Satellite services: battle of the bands

摘要

Satellite services do not all uniformly transmit and receive on the same part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the second of three articles on satellite communications in oil and gas production, Vaughan O'Grady discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the various bands used by both fixed and mobile .satellite services. FOR THE OIL and gas industry, affordably taking Wi-Fi, WiMAX or cellular offshore or into remote areas is almost impossible. Thus, while they may be relatively expensive, satellite links using very small aperture terminals (VSATs) are often the best option. However, FSS (Fixed Satellite Services) VSATs are not the whole story. Smaller, more portable MSS (Mobile Satellite Services) terminals also play an important role in connecting remote oil installations, and the vessels that may serve them, to the rest of the world. And between them these services operate, or soon will be able to operate, on a number of bands in the electromagnetic spectrum. They are, in rising order of frequency range, L, C, Ku and Ka.