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Broadband applications such as digital television and data broadcast to PCs are not only providing exciting new experiences for end users, they are also creating a need for higher speed data and video delivery methods. Traditional slow connections are not able to keep pace with these new requirements. The reason for these slow connections can be attributed primarily to analog modem technology, which has reached its limit in terms of overall speed and bandwidth capabilities. Cable modems based on digital technology are poised to offer new and faster alternatives to their analog counterparts, creating a race among various service providers to deliver faster access to home users. Satellite communications are a new alternative that allows the PC to view digital television and receive content and applications at speeds unmatched by current technologies.

Satellite modems are ideal for applications that require downloading large amounts of data. That's because satellite communications are capable of supporting very high transfer rates of 38 Mbps (Megabits per second), providing users with the bandwidth they need to access complex files with high graphics and video content. While the notion of using satellite modems to accelerate data transfer to PCs is certainly not new, practical implementations are just now getting off the ground. By the end of 1998, several products should be available from different vendors in the marketplace.

While advances in standards and technology are needed to accelerate the introduction and acceptance of satellite modems, equally important is the development of compelling applications that ultimately will require the transfer of large amounts of data; applications for which satellite communications are ideally positioned.

A number of specifications and protocols are helping to set the stage for the introduction of satellite modem products. The Universal Serial Bus (USB)-based satellite modem is one such example. While it's based on an accepted specification and its components are easy to install on a PC, its downstream bandwidth is limited to 8 Mb/second. PCI cards, by comparison, provide access speeds of 30 Mbps. An IEEE 1394-based satellite modem combines the ease of installation of a USB-based modem with the high performance of a PCI card.

Intel Corp. is one company, which is working across the industry to help create standards-based, interoperable satellite modem products that will deliver high-speed data and digital television to homes. It is also currently developing software for today's headends and base stations, which are designed to enable and enhance the delivery of voice, video, and data via satellite communications.  

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Webauthor : Saumitra M Das