SES Broadband (previously ASTRA2Connect) is a two-way
satellite broadband Internet service available across Europe, which launched in March 2007, and uses the
Astra series of
geostationary satellites
A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitude ...
.
SES Broadband is owned and operated by SES Broadband Services, a subsidiary of
SES
SES, S.E.S., Ses and similar variants can refere to:
Business and economics
* Socioeconomic status
* Scottish Economic Society, a learned society in Scotland
* SES, callsign of the TV station SES/RTS (Mount Gambier, South Australia)
* SES S.A., ...
, based in
Betzdorf, Luxembourg.
SES Broadband provides high-speed Internet access (at up to 10 Mbit/s) at a
flat rate
A flat fee, also referred to as a flat rate or a linear rate refers to a pricing structure that charges a single fixed fee for a service, regardless of usage. Less commonly, the term may refer to a rate that does not vary with usage or time of us ...
cost to end users, along with
Voice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...
,
IPTV
Internet Protocol television (IPTV) is the delivery of television content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This is in contrast to delivery through traditional terrestrial, satellite, and cable television formats. Unlike downloaded med ...
, and content-on-demand facilities, without any requirement for a landline, cable or terrestrial wireless connection.
Until March 2012, SES Broadband was called 'ASTRA2Connect' and the operating company 'ASTRA Broadband Services'. The name was changed in line with the rebranding of parent company SES.
Application
The SES Broadband service makes broadband Internet access available to homes in rural locations or otherwise beyond the reach of existing terrestrial broadband services. Outside the major European urban centres, there are millions of households currently without broadband access through landlines.
[SES ASTRA "ASTRA2Connect Broadband internet access and VoIP", August, 2007. Company factsheet] and by 2010, up to 6 million, or 3.5%, of the 170 million homes in Western Europe will still be without terrestrial broadband access.
SES Broadband can also be used for transportable broadband Internet access, where the location or its temporary nature prohibits a terrestrial connection, although the equipment requires mains power and cannot be used while actually in motion.
As well as Internet access, SES Broadband is used for dual play (broadband internet and
telephony
Telephony ( ) is the field of technology involving the development, application, and deployment of telecommunication services for the purpose of electronic transmission of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties. The history of telephony is i ...
) and
triple play
In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season.
Th ...
(broadband Internet, telephony and TV) services.
An upgrade was introduced in 2008 to enable an SES Broadband dish to be used for simultaneous reception of normal satellite TV from satellites at the
Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of Astra communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg.
Astra 19.2°E used to be commonly k ...
or the
Astra 28.2°E
Astra 28.2°E is the name for the group of Astra communications satellites co-located at the 28.2° East position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. It is one of the major TV satellite positions s ...
positions.
Industrial Applications
Satellite broadband can provide an Internet connection for industrial data acquisition and control applications, where reliability and security are paramount, to ensure a constant data flow. For employment in industrial processes such as electricity generation, water management, refining, oil and natural gas drilling, automatic fabrication, and transportation, where use of
SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) computer monitoring and control are used, SES Broadband is a solid communications platform.
The industrial implementation of SES Broadband allows for a SCADA network to be realized with an always-on, secure two-way satellite connection to the IP backbone, with a guaranteed bandwidth (and symmetrical download/upload speeds if required) for a flat fee. The network is independent of other terrestrial communications links and can operate from remote sites, and across all of Europe.
Technology
SES Broadband uses a satellite link to carry IP data in both directions between the central hub and remote terminals. At the hub, routers connect to the
Internet backbone
The Internet backbone may be defined by the principal data routes between large, strategically interconnected computer networks and core routers of the Internet. These data routes are hosted by commercial, government, academic and other high-ca ...
and IP data is embedded in a
DVB-S2 format carrier to be
uplink
In a telecommunications network, a link is a communication channel that connects two or more devices for the purpose of data transmission. The link may be a dedicated physical link or a virtual circuit that uses one or more physical links or sha ...
ed to the satellite from SES'
teleport and, from there,
downlink
In a telecommunications network, a link is a communication channel that connects two or more devices for the purpose of data transmission. The link may be a dedicated physical link or a virtual circuit that uses one or more physical links or shar ...
ed to the remote terminal where the signal is received with a domestic-type dish for the satellite internet modem, which extracts the IP data for the end user's PC.
