Improving Quality-of-Service of Real-Time Applications over Bandwidth Limited Satellite Communication Networks via Compression

Abstract

VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) satellite network is one of the widely deployed communication networks for rural and remote communications in today’s telecommunication world. VSAT satellite networks are growing steadily throughout many industries and market segments in many countries. With new applications and shifts in target markets, VSAT based solutions are being adopted at increasingly higher rates since year 2002 (MindBranch, 2011). Up to December 2008, VSAT market statistics show that the total number of Enterprise VSAT terminals being ordered is 2,276,348, the total number of VSATs being shipped is 2,220,280 and the total number of VSAT sites in service is 1,271,900 throughout the world (Comsys, 2008). VSAT satellite network offers value-added satellitebased services capable of supporting the Internet, data, video, LAN, voice and fax communications. VSATs are a single, flexible communication platform which can be installed quickly and cost efficiently to provide telecommunication solutions for consumers, governments and corporations, thus, they are becoming increasingly important. VSAT satellite network plays an important role in bridging the digital divide and it is the one of the easiest deployment technology and cost effective way to interconnect two networks especially in rural areas, when other wired technologies are practically impossible and unsuitable due to geographical distance or accessibility. In this chapter, a fundamental overview of satellite communication network, with the highlighting of its main characteristics, constraints and proposal on compression technique which can be applied to boost up the Quality of Service (QoS) of the satellite communication services, are provided. VSAT satellite network provides communications support for a wide range of applications, which include point-of-sales transaction, financial management, telemetry & data collection, private-line voice services, virtual private networks, distance education, high speed internet access and more (TM, 2011). VSAT satellite technology has many advantages. It can be deployed anywhere around the world and it offers borderless communication within the coverage area. Besides, it is cost effective and can be setup in a matter of minutes. VSAT network configuration such as bandwidth, interfaces and data rates can be updated remotely from the central network management system, hence, it provides high flexibility and efficiency. However, like other technologies, VSAT satellite network has its downsides. The limitations of VSAT technology