Eutelsat W3A @ 7° East
Strategically placed at 7 degrees East, over the Gulf of Guinea, Eutelsat’s W3A satellite covers the whole of sub-Saharan Africa and provides direct connectivity to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. W3A is one of Eutelsat’s most sophisticated satellites, combining Ku- and Ka-band frequencies and on-board multi-plexing (SKYPLEX). It provides pan-European and pan-African coverage while guaranteeing connectivity between the two continents.
In addition to bringing Africa its first SKYPLEX on-board multi-plexing solution, W3A also brings to Africa key applications such as distance-learning, telemedicine, Internet access and much more.
Launch date: 16/03/04
Launch details: Proton
Satellite construction: EADS Astrium
Source: Eutelsat
2way2sat High Speed Internet services without terrestrial connection are the ideal solution for users who want to become completely independent from their local telco company.
The DVB-RCS like services are based on cost-effective LinkStar terminals from ViaSat. Advantages include the ability to share the satellite bandwidth among several or many terminals – both in the upstream (forward channel) and in the downstream (return channel). Dedicated and shared bandwidth allow different service classes, targeted at diverse user groups:
2way2sat IP Access; Shared Upstream / Shared Downstream:
The maximum data rate and the contention ratio (sharing factor) specify largely the performance of the service. While highly contented services work fine for light usage (Private or SOHO environment), heavy users, like Internet Cafés, imperatively need a service with a low contention ratio.
2way2sat IP Connect Light; Dedicated Upstream / Shared Downstream:
2way2sat IP-Connect Light offers an affordable IP technology for heavy users which need a guaranteed return channel bandwidth, e.g. for a Voice-over-IP line. Target groups include offices and Cyber Cafés.
2way2sat IP Connect; Dedicated Upstream / Dedicated Downstream:
This 100% dedicated service bandwidth (CIR) allows to set-up a uniform Satellite Network across countries, if required. Target groups include Corporations, Administrations, NGOs and ISPs. All LinkStar based services use the same hardware. The size of the antenna and the power of the Blockup-Coverter (BUC) is a function of the satellite footprint and the maximum required upstream data rate.