ASTRA2Connect

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Example of the terminal dish used to access the ASTRA2Connect system in Europe
Example of the terminal dish used to access the ASTRA2Connect system in Europe

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. ASTRA2Connect is owned and operated by SES ASTRA, a subsidiary of SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg.

ASTRA2Connect provides high-speed Internet access at a flat rate cost to end users, along with VoIP, IPTV, and content-on-demand facilities, without any requirement for a landline, cable or terrestrial wireless connection.

Contents

[edit] Application

Close up of the receive/transmit iLNB used on the ASTRA2Connect terminal dish
Close up of the receive/transmit iLNB used on the ASTRA2Connect terminal dish

The ASTRA2Connect 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.[1] and by 2010, up to 6million, or 3.5%, of the 170 million homes in Western Europe will still be without terrestrial broadband access.[2]

ASTRA2Connect 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, ASTRA2Connect is used for dual play (broadband internet and telephony) and triple play (broadband Internet, telephony and TV) services[1].

[edit] Technology

ASTRA2Connect 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 and IP data is embedded in a DVB-S2 format carrier to be uplinked to the satellite from SES ASTRA’s teleport and, from there, downlinked 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 500mW transmitter on each terminal dish providing the uplink to the satellite, with multiple-frequency time division multiple access techniques employed to handle many remote terminals simultaneously.

The central hub and terminal technology is developed by a Belgian company called Newtec.

ASTRA2Connect uses the ASTRA 1E 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 (10.70GHz-12.75GHz). The terminal-to-hub uplink to the satellite uses using the uplink segment of the Ku band (14.00GHz-14.50 GHz) and extended Ku band (13.75GHz-14.25GHz)

[edit] Marketing

The IPmodem used to connect the iLNB to the user’s host PC or local area network
The IPmodem used to connect the iLNB to the user’s host PC or local area network

ASTRA2Connect services are sold to residential users by a number of ISPs in partnership with SES ASTRA. Such partnerships operate either exclusively or in competition within different regions and countries of Europe. Germany was the first country to receive access to ASTRA2Connect services. SES ASTRA currently has partnerships with ISPs to provide ASTRA2Connect services in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Switzerland,[3] with partnerships in other countries under negotiation.[4]

The first ASTRA2Connect service provider in Germany was ISP, Filiago[5] which is responsible for marketing and selling the ASTRA2Connect service, providing home and business installations, billing, and running a subscriber helpdesk. SES ASTRA provides the ASTRA2Connect satellite capacity, a DVB/IP Internet platform, uplink services, Internet backbone connectivity, subscriber activation and monitoring, and technical support for Filiago.

Customers of Filiago purchase the ASTRA2Connect terminal equipment for €320, pay a €100 registration fee and a flat rate monthly fee according to the maximum speed – €20 for 256Kbit/s download, 64Kbits/s upload, €30 for 512Kbit/s download, 96Kbits/s upload, or €40 for 1024Kbit/s download, 128Kbits/s upload.[6]

[edit] User Equipment

Connection to the ASTRA2Connect service is by way of a Sat3Play satellite terminal developed by Newtec[7] 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 “IPmodem” 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.[8]

The satellite dish is of an offset design with an 80 cm 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 TV system but provides for reception of one signal polarity only (selection of the correct polarity 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 RJ45 Ethernet 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 (10.891GHz) and establishes a satellite connection.

[edit] Performance

Rear panel of the IPmodem of the ASTRA2Connect satellite broadband system showing the two receive and transmit F connectors and the RJ45 network connection
Rear panel of the IPmodem of the ASTRA2Connect satellite broadband system showing the two receive and transmit F connectors and the RJ45 network connection

ASTRA2Connect provides an always-on connection but overall downloaded data is limited by a "fair use" policy. More than 2Gbyte of data downloaded per month reaches the fair use limit, and access speed is then automatically throttled.[9] However, the speed is restored to the maximum at the start of each month. Moreover, tests conducted by German consumer magazine, PC Magazin, found the limit was not a practical constraint: "Despite violent download orgies, we didn’t came up against the 'Fair Policy'. We had the full 1024Kbit/s at our disposal for the whole test period."[10]

A maximum download speed of 1024Kbit/s and a maximum upload speed of 128Kbit/s.[1] puts ASTRA2Connect on par with terrestrial broadband connections. German consumer magazine, SatVision declared the ASTRA2Connect speed "Good" with a score of 83.3%,[11] 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."[12]

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) 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 35,785km 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.

