• Uses satellite in geostationary (geosynchronous) orbit (36,000 km).
  • Source transmits signal to satellite which amplifies or repeats it, and retransmits down to destinations.
  • Optimum transmission in 1 - 10 GHz range; Bandwidth of 100’sMHz.
  • Significant propagation delay 270ms.
  • Total propagation delay is independent of distance between sender and receiver.
  • Applications:
    • Long-distance telephones
    • Television distribution
    • Private business networks.

                         

VSAT (Very Small Aperture System)

  • For business data applications requiring high data rates for short periods of time.
  • National Weather Service, news services, credit card verification, automatic tellers, and car rental agencies.
  • Commonly connects a central location with many remote ones.
  • Communication between two sites is via a satellite and allows low-cost small antenna dishes (5 ft).