V-SAT
STATIONS – SCI & TECH
News:
Centre to rope in ISRO to
provide Internet in 80 remote tribal Villages
What's
in the news?
●
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is
partnering with ISRO for a pilot project, deploying V-SAT (Very Small Aperture
Terminal) stations in approximately 80 tribal villages across Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and
Maharashtra.
Aim - to provide internet services to these tribal areas
and to brainstorm innovative projects for tribal development.
Nodal
Authority
- Ministry
of Tribal Affairs and ISRO.
V-SAT
(Very Small Aperture Terminal) Stations:
●
It is a two-way satellite ground station enabling communication for voice, data, and video signals.
●
VSATs handle both narrowband data and
broadband data.
○
Narrowband
Data:
■
Credit card transactions, polling, RFID
data, or SCADA
○
Broadband
Data:
■
Satellite Internet access, VoIP, or video.
●
They find use in providing connectivity to
remote locations, supporting transportable or on-the-move communications and
enabling mobile maritime communication.
Working:
●
VSAT operates with a transceiver and an
indoor device.
●
A user’s computer connects to an outdoor
antenna via an indoor device (box).
●
The transceiver in the antenna sends and
receives signals to and from a satellite transponder through a hub station on
Earth.
●
All transmissions pass through the hub
station before being retransmitted via the satellite to reach the end user’s
VSAT.
Beneficiary
States - Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Maharashtra.
Significance:
●
VSAT is cost-effective, lightweight, and operates with low transmission power.
●
It utilizes satellite signals, eliminating
the need for physical links like Ethernet cables, reducing structural risks.
●
VSAT serves as a backup for wired networks
during failures and functions independently for local telecommunication
networks.
●
It can be easily installed in remote
locations with minimal infrastructure needs, redirecting satellite signals
through a central hub to various locations.
Concerns:
●
VSATs suffer from latency due to the time
delay in signals traveling between space and the ground, especially noticeable
in two-way communication.
●
Weather conditions and obstructions like
buildings or trees can cause signal distortion between the satellite and earth
station.