Enterprise Plus Satellite Services
For today's business enterprise, broadband access isn't a luxury, it's a necessity - regardless of where your office is located. A broadband satellite solution from Broad Sky’s, powered by iDirect, helps expand your existing IP network beyond the limitations of the wired world and provides the peace of mind knowing that your terrestrial network is seamlessly backed up in the event of disaster. iDirect's satellite hubs and routers power some of the world's most powerful satellite networks, delivering broadband access where wire lines do not, and providing back up where they do. Regardless of your broadband requirements, an iDirect-enabled satellite network can take your network to the next level. Discover why Enterprise Plus Satellite Service, powered by iDirect, can work with your network.
Enterprise Plus Satellite Services, powered by iDirect, is available on the following satellites:
The iDirect series 3000 Satellite Router is specifically designed to address the distinct IP network communications needs of small remote branch offices. The series 3000 Satellite Router supplies all the hardware and software you need to meet all your essential remote broadband requirements. Read More »
Enterprise Plus Satellite Service FAQ´s
- Can I save satellite bandwidth using an iDirect solution versus another VSAT system?
- Does iDirect have any other product offerings to help minimize satellite bandwidth requirements?
- Given the inherent satellite latencies, how can I support external encryption such as Type-1 and still have acceptable IP throughput?
- Satellite bandwidth is much more expensive per bit than terrestrial solutions. Can an iDirect VSAT solution ever be cost-effective?
- Can I develop an iDirect-based service without investing in a full hub and teleport infrastructure?
- How do we reduce latency over the satellite link?
- Is UDP traffic affected by the latency introduced by the satellite link?
- Do we support VoIP? How much bandwidth is needed per call? What VoIP solutions have we tested?
- Do we support VPN with Encryption Traffic?
- What is the bits to hertz efficiency of iDirect's TDM outbound channel? Inbound channel?
- What does iDirect mean by "one box solution"?
- How many remote locations can an iDirect powered network support?
- What are the benefits of iDirect vs. DVB?
iDirect can save up to 50% on satellite bandwidth relative to VSAT industry standard DVB-RCS systems. These savings come from a number of advanced technologies, including Turbo Product Codes, 1.2 channel spacing, and iDirect's proprietary IP encapsulation techniques.
- iDirect offers iCAS. iDirect's Compression and Acceleration Server. iCAS can reduce satellite bandwidth requirements on Internet access applications by up to 50%. iCAS is simple to implement because it consists of only 1 server that sits at the VSAT hub. iCAS does not require any changes at remote terminals.
- iDirect offers a product called the Network Accelerator to compensate for the 120 Kbps speed limit set by the 0.25 second latency of encrypted traffic traveling over a satellite link. One Network Accelerator sits at each VSAT that carries externally encrypted traffic. The Network Accelerator intercepts the WAN traffic while it is still in the clear and modifies it to run at line rates over high latency satellite links. The Network Accelerator then passes the traffic to the external encryption device, which in turn relays it to iDirect's VSAT for transmission over the satellite.
- iDirect's VSAT solution can be cost effective relative to terrestrial solutions in many cases. First, iDirect is cost effective in rural and remote areas where it is very expensive to lay fiber or set up microwave towers. Second, iDirect is cost effective when the same content, say a training video, is multicast from one central headquarters to many satellite offices. Third, iDirect is cost effective when network capacity can be time shared among many locations, with each individual site using only a fraction of the total network capacity at any particular moment in time.
- iDirect offers many alternatives to full VSAT hubs that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. For instance, iDirect offers Private Hubs priced in the range of tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, iDirect offers a Virtual Network Operator ( VNO ) Package where a small satellite service provider (the VNO ) can buy a portion of a full hub from a satellite operator. Each VNO can manage his virtual hub as if it were a real hub, but he pays much less for a virtual hub than a real hub.
- No one can reduce latency over the satellite link. The latency over the satellite link is set by the speed of light, which is a constant in this universe. Round trip latency over a satellite link is approximately 0.5 seconds. However, old VSAT systems used to add latency within their inefficient modems. So round trip latency on old VSAT systems can be as much as 1.2 seconds or more. iDirect has much more efficient modems that add very little latency to the link. iDirect's round trip latency is typically about 0.65 seconds.
- UDP traffic is not affected by the latency introduced by the satellite link.
Latency only affects acknowledged traffic like TCP.
- iDirect supports VoIP traffic from many different VoIP systems. Each call typically requires about 16 kbps of IP throughput in each direction. Although iDirect is agnostic to VoIP equipment, iDirect has tested VoIP equipment from Cisco and Verso.
- iDirect's VSAT equipment come with encryption options built into the hardware. The encryption options can be used to create virtual private networks (VPN) over the air.
- iDirect can achieve over 1.3 IP bits per second per Hz on its downstream carrier.
iDirect can achieve over 1.0 IP bits per second per Hz on its upstream carrier.
However, the spectral efficiency of each VSAT network varies considerably depending on a large number of factors.
- Each VSAT from iDirect performs functions that used to be done by up to 5 different appliances at each remote site. Each iDirect VSAT is a satellite modem, a router, a TCP accelerator, a QoS traffic shaper, and an encryption device all bundled into one convenient appliance.
- Each iDirect network can have up to 2000 remotes. Each iDirect hub can support an infinite number of networks. So each iDirect hub can support an infinite number of remote terminals. Technically, the limit is 2000 remotes for each NMS server that sits at an iDirect hub. Each NMS server can be used to implement any number of networks, from one to whatever is convenient. However, the total number of all the remotes in all the networks supported by each NMS server cannot exceed 2000. Multiple NMS servers can be managed as one fully integrated system using iDirect's Global NMS feature. So there is no limit on the total number of remote terminals in one iDirect VSAT system. Any extremely large iDirect system just needs to be subdivided into networks with no more than 2000 remotes in each network.
- iDirect and DVB-RCS both offer star topology VSAT for transporting IP data 2-way via satellite. Shared hub network operators use these systems for similar services:
- Internet Access
- Electronic Mail
- Audio, Video, and Data Content Distribution
- Real Time Applications like Voice and Video Conferencing
Furthermore, iDirect delivers some services that DVB-RCS systems cannot:
- Broadband Content Collection
- Truly Private Networks for Corporations and Government Entities
For all applications, iDirect offers distinct advantages over DVB-RCS systems.
The advantages of iDirect include:
- Faster Actual Speeds
- Real (not virtual) Private Networks
- More Secure Communications
- Far Better Voice Service
- Low Operating Costs
- Low Barriers to Entry
- Inexpensive Expansion Paths
