Daimler Chrysler Aerospace AG).

Robert H. Bucher, Norsat’s president and CEO, openly expresses his concern that despite all the features and benefits which are offered by either straight Ka-band solutions such as Koreasat or the Astra-Net BIS Ka-/Ku-band hybrid solution, if the satellite industry does not produce low-cost SITs, the market may be short-lived. On the broadband side, Bucher sees a need to get the price of the Ka-band terminals, which will start rolling out in Asia and Europe next year, down to the $500 range as quickly as possible.

“As far as terminal or integrated receive/transmit card pricing for the BIS, an introductory price of around $2,000 can be expected, depending on which of the three versions of the SIT is involved. As the number of terminals in use increases, we expect a rather sharp decline to somewhere below $1,000 within the first 12 months,” says Harald Melzer, a spokesperson for SES Multimedia. “As in the past, SES’ strategy on the hardware side has not altered. With the introduction of new technologies to the marketplace, the strategy has always been to work with standard-based solutions, while creating a market or user volume that allows the necessary equipment to be priced economically and provided by a large variety of different manufacturers.”

Bucher emphasizes that Norsat is looking to cut costs, while at the same time driving an industry-wide effort to establish open standard interfaces between components. This involves the component parts of the cross-bandwidth transmission, including lowering the cost of the feed. Bucher describes Norsat as attacking the cost issue by redesigning transmission, reception and filtering techniques wherever possible. The goal seems relatively simple: to take the microwave signal and convert it into something that can be read by a modem across multiple bands.

“As far as cutting the prices of SITs, if we don’t get there quickly, there is no market,” Bucher says. “At Norsat, we think that we can exercise considerable influence on how quickly this can happen, for the simple reason that about 70 percent of the true product cost is in the wireless transmission microwave component. As one of the key designers of the microwave portion, we are not only focused on SITs, but also low-end data transactional access devices which provide a wireless data value-add primarily for mobile satellite service providers.

“The LNB has already gone through standardization, and now we are turning our attention to the feed horn, waveguide filters and ortho mode transducers. These all add cost, weight and volume to terminals. We are already providing microwave components in the form of outdoor units with open interfaces to various modem suppliers,” Bucher adds.

Bucher sees the need to transform the satellite business in the same way that CDMA and GSM transformed cell phones, or Ethernet transformed the computer networking business 15 years ago. He supports a broader emphasis on standardization as well. Specifically, Bucher advocates what he describes as a “DVB/IP-like forum.” He credits SES Astra “for being a leading voice in trying to break the stranglehold of proprietary satellite-to-terminal systems.

“In the VSAT sector, operators are looking for standardization to lower the cost of implementation. We are using Norsat’s core expertise in wireless transmission technology based on L-band interfaces to join together with the 15 or so L-band modem manufacturers to further this compliance to the standards cause,” Bucher adds.

As for other wireless applications beyond the satellite realm, Bucher is quite candid. “Historically, satellite represents the best path for Norsat, and yet our technology could show up in other wireless products,” Bucher says.

Paving The Way For Broadband Earth Stations

For Carrollton, TX-based IDB Systems, a subsidiary of MCI Worldcom Inc. that specializes in satellite earth station engineering and network integration, the emerging class of broadband earth stations really does not alter the way business is conducted. And long before any Ka-band traffic really arrives, IDB Systems already has been placing a greater emphasis on developing better M&C systems for IDB customers who operate their own earth stations.

According to John Overstreet, IDB Systems’ general manager, the satellite industry could benefit from a standard M&C interface. Overstreet believes that if all the downconverters, upconverters, amplifiers, and modems had the same protocol, the industry could “save a lot of time and effort that is currently spent getting drivers to work. Customers could choose the M&C system based on features, not on how well the software supported a particular manufacturer’s equipment.” One of the chief reasons why this type of protocol has not emerged, according to Overstreet, is that the industry has no dedicated standards body.