ASTRA2Connect 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.[13]

Digital Fernsehen magazine’s tests of ASTRA2Connect found that "two-way connection via satellite is unsuitable for lovers of on-line games. The Ping times measured are too long for this application, with values of 578ms-589ms".[14] However, PC Magazin’s tests found: "The echo (Ping) times were around 650ms. For large downloads, that is insignificant and while surfing on the Internet, it’s easy to accept a half-second 'time to reflect'."[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c SES ASTRA "ASTRA2Connect Broadband internet access and VoIP". (August, 2007). Company factsheet
  2. ^ Holmes, Mark. "2007: Pivotal Year For Satellite Broadband In Europe" Via Satellite (December, 2007) 19-20
  3. ^ ASTRA2Connect. SES ASTRA. Retrieved on April 23, 2008. Company website
  4. ^ SES ASTRA (January 15, 2008). "Satellite Broadband Service ASTRA2Connect Expands To France and Italy". Press release.
  5. ^ Filiago GmbH http://www.filiago.de German ISP partner.
  6. ^ ASTRA2Connect End User Prices (Germany). Filiago. Retrieved on April 24, 2008.
  7. ^ Newtec Company NV http://www.newtec.eu Terminal manufacturer
  8. ^ SES ASTRA "Manual for the ASTRA2Connect Terminal" version 1.6.5. (March 3, 2007). Instruction manual
  9. ^ Sülzer, Torsten. "DSL für ländliche Regionen" Kölnische Rundschau (April 3, 2008) (German) "Werden mehr als zwei Gigabyte Daten pro Monat geladen, greift die „Fair Trade Policy“ - dann wird der Zugang automatisch gedrosselt."
  10. ^ Pichl, Günter. "Über-All Internet" PC Magazin (July, 2007) 52-53 (German) "Trotz heftiger Download-Orgien kamen wir mit der „Fair Policy“ nicht in Konflikt. Wir hatten während des gesamten Testzeitraums die vollen 1024Kbit/s zur Verfügung."
  11. ^ Szigat, F. "Das Internet aus dem All" SatVision (August, 2007) 44-46 (German)
  12. ^ Pichl, Günter. "Über-All Internet" PC Magazin (July, 2007) 52-53 (German) "Die Geschwindigkeit der Datenübertragung entspricht dem, was man von einem 1 Mbit/s-Zugang erwarten darf. Rund 115 kByte/s rauschten bei unseren Tests über den Äther."
  13. ^ Newtec Productions NV "TP200 Sat3Play Broadband Terminal" (Version R2/01.2008). Company factsheet
  14. ^ Meyer, Thomas. "Praxistest Internet via Satellit" Digital Fernsehen (September, 2007) 86-87 (German) "Nicht geeignet ist die Zwei-Wege-Verbindung via Satellit für Liebhaber von Online-Spielen. Die von DF gemessenen Ping-Zeiten, d. h. die Zeiten, die „Astra 2 Connect“ benötigt, um eine Seite wie www.digitalfernsehen.de aufzurufen, sind für diese Applikation mit Werten von 578 bis 589 Millisekunden zu lang."
  15. ^ Pichl, Günter. "Über-All Internet" PC Magazin (July, 2007) 52-53 (German) "Allerdings lagen die Antwortzeiten (Ping) im Bereich von rund 650 ms. Für größere Downloads ist das belanglos und auch beim Surfen im Internet ist die gute halbe Sekunde „Bedenkzeit“ leicht zu verschmerzen."

[edit] See also