9) VSAT, Mobile & Direct-to-Device
📖 Theory – 9) VSAT, Mobile & Direct-to-Device
I. VSAT — Very Small Aperture Terminal
• Antenna typically 0.6–3.8 m.
• Star topology or mesh.
• Enterprise, banking, retail, SCADA.
II. Mobile Satellite Services
• Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya.
• L band for robustness.
• Maritime, aviation, land-mobile.
III. Direct-to-Home (DTH)
• Ku band — 10.7–12.75 GHz downlink.
• Small offset dishes.
• DVB-S2X standard.
IV. Aeronautical and Maritime Broadband
• Ku and Ka bands.
• Gogo, Panasonic, Viasat for aviation.
• Inmarsat Fleet Xpress, SES for maritime.
• LEO entering the market.
V. Direct-to-Device (D2D)
• Smartphones connect directly to satellites.
• Starlink + T-Mobile, AST SpaceMobile, Lynk.
• Emergency messaging first.
VI. IoT / M2M via Satellite
• Small data packets from remote sensors.
• LEO constellations for this.
• Integration with 5G NTN.
🏆 Level 1
⭐ 0 points
📝 Advanced Essay (AI-Marked)
Critically analyse the range of satellite user terminals from VSAT to mobile and direct-to-device. Discuss the trade-offs between antenna size, throughput, mobility and cost, and evaluate the emerging D2D and IoT markets.
📝 Practice MCQs (15)
Q1: Explain Phased array terminal in satellite communication.
Q2: Why is Maritime broadband important?
Q3: What are the limitations of Mesh topology?
Q4: Explain IoT in satellite communication.
Q5: Explain Maritime broadband in satellite communication.
Q6: What is D2D?
Q7: How does Handover differ from alternatives?
Q8: How does Maritime broadband differ from alternatives?
Q9: Explain Mesh topology in satellite communication.
Q10: What is IoT?
Q11: What are the limitations of Phased array terminal?
Q12: Why is Aeronautical broadband important?
Q13: How does Phased array terminal differ from alternatives?
Q14: How does Mesh topology differ from alternatives?
Q15: What is Maritime broadband?
Module score: 0/0