“Obviously, any standards would be optional, like IEEE standards. Still, a standard is a selling point and customers want it,” Overstreet says.

He describes early 1999 as looking a lot like the early stages of the Asian crisis in terms of a general slowdown, but as the year ended, things actually were looking quite good.

“However, as the equipment prices are continuing to drop, this may be great for our customers, but it makes our lives as integrators a bit more difficult, simply because we end up having to increase our sales to do the same amount of business,” Overstreet says.

Overstreet says broadband facilities are really no different from conventional earth stations, except the terminal equipment tends to be more router-centric and designed to handle multiple IP streams.

“We see broadband as an opportunity to sell more earth stations as bandwidth requirements climb. The earth station in this instance serves as just another node in their IP or ATM network,” Overstreet says.

IDB Systems had already undertaken a major transition more than two years ago, and seems better prepared to address the needs of the emerging broadband earth station market as a result.

“Up until 1997, we created our own M&C software. At that time, we entered into a business partnership with Newpoint Technologies, and we have been exclusively operating with their software ever since,” Overstreet says. “Their product and their screens have evolved, and they have become much more user friendly. The user is given information, which is really helpful, and the displays do not simply mimic panels unless the user wants it that way. The density of information on the screen has been increased, and enhanced with new layouts at the same time.”

Along with the M&C improvements have come noticeable changes in several other key earth station components. Amplifiers are more efficient, thanks to klystron dynamic beam voltage adjustment, and a new travelling-wave-tube amplifier (TWTA) technology has been introduced, known as multiple depressed collectors. These collectors allow an amplifier to run at the same transmission strength while using less power. Overstreet labels this as a satellite technology that has trickled down to earth stations.

CPI Satcom Division, for example, has also released its own “Gen 4” klystron power amplifier (KPA) that according to Rick Schaffzin, CPI Satcom president and general manager, is “the most efficient, reliable and longest life ever klystron and KPA, which will take the high power uplink market by storm.”

“Lots of big changes are under way. In terms of new amplifiers, for example, the power consumption has been cut by 25 to 40 percent, and where a 3-kilowatt klystron once occupied an entire 7-foot rack, now the same device can be installed in half a rack,” Overstreet says. “Still, cost savings is not a cookie-cutter type of thing. At up to 13,000 watts each, energy-saving klystrons and TWTAs can really affect power consumption, but capital expenditures are a big deal even when a compelling case exists for cost-savings on a recurring basis.”

Synergy Of Satellite And Wireless

Keeping up with the growth in demand requires a mix of products and services, according to Gary Gomes, executive vice president of Globecomm Systems Inc.’s (GSI) Netsat Express in Hauppauge, NY. Among other things, GSI holds what Gomes describes as a significant minority stake–approximately 20 percent–in Israel-based Shiron Satellite Communications, a manufacturer of two-way, high-speed satellite terminals including a unit known as Intersky. GSI also recently purchased the assets of Global-Net, and is now starting to embed Global-Net’s wireless technology into the expanding menu of services, which Netsat Express offers.

“We are addressing the needs of the ISPs in particular in terms of infrastructure that we can drop down into developing markets. An integrated solution is necessary because without it, you cannot reach critical mass. With Global-Net, we can provide a wireless local loop platform along with start-up POTS and dial-up data services. This allows the service providers to quickly evolve into more broadband services,” Gomes says.

Gomes describes the different delivery technologies as synergistic, creating a broadband network growth model that feeds on itself. With the purchase in August of a combined 25 percent stake in Netsat Express by New York-based Globix Corp. and George Soros, GSI has gained access to Globix’s fiber backbone, Web hosting, collocation and private peering services.

“We are strong believers in the concept that high-speed broadband networks are driving demand, and that all of these different technologies–wired and wireless–are complementary. As more and more users become enabled, the growth in demand is outstripping the ability of both sides to meet it,” Gomes adds. “On the satellite side, we don’t see any major product gaps, but we are looking for more incorporation of IP functionality into communications products in general.”

