A Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT): What Is It?
A two-way ground station that broadcasts and receives satellite data is called a tiny aperture terminal (VSAT). Less than three meters high, a VSAT can transmit real-time narrow-band and broadband data to satellites in orbit. After that, the data may be sent to other distant hubs or endpoints worldwide.
The Operation of a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT)
There are many business uses for VSAT networks, the most prominent of which is probably enterprise resource planning (ERP). One of the numerous retail breakthroughs that Walmart pioneered to successfully manage its vast inventory in real-time and lower transportation costs between the warehouse and shops was using VSAT for inventory tracking.
Walmart was able to stock its stores more accurately and cut down on the number of times a product had to transit between locations before being sold by combining VSAT with the hub system of inventory storage. Other firms transmit orders via VSAT, verify production numbers in real-time, and do other tasks often performed via wired networks.
One of the most extensive VSAT networks in the world is available for use by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of India as a connection option. The NSE provided connectivity in places with scarce wired solutions because of VSAT. The VSAT network has been kept intact, except for the occasional outages caused by solar radiation distorting satellite signals.
The benefits and drawbacks of using a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) VSAT network are particularly advantageous in deployment. Remote places may be serviced with minimal infrastructure since the ground station communicates with satellites. Walmart initially aggressively leaned on rural America, where telecommunications infrastructure was less dense than in cities, which was one of the reasons it picked VSAT.
Because of this, VSAT networks are the best option for connecting distant work locations, such as exploratory drilling stations that must send daily drill records to headquarters. Additionally, VSAT is not reliant on local telecom networks, which makes it the perfect method for backing up wired systems and lowering the risk of company recovery. With a VSAT network, a firm may continue operating even during a wired network outage.
VSAT is not without its limits, however. The most evident is latency, which occurs when data takes longer to get to the station and dish because a portion of the system is located far above Earth in geosynchronous orbit.
Put differently, methods that require frequent back-and-forth communication exhibit latency compared to one-way data transmission. Nearby factors influencing signal quality include obstructions from nearby buildings and inclement weather.
Conclusion
- A data transmission method called a tiny aperture terminal (VSAT) is utilized in high-frequency trading and many forms of data management.
- Because VSAT bounces the signal from satellites rather than transporting it via physical means like an Ethernet connection, it may be utilized instead of an extensive physical network.
- There may be a delay problem that wouldn’t occur with a physical network since the signal has to bounce. Nonetheless, most users believe this is an acceptable trade-off for having less infrastructure and remote access.
- The weather may negatively impact a VSAT network’s effectiveness.