The return path is handled in a similar fashion, but with a low power 500 mW transmitter on each terminal dish providing the uplink to the satellite, with multiple-frequency
time division multiple access
Time-division multiple access (TDMA) is a channel access method for shared-medium networks. It allows several users to share the same frequency channel by dividing the signal into different time slots. The users transmit in rapid succession, o ...
techniques employed to handle many remote terminals simultaneously. SES Broadband combines 2 standards for the return path:
Satmode for modulation and coding and
DVB-RCS for the access scheme.
The central hub and terminal technology is developed by a Belgian company called Newtec.
SES Broadband uses the
Astra 3B
Astra 3B is one of the Astra communications satellites owned and operated by SES, launched in 2010 to the Astra 23.5°E orbital position providing digital television and radio for direct-to-home (DTH), and the AstraConnect two-way satellite ...
communications satellite at the
23.5° east orbital position to handle uplinks and downlinks in both directions. A number of transponders are used for the hub-to-terminal downlink in the satellite TV downlink segment of the
Ku band (10.70 GHz-12.75 GHz). The terminal-to-hub uplink to the satellite uses the uplink segment of the Ku band (14.00 GHz-14.50 GHz) and extended Ku band (13.75 GHz-14.25 GHz)
Marketing
SES Broadband services are sold to residential users by a number of
ISPs
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...
in partnership with SES. Such partnerships operate either exclusively or in competition within different regions and countries of Europe. Germany was the first country to receive access to SES Broadband (then ASTRA2Connect) services. SES currently has partnerships with ISPs to provide SES Broadband services in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Spain and the UK, with partnerships in other countries under negotiation.
The service provider is typically responsible for marketing and selling the SES Broadband service, providing home and business installations, billing, and running a subscriber helpdesk. SES Broadband Services provides the (SES) satellite capacity, a DVB/IP Internet platform, uplink services, Internet backbone connectivity, subscriber activation and monitoring, and technical support for the service provider.
The first service provider in Germany was ISP, Filiago and in the UK, BeyonDSL. In the UK, customers of BeyonDSL purchase the SES Broadband terminal equipment for £300, pay a £50 registration fee and a monthly fee according to the package chosen with one-off allowance extensions available for additional payment:
User equipment
Connection to the SES Broadband service is by way of a Sat3Play satellite terminal developed by Newtec in conjunction with the
European Space Agency (ESA). The terminal comprises an external
satellite dish fitted with a two-way interactive
LNB ("iLNB") connected by coaxial cable to the indoor satellite "
IP modem
A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...
" that, in turn, connects to the user's PC or
LAN. Assembly of the dish and installation is straightforward and requires only a few basic tools and a simple signal strength meter. The installation is sometimes referred to as Do-It-Yourself (DiY) installation. Detailed instructions for installation are supplied and this can be achieved by any competent end user, without professional help.
The satellite dish is of an
offset design with an diameter solid steel reflector and fitted with an
altazimuth mount.
The iLNB combines the feedhorn and electronics for reception and transmission in one unit, and is provided with two
F connectors for receive and transmit connection to the IPmodem. The reception (download) section is equivalent to a universal LNB used in a European domestic
direct broadcast satellite
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna comm ...
TV system but provides for reception of one signal polarization only (selection of the correct polarization at installation is obtained by rotating the iLNB within its mount on the dish).
The IPmodem is a small plastic-cased mains powered unit with F connectors for connection to both receive and transmit sections of the iLNB. It requires no software on the end user's PC and connects directly, or via a
LAN using a standard
8P8C (RJ-45)
Ethernet
Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 1 ...
connector.
The terminal acts as a DHCP server for the computer, and provides LED indicators for power, satellite link alarm, LAN connection, LAN data, satellite signal received and satellite transmission. With the dish aligned correctly on the correct satellite, the IPmodem automatically seeks out the initial receive carrier frequency (10.891 GHz) and establishes a satellite connection.
To enable an SES Broadband dish to be used for normal satellite TV reception, a "Quad LNB and Multifeed Clamp" upgrade can be fitted to the terminal dish. This comprises a replacement clamp for the iLNB onto which fits an additional LNB clamp for either
Astra 19.2°E
Astra 19.2°E is the name for the group of Astra communications satellites co-located at the 19.2°East orbital position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg.
Astra 19.2°E used to be commonly k ...
or
Astra 28.2°E
Astra 28.2°E is the name for the group of Astra communications satellites co-located at the 28.2° East position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. It is one of the major TV satellite positions s ...
, fixed at the correct horizontal separation and adjustable vertically (for the user's
latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
). A special four-output LNB is supplied, which contains filtering to suppress interference from the iLNB's transmitter.