As a global service provider, Netsat Express emphasizes integration with wireless and DSL systems in order to handle last-mile issues or connections to the local area network (LAN).

“We have added IP technology and more recently IT technology to increase our support infrastructure for ISPs. This includes back office support as well,” Gomes says. “At GSI, you see an emphasis on the emergence of an outsourced enterprise network solution, which encompasses everything from the satellite hardware to the engineering expertise.”

Part of this process has involved an ongoing, large-scale demonstration at GSI headquarters involving a mix of hardware vendors. In addition to Shiron, GSI has tapped IP encapsulation solutions from vendors such as Skystream, Combox and Philips. Set-top boxes or integrated receiver-descramblers (IRDs) from companies such as International Datacasting (IDC) and Viacast Networks (formerly Intelligent Devices Inc.) are used by GSI. Netsat Express has also devoted considerable energy in its attempt to become one of the largest Hughes Network Systems DirecPC-based service providers in Central and Eastern Europe in addition to Netsat’s Global Access Plus offering.

Gomes likes the concept of both the DirecPC IP Advantage, in terms of a unit offering a DVB outbound channel with satellite return, and Websurfer, which provides relatively low throughputs with TDMA. Websurfer accomplishes the goal of getting lots of users onboard, while not being very bandwidth efficient for high-speed return link requirements, according to Gomes. Shiron has emerged as the provider of the high capacity two-way platform of choice at GSI.

“Shiron has come a long way. Their Intersky system is not simply offering a dedicated return channel, but it now features a bandwidth-on-demand capability on the inbound side,” Gomes says. “We try to push IRDs over PC card-based solutions. Because ISPs or IAPs (Internet access providers) are our primary customers, we prefer to have IRDs or at least closed Intel processors running Linux boxes without a keyboard or front panel. In the end, it is always better to have a dedicated operating system. We have not sold an NT-based front end to any of our ISP customers.”

Gomes believes that despite impressive gains in efforts to spur the creation and acceptance of industry-wide standards, the satellite sector by itself “is not as large a medium in total as the fiber world.” So while developments such as the DVB standard, which started in Europe, have provided a lot of impetus in terms of video and IP-based solutions, there is still a need for some sort of engine to emerge to make broader standards a reality.

“If satellite owners promulgated some additional standards, it would help to fuel demand by dropping the prices of two-way terminals and set-top boxes. We still have a long way to go before we will see any shaking hands between systems. Yes, the large licensing fees have started to disappear, but these new systems appear to remain closed going forward,” Gomes says. “And yet, if you contrast what is happening today to what was happening just two years ago, a standard like DVB has opened things up considerably. However, because the DVB standard remains a bit vague at this time, this compels us to engage in our own series of interoperability tests.”

A Single Network To Reach All Sites

The jury is still out when it comes to evaluating the impact of the new wireless solutions from vendors like Teligent and Winstar in the developed markets of North America, Asia and Europe. This is the view of Tom Robey, director of marketing and business development in the satellite telecommunications division of Norcross, GA-based Scientific- Atlanta Inc. (S-A). Robey indicates that in previously under-served rural markets in particular, S-A’s customers view wireless technology in general as complementary, and see wireless local loop (WLL) technology as greatly reducing the cost of providing telephony and data communications to areas where the local population is dispersed.

“Reaching each and every site is essential. Local wireless such as MMDS and LMCS always has holes and it is completely dependent upon tower siting. Satellite technology has a fundamental advantage because it offers complete location independence, and it excels when it comes to broadcasting and multicasting,” Robey says. “We not only offer our corporate customers the ability to access an unlimited number of sites, we also provide a single number solution for our customers. They know that one phone call can immediately resolve any network or billing problems.”

Robey sees the satellite industry as taking additional steps to improve its competitive stance. In addition to cutting costs, the move to standardized, lower cost components and products have made satellite technology more user-friendly.

