Space-age internet arrives from French Guiana (in Latin America, north of Brazil)

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

The National Broadband Company (NBN Co) blasted into a geostationary orbit of 36 000Km one of two satellites called Sky Muster. A "K_a Band" type satellite that relies on overlaying 101 "spot" beams. It is capable of providing 70Gbs throughput (140Gbs with the secondary satellite). The potential 200 000 customers will have access to 25Mbs download and 5Mbs upload. The NBN Co's two satellites will cover 7.69 million square kilometers and are specifically suited for IP traffic. There will be 10 ground stations to assist with streaming content such as videos and some fancy pre-caching to control a latency of 250 milliseconds. For the price tag of AUD $7900 customers will be limited to 50Gb per four week cycle. Excess will be rated back to 125kbps for two weeks and a download limit applies to single content type like "streaming" 9.7Gb with ridgid terms... :lol:

NBN Co.- Service provider owned by the Commonwealth of Australia.

Geostationary orbit - Fixed position of a satellite as it orbits Earth matching it's speed, thus holding a fixed position enabling it to stay above Australia. So what speed would it be doing?
About 3.0754 x 103 m/s -click here for the calculation-
 
The K_a band ("kay-ay band") covers the frequencies of 26.5–40 GHz
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Bridging the digital divide in the rural parts of Australia and some of the remote islands in the Pacific
 
There is a longer version of the launch with more statistics like 1.6 Kilometres/second faster than a speeding bullet
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PRESS-RELEASE Arianespace's 2015 launch cadence: Ariane 5 orbits Sky Muster and ARSAT-2

Two telecommunications satellites that will provide expanded relay capacity for Australia and Argentina were orbited today on Arianespace’s ninth mission in 2015 – putting the company on track to perform a record 12 flights this year using its three-member launch vehicle family, which consists of the heavy-lift Ariane 5, medium-lift Soyuz and lightweight Vega.

Lifting off exactly on time during a daylight departure from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the heavy-lift Ariane 5 utilized for today’s mission deployed its Sky Muster and ARSAT-2 satellite passengers during a 32-minute flight sequence. It marked the 82nd mission overall using Arianespace’s workhorse launcher, as well as the 68th consecutive Ariane 5 success.

In post-launch comments, Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël confirmed that Arianespace was on pace for a record-setting operational performance this year (12 flights from the Spaceport in 12 months), and also highlighted the company’s continued commitment to quality.

“Launch after launch, success after success, Arianespace demonstrates its capability to increase its launch rates while remaining the most reliable space transportation solution for all customers, whether commercial and institutional, whether GTO or non-GTO,” he said

 

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Sky Muster will help reduce the digital divide on this nation-continent, by guaranteeing high-speed Internet access to more than 200,000 Australians living in rural and isolated areas of the country. It will cover the entire country, including Norfolk, Christmas, Macquarie and Cocos islands.

Built by SSL of Palo Alto, California, using a 1300 platform, Sky Muster weighed 6,440 kg. at launch.
Arianespace
 

It is fitted with 202 K_a band transponders and will be positioned at 140° East, with a design life exceeding 15 years.
 
It will provide homes in rural and remote Australia with better access to e-health services, distance education and entertainment-on-demand, whilst businesses will have the ability to increase productivity, reduce costs and access new markets.
NBN Co

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Update to the story:-
The NBN Co. the Australian owned broadband company and the backer for the "Ariane Flight VA226". Has put the drawing that Bailey Brooks; a 6 year old school of the air student drew, that was printed onto the rocket, as the headline news because it may be several months before it even comes close to being "online" (well after this thread becomes locked).

"Outback Glory: Meet our Competition Winner Bailey Brooks" -click here-

You view some of the other children's entries -click here- (hopefully it is not geolocked?)
 
Here is an illustration detailing how the two types of K_a band "spot beams" will cover the vast terrain of Australia. It is quite obviously not for the people in the densely populated areas who have access to other means of internet services, but it does show how the islands will be connected.
 

 
Here is how the NBN Co. illustrate in a “User friendly” way how the new technology will be applied for the end user. Will it matter if you do not live in a blue house? Only time will tell!
 

