Symposium on future satellite communications for global IP and ATM networking market trends and technological developments for DVB-RCS

The goal was to consider implementations, equipment development, technology enhancements and market trends for the new ETSI two way satellite standard DVB-RCS. A multimedia satellite network is a space-based communications system that interconnects users who are exchanging mostly real time applications based on several data types (e.g., text, voice, images, and video). The DVB-S standard allows Internet traffic to be multiplexed with traditional video services and broadcast from a central (or regional) hub station to a multitude of terminals within a satellite down link beam. In the year 2000 a Direct Return Channel System was standardized by the ETSI. This standard requires a forward link based on a DVB/MPEG 2 data format and a return link using a multi-frequency time division multiple access (MF-TDMA) scheme. Systems are currently being planned and implemented in Europe, Japan and North America that allow a two-way exchange of data via VSAT type terminals using the DVB-RCS (Digital Video Broadcast-Return Channel System) standard.