“The universal trend involving the use of TCP/IP protocols makes satellite technology simpler to operate, and less expensive for customers and equipment vendors alike as significant economies of scale are realized. As satellite networks also become more interoperable, they also become easier for customers to implement,” Robey says. “The decrease in typical VSAT prices from a range of $12,000 and $15,000 to under $3,000, for example, has had an enormous impact. It is allowing the satellite industry to compete for more of the pie.”

Having inexpensive overlay solutions so that customers can migrate quickly and without a substantial cost burden to a broader range of IP-based services helps, too. Besides an encoding platform known as PowerVu.IP, S-A offers overlays, including a pair of VSAT-based solutions. According to Robey, S-A’s Skyrelay.IP and Skylinx.IP represent an attractive alternative to an expensive upgrade by making it possible for S-A’s existing VSAT customers to launch higher bandwidth multimedia services, for example, without engaging in any unwanted large-scale remodeling of their satellite networks.

“A customer’s decision to add an overlay is driven by applications requiring more bandwidth, and this involves working through link budgets. In many instances, the equipment cost to implement an overlay is not the primary issue, rather it is the space segment which constitutes the bulk of the additional overhead involved. This represents a dramatic departure from what existed in the past with respect to TDM/TDMA networks, where the space segment represented perhaps 10 percent of the network’s total operating cost,” Robey says.

While S-A is not participating in Luxembourg-based SES Astra’s hybrid Ka-/Ku-band service, according to Robey, he describes it as an interesting model. In terms of the next generation of broadband projects, S-A announced last fall that it would be providing the satellite gateway facilities for Bethesda, MD-based Astrolink L.L.C. as a subcontractor to Telespazio, part of Telecom Italia Group.

According to Richard Finston, Astrolink’s director of ground segment, Astrolink will have two distinct kinds of earth stations. Its satellite telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) facilities are similar, if not identical to existing TT&C facilities. At the same time, each Astrolink satellite will be assigned a network control center (NCC) which will be a unique, dedicated earth station, managing and controlling regional user communications traffic. The first of several Astrolink GEO satellites is scheduled to be launched in 2002.

“These NCCs are unique in that switching and call control functions are distributed in an optimum manner across the NCC, the user terminal and the high capacity switch fabric on the satellite,” says Finston. “As an example of the distributed functionality described, we can look at a small portion of the call control subsystem, one of the 10 subsystems contained in each NCC. A user terminal requesting service communicates directly through the satellite payload to the NCC, which establishes the QoS parameters and sets up the signaling path. This data is converted to payload specific commands and transmitted to the satellite by the NCC, thus enabling the call. The high efficiency and high capacity payload functions would be better described as systemically distributed,” he adds.

Finally, while Robey is concerned about the adverse effects of persistent regulatory barriers worldwide, he sees signs of progress, such as the positive sequence of events in India, which came about in the months following a recent regulatory workshop conducted by the Global VSAT Forum.

Targeting The Broadband Markets

Late last year, Bernd Steinebrunner joined STM Wireless in Irvine, CA, as vice president of product management and sales engineering. A German engineer and sales manager formerly with Bosch Telecom, Steinebrunner indicates that the difference between the U.S. and European markets is enormous.

“In Europe, where there are hardly any cable modems, ADSL will be the prevailing technology. For example, only the Netherlands has a good cable infrastructure with return channel capability, and in most of the other European countries, the cable infrastructure is very thin. In the United States, cable modems have a head start, thanks to the bi- directional pathway built into the cable infrastructure,” Steinebrunner says. “On a worldwide basis, satellite already has 10 to 15 percent of the market, and we see satellite holding approximately this same amount of the market as the broadband Internet market takes off.”

STM Wireless completed a turnaround in 1999, and is poised for new growth, according to Steinebrunner, who believes that his company’s strategy is the right one as far as broadband Internet access is concerned. STM Wireless offers four new versions of the two-way Spaceweb VSAT system, including three SCPC/DAMA versions and one TDM/TDMA-based version. These have been enhanced significantly with the integration of San Diego-based Harmonic Data Networks’ Cyberstream Enterprise technology. Also coming on line is the new Spaceloop digital European cordless telephone-based WLL solution featuring full-mesh DAMA connectivity.