 
Wikipedia have a page showing a some of the data regarding the Sky Muster (NBN-Co 1A) satellite -click here- (they will getting my student AUD$3 Christmas donation)
 
Looking through this list of Australian satellites, realised that there is some seriously expensive hardware just floating in space...
 
Satellite Name                Launched            Orbit                Purpose               Status 2010
Wresat                            29-11-1967           LEO                  Scientific            Decayed 10-01-1968
Australis/Oscar 5             23-01-1970           LEO                  Amateur/Sci           Debris in orbit
Aussat 1                          27-08-1985           GEO                  Commsat               Debris above GEO
Aussat 2                          27-11-1985           GEO                  Commsat               Debris above GEO
Aussat 3                          15-09-1987           GEO                  Commsat               Debris above GEO
Optus B1                         13-08-1992           GEO                  Commsat               Debris above GEO
rocket(Optus B2)             21-12-1992           GTO                  Deploy Fail           Decayed 29-06-1995
Optus B3                         27-08-1994           GEO 154E         Commsat               Operational
Westpac/Fizeau               10-07-1998           LEO                  Laser Reflector       Operational
Fedsat                            14-12-2002           LEO                  Scientific            Debris in orbit
Optus C1                         11-06-2003           GEO 156E         Commsat               Operational
Optus D1                         13-10-2006           GEO 160E         Commsat               Operational
Optus D2                         05-10-2007           GEO 152E         Commsat               Operational
Optus D3                         21-08-2009           GEO 156E         Commsat               Operational  (data retrieved from  -Australian Space Academy-)

 
Especially when thinking about the recent Falcon 9 first stage recovery project landing, for Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX)  -here is a link to the YouTube video in case you missed it-

 

February update to the story:-

NBN has (this February) begun offering plans to potential users "The satellite will come online in April, with retail service providers offering usage packages of up to 150GB per month" Adam Turner a journalist who was at the February 2nd Sky Muster demonstration in Brunswick (suburb of Melbourne in Victoria) noted that the 654 millisecond ping would be an issue to some users. But was impressed by 3.25 Mbps up and 25.1 Mbps down as he himself "lives at the end of a flaky DSL connection" only 10 kilometres from Melbourne CBD. The demonstration showed it was capable of connecting without problems to Netflix, ABC iView -click here- and Skype concurrently!

Those who will be logging on to Sky Muster will need to install new hardware (such as a fixed aerial, wiring and decoder) for the $7900 set up cost and plans from $35 per month. There are three ISP's currently submitting expressions of interest Harbour ISP, SkyMesh, and Activ8me and others are expected to pick up the reselling as the commercial plans are released in April 2016.

The two internet plans offered by Sky Muster in April/May are 25/5 Mbps (faster than my current ADSL2 connection) and a 12/1 Mbps one and minimum speeds are not guaranteed. The NBN's intention is to end the Digital Divide for rural Australians, although some may argue that it will really only be able to offer an increased access now (after the second satellite is launched) which is a stop gap measure. As the need for the service increases over time the fact that the hardware is somewhere circling the in the *sky* will make the upgrade path neigh on impossible! Click here for link to Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australians (BIRRR) and for "information about the often-confusing landscape of bush broadband"

Thanks to Adam Turner of Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

David Swan of the The Australian reports -click here- "Metro users won’t be allowed to access Sky Muster, with urban Australians instead forced to wait for the rest of the rollout" which is optical fibre to the node.

 

 

Image sourced from ABC News Coffs Coast

Links:-
Arianespace press release
Arianespace YouTube channel
NBN Co.
SSL
Wikipedia

[Ridska]

So it beging's.......

Skynet....

Should have put arnold swarzenegger on that rocket just to be safe . just saying....

Well'p , ill be grabbing my shotgun and running for the hills , the last thing that i want is the dammn bots to kill me .

[JAKEBAB]

Space age? Might I remind you fiber has done 1tbps?

50gbs is just not enough these days imo.

[roastduck]

I watched this launch live. Pretty hefty satellite

[Stefan1024]

A pretty capable box of metall, plastic and silicon. It's a good solution for remote areas, but it has big disadwantages due to the distance (latency, cost, limitted frequencies...).

