Telesat demonstrates satellite broadband services for ACIA investment in Iqaluit

Telesat announced this September 20 that it is conducting live demonstrations in Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is showing how satellite broadband services can help remedy bandwidth gaps.

In 2011, the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency sponsored the Arctic Communications Infrastructure Assessment (ACIA) Report on behalf of the Northern Communications & Information Systems Working Group. The ACIA identified bandwidth gaps in the remote areas of Canada such as Iqaluit (population: 6,800,) which had been founded as a US Army Air Corps airbase back in World War Two.

A year later, the Canadian satellite service provider Telesat is now demonstrating the benefits of high speed satellite broadband Internet, bringing upload and download speeds comparable to those in the more urbanized Southern Canada. In addition to a demonstration at the Iqaluit Centennial Library Community Access Program (CAP) site, Telesat teamed up with Northwestel to provide high speed satellite broadband capacity linking 3G cellular service. Telesat also cooperated with Inuit Communications Systems Ltd to provide streaming and live webcasting in Iqaluit.

Earlier this year, Telesat announced that it was investing $40 million in its ACIA initiative as part of a bigger public/private partnership to provide remote Northern Canadian communities with a satellite communications infrastructure for future needs.

In a statement, Paul Bush, Vice President of Telesat’s North America Business Development said that the Company is ready to move forward with the public/private partnership it is proposing. Telesat hoped that its demonstrations in Iqaluit will lead to realizing advanced satellite broadband services in Northern Canada.

Internet by satellite for remote regions

Satellite internet is fast becoming the ideal solution for remote connectivity solutions. Despite increase in Internet users, especially in the developing country, majority of the world population are still cut off from the World Wide Web.

Majority of those still without Internet access live in developing countries, or in remote regions both in developing and developed nations. These are the same communities often inaccessible by road, or without stable power supply. Residents in deserts, far flung mountain regions, or even those living in tropical rain forests, and nearly uninhabited islands are cut off from the rest of the world.

This is where internet from satellite comes into play. Since the above-mentioned locations present conditions wherein fibre optic cables are impracticable to build, satellite broadband becomes the ideal solutions. VSAT systems, because of their size, can be easily deployed in this hard-to-reach areas and instantly connect them to teleports uplinking to various geostationary satellites providing the bandwidth.

Recently, satellite also emerged as a potential solution for blocked backhaul communications network. Bandwidth-intensive applications are straining the wireless networks, and with more mobile devices being put out in the market, the clog in the system is worsening. Mobile backhaul via satellite is now an alternative solution in easing the overload in the systems, especially with vast improvements brought by the rise of Ka band satellites, minimized latency issues, and minimized cost.

 

An Introduction to VSAT Systems

Watch this short video for an introduction to VSAT. Find out what a VSAT is, how a VSAT works and which customers VSAT’s are ideal for. The technology is essentials for the success of internet by satellite.

Intelsat selects Boeing 702MP platform for Intelsat 29e EpicNG satellite

Intelsat S.A. has decided that its Intelsat 29e satellite -the first of the powerful Intelsat EpicNG fleet- will be a modified Boeing 702MP platform and the last of a four-satellite order.

According to Thierry Guillemin, SVP and chief technical officer for Intelsat, Intelsat EpicNG will provide an advanced architecture dedicated to the growing fixed and mobile communications needs of their customers. The EpicNG satellites will achieve this through reusing multi-band frequency, creating a high-performance solution that provides compatibility with previous, current, and future satellite communications systems.  

The launch schedule for Intelsat 29e has been set for 2015. The new high-throughput satellite will bring high-performance satellite communications to a huge area that encompasses North and South America, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the North Atlantic aeronautical route.

Intelsat EpicNG will provide satellite broadband infrastructure for wireless and fixed telecommunications, enterprise, mobility, video, and government applications. The new Intelsat platform will serve as a complementary high-throughput overlay to the company’s fleet of operational satellites. EpicNG will offer excellent flexibility and connectivity through a combination of multiple frequency bands (C, Ku, and Ka,) wide beams, and spot beams.

Intelsat 29e completes Intelsat’s four-satellite order with Boeing. The first satellite in that order, Intelsat 22, has been operating flawlessly in its geostationary orbit for more than five months. The next one, Intelsat 21, is now going through in-orbit testing after its recent launch. Intelsat 27 will be launched within the first quarter of next year.