“With Spaceweb, we see our target market as SOHO, and small and large businesses including ISPs. We want to reach international ISPs, and the 5,000 ISPs in the United States as well. Spaceweb offers up to 48 Mbps outbound with a return channel up to 384 kbps. The Spaceweb outdoor unit (ODU) combined with an indoor unit containing the DVB receiver and router functionality features a 100BaseT or a USB interface with the user’s LAN,” Steinebrunner says. “Currently, we are not in the service business. We sell equipment, and provide support to our customers.

“Spaceloop completed its Intelsat-sponsored acceptance testing, demonstrating all of its functionalities. And it is being marketed heavily in Latin America, Asia and Africa with some signs of success already,” Steinebrunner adds.

Steinebrunner indicates that despite the emergence of service providers like the new Gilat-To-Home subsidiary, two-way VSAT technology is not a consumer product yet.

“Although we are looking into integrated, cost-reduced consumer products, we do not see two-way VSAT solutions for consumers emerging for another four or five years,” Steinebrunner says. “I don’t believe in the PC card solution, because it just does not make sense to open the PC. The right solution is an STB or a completely self-contained ODU.”

Steinebrunner credits SES Astra for what he describes as a groundbreaking event, the rollout of BIS, (a standardized VSAT platform in Europe). However, when it comes to a broader industry-wide campaign involving universal standardization and interoperability, Steinebrunner is not so optimistic about the likelihood of success.

“The satellite industry is reluctant to do that. Companies do not want to give up their technology,” Steinebrunner says. “Although the satellite industry is like a small family with technology that is challenging, one of the chief drawbacks which this industry encounters is the fact that manufacturers’ VSAT equipment is not interchangeable. This reduces the industry’s ability to benefit from the cost efficiencies of high volume products, among other things.”

While Steinebrunner labels the Global VSAT Forum as, “an important institution”–he recently took charge of his company’s Forum-related activities–he does not see it transforming itself somehow into a standards body, nor does he see an engineering-related working group emerging there. Instead, he believes that a more appropriate setting might be found within ETSI or the ITU.

The Price Has To Be Right

The satellite industry offers lots of features and advantages, but the question remains: how long will these advantages hold up? Deploying global networks where scalability and seamless end-to-end reliability are achievable has been an area where the satellite industry is making remarkable. The fact that the satellite industry offers this sort of wireless, turnkey solution in an affordable way at the same time is even more remarkable, but the competition is not sitting still.

On the terrestrial wireless side, such developments as the launch of the wireless application protocol (WAP), the recent AT&T wireless spin-off, the alliance involving Microsoft and Ericsson, and all the buzz about the coming of the next generation of so-called G3 wireless devices and appliances, will no doubt prove to be more than a mere distraction for potential satellite service customers. Fortunately, the satellite industry has been working both from the mobile satellite side and from the VSAT terminal side to make this a real race, while embracing a wireless local loop strategy in certain instances as well.

What puts satellite-based service suppliers in such a relatively healthy position is the demonstrated agility of the industry as a whole and the fact that the VSAT terminal vendors have been able to work both the low and high sides of the bandwidth equation so effectively. Thus, a customer can instantly see what may or may not work on the thin edge, well south of broadband in the sub-128 kbs range, as well as what might really fly at 2 Mbs or more. As new applications proliferate, and as new management tools evolve simultaneously–perhaps reinforced by additional industry-wide standards beyond DVB–the satellite industry will rocket ahead to the next phase of the broadband era with throngs of enthusiastic customers placing orders every step of the way. So long as the price is right.

As Via Satellite’s senior multimedia writer, Peter J. Brown tracks the global satellite industry’s multimedia and Internet applications. He lives on Mount Desert Island, Maine.

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