Normal user will stick to cable, probably not forever, but for a loooooong time.

[Rune]

250ms isn't bad for satellite. But that 50gb limit for $7900....

[Gonk]

Space age? Might I remind you fiber has done 1tbps?

50gbs is just not enough these days imo.

 

Or maybe it's "space age" because it's being provided by a satellite that's in space...?

[Nineshadow]

 

For the price tag of AUD $7 900 customers will be limited to 50Gb per four week cycle.

Hahahahahahaha.

Nice joke.

Oh wait...

[Stefan1024]

Hahahahahahaha.

Nice joke.

Oh wait...

You know it's an extreme enginering chalange to deliver this bandwith over such a large distance?

The receivers must be smal, with a 10m diameter antenna it would be less a problem. And you and only serve a little amount of costumers, so you can't spread out the millions such a project costs to millions of people like you do in mass production.

[Nineshadow]

You know it's an extreme enginering chalange to deliver this bandwith over such a large distance?

The receivers must be smal, with a 10m diameter antenna it would be less a problem. And you and only serve a little amount of costumers, so you can't spread out the millions such a project costs to millions of people like you do in mass production.

Yes. But still...

[Stefan1024]

Yes. But still...

Sure it's expensive. But it's also not made for Netflix

[ionbasa]

Hahahahahahaha.

Nice joke.

Oh wait...

 

250ms isn't bad for satellite. But that 50gb limit for $7900....

I read it has $7 for 900 people? I think there is an comma or semicolon missing between the 7 and 900.

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

I read it has $7 for 900 people? I think there is an comma or semicolon missing between the 7 and 900.

 

@ionbasa, thanks for pointing that out, I have changed it to a bold figure though the choice of comma or semicolon has been differed (for now), interestingly the Public Service Commission of Canada "Style Guide" says there should be a comma between the numerals when writing amounts of money -click here-.

 

Wikipedia lists -click here- many, many differing styles exampled below, but no semicolon!

1234567.89

1,234,567.89

1,234,567·89

1.234.567,89

1˙234˙567,89

12,34,567.89

1'234'567.89

1'234'567,89

1.234.567'89

123,4567.89

[ravneillal]

So when are we getting internet on the moon?

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

So when are we getting internet on the moon?

 

It is not stationary enough, as the moon does not follow the same trajectory each pass (the receiver dish would need to be adjusting continuously) and the latency would be a massive issue; e.g. would you wait 2.57 seconds for the TV channel selector to change the channel?

[VanayadGaming]

By spaceage you mean internet from the 60s ...right? At those speeds it is prehistoric! 

[Guest Kloaked]

A satellite can provide (on paper) faster internet than what a lot of people get on landline connections.

 

Why.

 

 

By spaceage you mean internet from the 60s ...right? At those speeds it is prehistoric! 

 

As it was already pointed out, it's not the speed that's in relation to the term "space age". The satellite is literally in space.

[crystal6tak]

This is nice and all, but what happened to google's hot air balloon internet thing that was supposedly done to give internet to rural ppl like this one?

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

This is nice and all, but what happened to google's hot air balloon internet thing that was supposedly done to give internet to rural ppl like this one?

 

Yes @crystal6tak that Google balloon internet is called Project Loon and has been quiet since 2012, but has managed to cover 17 million kilometers. On the 29 of October 2015 Google announced that they will be endeavoring to provide balloon-powered internet for Indonesia's 17000 islands, using mobile networks from the stratosphere!

 

 

Facts and Figures for Project Loon -click here-

[That Norwegian Guy]

 LoonIndonesia1.jpg

 

That is one obnoxious hat.

 

I'm kidding

[SydneySideSteveSomewheres]

A satellite can provide (on paper) faster internet than what a lot of people get on landline connections.

 

Why.

 

This is a good point and may be elusive on a "World-wide" scale, not so much to an Australian resident. As we know that the drive from Sydney to Perth is a long one, with one 1200 km (746 miles) stretch (without any quality hotels only road houses) at 16 to 20 hours of constant driving.

 

Thanks for the input @Kloaked, I added a picture that shows that the continent of Australia includes islands, where the possibility of running a *CAT5* cable to could be exorbitantly expensive.