Performance
SES Broadband provides an always-on connection and German consumer magazine, ''SatVision'' declared the SES Broadband (then ASTRA2Connect) speed "Good" with a score of 83.3%, while ''PC Magazin'' found "The speed of the data transfer is what you'd expect from 1Mbit/s access. Our tests rushed through the ether at about 115Kbyte/s."
What Satellite and Digital TV magazine concluded that the service "provides a reliable speed and quality of connection".
Since these tests, the maximum download speed has been increased and now stands at 10Mbit/s, with a maximum upload speed of 256 kbit/s which puts SES Broadband on par with practical terrestrial broadband connections.
Potential drawbacks of satellite broadband systems include the lack of security of the download data (which can be received by anyone within the satellite's
footprint
Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes. The ...
) and the delay inherent in the connection – as both upload and download data must follow the route from the ground to the satellite (located some above the Earth) and back, there is a minimum total delay or
latency (depending on the location of the receive site) of about 0.5 seconds.
SES Broadband data transmission features two-way TCP encryption to provide security, and data compression, TCP-acceleration, and HTTP pre-fetching (at the server and subscriber ends) to alleviate the effects of satellite latency.
''Digital Fernsehen'' magazine's tests of SES Broadband (then ASTRA2Connect) found that "two-way connection via satellite is unsuitable for lovers of on-line games. The
ping
Ping may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Ping, a domesticated Chinese duck in the illustrated book '' The Story about Ping'', first published in 1933
* Ping, a minor character in ''Seinfeld'', an NBC sitcom
* Ping, a c ...
times measured are too long for this application, with values of 578 ms-589 ms". However, ''PC Magazins tests found: "The echo (Ping) times were around 650 ms. For large downloads, that is insignificant and while surfing on the Internet, it is easy to accept a half-second 'time to reflect'."
Maritime Broadband
SES Broadband for Maritime
SES Broadband for Maritime is a two-way satellite broadband Internet service for use on private boats and commercial ships throughout European waters.
SES Broadband for Maritime provides high-speed Internet access (at up to 2 Mbit/s downlink) alo ...
was launched in September 2009 to provide satellite internet access for vessels at sea and on inland waterways in the European region. The maritime service is intended for pleasure crafts, fishing and coastal ships, ferries and smaller commercial cargo carriers, operating mainly in the North and Baltic Seas, and the northern Mediterranean.
and provides the same always-on high-speed Internet connection for web browsing, VoIP telephone, email, etc.
The SES Broadband for Maritime service uses the same satellite modem, as the land-based solution, but the terminal deployed is a professional in-motion marine dish with automatic tracking capabilities, housed in a protective
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and conceal antenna e ...
. This enables the two-way satellite link to be maintained even while the vessel is underway.
The service provider for maritime users across all Europe supplies broadband and the hardware for a fixed monthly subscription.
[H2OSatellit]
''H2O Litespeed''
(September, 2009). Service provider brochure. Retrieved November 14, 2009
Gallery
See also
*
FleetBroadband
FleetBroadband is maritime satellite internet, telephony, SMS texting, and ISDN network for ocean-going vessels using portable domed terminal antennas.
These antennas, and corresponding indoor controllers, are used to connect phones and laptop ...
marine service by Inmarsat
*
Tooway
Tooway satellite broadband Internet service available across Europe. The first version of the service was launched in 2007 via two Eutelsat geostationary satellites, Hot Bird 6 and Eurobird 3, respectively at the 13° and 33° East orbital po ...
European satellite Internet service by Eutelsat
*
HughesNet
Hughes Network Systems, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. It is headquartered in Germantown, Maryland and provides satellite internet service. HughesNet has over 1.3 million subscribers in the Americas.
History
Hughes Communication ...
US satellite Internet service
*
StarBand StarBand was a two-way Satellite Internet access, satellite broadband Internet service available in the United States, U.S. from 2000–2015.
StarBand ceased operations effective September 30, 2015 citing increased competition from other internet p ...
US satellite Internet service
*
WildBlue
Viasat Inc. is an American communications company based in Carlsbad, California, with additional operations across the United States and worldwide. Viasat is a provider of high-speed satellite broadband services and secure networking systems co ...
US satellite Internet service by ViaSat
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ses Broadband
SES S.A.
Satellite Internet access
Broadband
Internet in Europe
Internet service providers
Direct broadcast satellite services
Interactive television
Telecommunications companies of Luxembourg
Betzdorf, Luxembourg