C-Band Technology - MegaSatCom

C-Band Vsat Satellite Services

The best Dedicated and shared experience in the market

MegaSatCom utilizes the highest quality best in service C-Band systems and solutions designed and built smart but tough to endure the most rugged environmental conditions. Dedicated and Shared optimized satellite services ensure the best optimized Satellite Internet experience for C-Band customers.

The C-Band Direct IP Internet , SCPC or VPN solutions are typical for large enterprise, Corporate, Mining, Oil and GAS, Bank, NGO, Plantations and who are using real time mission critical networks. The C-Band service is the most reliable than any other satellite technology currently available.

MegaSatComs’s C-Band VSAT Connectivity operates at the lowest bands and was the first band used for satellite communications which has proven to stand the test of time and remain critical to high performance with very high availability times for mission critical operations in the remotest locations.

Advantage of MegaSatCom C-Band VSAT Satellite Internet Services

Operate Teleport
24×7 NOC Services and Support
Experienced VSAT Engineers
High Capacity Links and Global Satellite Platform Lay-out
Reliable Alternative to Terrestrial Networks
Cost-Effective, Easy to Scale and Deploy
Multiple Platforms, such as iDirect, NewTech etc.
Dedicated or Shared Bandwidth Allocation and Cost Effective
Not Affected by Rain
Service Availability 99.95%
24/7 Multilingual Help Desk and Support

C-Band Satellite Technology

C-Band: uplink 5.925-6.425 GHz; downlink 3.7-4.2 GHz

The C-Band frequency satellite link is primarily used for higher quality voice and data communications as well as backhauling. Due to its weaker power, it requires a larger antenna of atleast 1.8m diameter for lower bandwidths of 4Mbps down-link and 1mbps up-link to 3.0m for higher bandwidths. However, due to the lower frequency range, it performs better under adverse weather conditions on the ground.

C-Band VSAT Configurations

Point-to-Point Configuration

Point-to-Multi-Point Configuration

C-Band VSAT Satellite iDirect Modem

iDirect offers satellite communication solutions designed to deliver the highest quality connectivity wherever and whenever it’s needed. Our product portfolio combines innovative technology and solutions to support all your networking requirements for bandwidth, location, satellite frequency, topology or application. For our partners, our technology is a compelling competitive differentiator that positions them for long-term growth and success, whether it’s providing core IP applications to the enterprise or specialized services to any number of diverse vertical industries.

The portfolio consists of iDirect’s Evolution® and iDirect Velocity® product lines. Each product line comprises of operating software, a network management system, hub and line cards and a portfolio of both dedicated and dual-mode remotes.

Evolution®: iDirect’s Evolution product line is designed for network operators to meet a broad range of customer requirements from narrowband to demanding high-bandwidth applications across all markets.
iDirect Velocity®: iDirect Velocity builds on the capabilities of Evolution for greatly expanded scale. It is specifically designed for operators of High Throughput Satellites deploying managed services.

C-Band and Ku-Band Comparison

Which is Better and Why?

Many mobile operators today are using Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) to provide coverage in remote areas and enhance network coverage. VSAT technology needs a frequency for operation, as any other mobile communication technology. The two main bands for VSAT communications are C-Band and Ku-Band. The question is which of them is better and when to use each of them? C-Band and Ku-Band each have pros and cons.

C Band

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the worldwide frequency regulator. ITU initially defined C-band to be the first satellite band and its frequencies range from 4Ghz to 8Ghz. This range of frequency is also used widely by terrestrial microwave backhaul links, especially because the sub 6GHz band is not licensed in many countries around the world. This resulted in a great interference problem between C-Band and terrestrial backhauling links. Thus, ITU started to define new frequency bands as Ku-Band.

On the other hand, signals in C-Band are less focused compared to higher satellite frequencies such as Ku-Band. This is due to the longer wavelength in C Band. Less focused signals means that these signals are less affected by rain (a phenomenon known as rain fade of satellite signals). The attenuation on C-Band signal due to rain fading ranges from 0.4 dB to 1 dB only. Moreover, these less focused signals can provide wider range of coverage. However, these signals need larger dish size ( e.g. 2.4 , 3 or 3.7 meters in diameter), so that they can be received from the satellite. Thus, C-Band requires more expensive equipment which list generally larger and heavier therefore more expensive to freight to and from the site compared to Ku-Band (more Capital Expenditure “CAPEX” and higher freight costs).

Ku-Band

Unlike C-Band, Ku-Band frequencies are dedicated for satellite communication only. This solves the problem of interfering with terrestrial microwave backhaul links. Moreover, Ku-Band is characterized by its high powered signals compared to C-Band. Thus, smaller dishes can be used to achieve the same distance as C-Band and the Ku-Band radio transmitter also requires less power.

Normally a 1.2 or 1.8 meter dish is used for Ku-Band applications. This can save great CAPEX and lowers the equipment freight costs dramatically compared to C-Band which makes Ku-Band suitable for smaller more cost effective networks. One of the previous main downsides with Ku-Band in high rain fall areas was that, the older Ku-Band equipment was more sensitive to rain fade and rain attenuation which reduced the bandwidth during very high rainfall to virtually nothing until the rain subsided.

To mitigate rain fade MegaSatCom utilizes the latest Ku-Band technologies and equipment which mitigate rain fade in the harshest rain conditions allowing for a continuous internet bandwidth flow.

Ku-Band is also one of the best satellite options for vessel communications allowing for the vsat to be installed over a smaller deck footprint while allowing high bandwidth throughput along with VoiP capabilities around the globe.

When to use C-Band and Ku-Band

C-Band

C-Band is preferred in some locations where rainfalls are heavy, as the situation in tropical regions of South East Asia to the likes of Indonesia.
From a commercial point of view, C-Band is better for satellite applications that need larger bandwidth. This is because the license fees for C-Band bandwidth are cheaper than Ku-band ( less Operational Expenditure “OPEX”)

Ku-Band

Ku-Band is preferred for cases where there is a limited area for installation, because a smaller dish size is needed and it is easy to install.
From a commercial point of view, Ku-Band is better for satellite applications that need smaller bandwidth, as the equipment is cheaper, and also weighs lighter so freight costs are much lower than C-Band.

Summary

Both C-Band and Ku-Band have their uses in satellite applications. Both can provide accepted QoS and communication speed depending on which applications the consumer would like to utilize.

Further consultation with MegaSatCom’s highly skilled engineers will ensure the best overall VSAT Satellite design solution for application requirements and budget, with quality and safety as top priority.