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    BGAN Vs VSAT Comparison

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    Asma Hani
    BGAN and VSAT are two options for satellite IP communications. BGAN provides near-global coverage through a seamless network and is easy to set up within five minutes. However, it has higher operating costs charged per megabyte. VSAT also has widespread coverage but requires separate contracts for different satellites. While it offers higher speeds and bandwidth, VSAT terminals are larger, more difficult to set up, and have higher capital costs and licensing fees compared to BGAN. The choice depends on factors like data usage, speeds needed, mobility, and number of concurrent users.

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    BGAN Vs VSAT Comparison

    Uploaded by

    Asma Hani
    41 views2 pages
    BGAN and VSAT are two options for satellite IP communications. BGAN provides near-global coverage through a seamless network and is easy to set up within five minutes. However, it has higher operating costs charged per megabyte. VSAT also has widespread coverage but requires separate contracts for different satellites. While it offers higher speeds and bandwidth, VSAT terminals are larger, more difficult to set up, and have higher capital costs and licensing fees compared to BGAN. The choice depends on factors like data usage, speeds needed, mobility, and number of concurrent users.

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    BGAN_vs_VSAT_comparison

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    BGAN and VSAT are two options for satellite IP communications. BGAN provides near-global coverage through a seamless network and is easy to set up within five minutes. However, it has higher operating costs charged per megabyte. VSAT also has widespread coverage but requires separate contracts for different satellites. While it offers higher speeds and bandwidth, VSAT terminals are larger, more difficult to set up, and have higher capital costs and licensing fees compared to BGAN. The choice depends on factors like data usage, speeds needed, mobility, and number of concurrent users.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    41 views2 pages

    BGAN Vs VSAT Comparison

    Uploaded by

    Asma Hani
    BGAN and VSAT are two options for satellite IP communications. BGAN provides near-global coverage through a seamless network and is easy to set up within five minutes. However, it has higher operating costs charged per megabyte. VSAT also has widespread coverage but requires separate contracts for different satellites. While it offers higher speeds and bandwidth, VSAT terminals are larger, more difficult to set up, and have higher capital costs and licensing fees compared to BGAN. The choice depends on factors like data usage, speeds needed, mobility, and number of concurrent users.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    BGAN vs VSAT Comparison

    Operating Cost
    VSAT bandwidth is most often a fixed monthly fee based upon the link/bandwidth speed, which
    can be anywhere from $200 to $20,000/month depending on the bandwidth. In some cases
    there are data transfer allowances associated with the VSAT bandwidth plan, but most are
    based upon Gigabytes of usage per month. BGAN’s Standard IP service is charged per
    Megabyte of data transferred/received, with rate plans ranging from $3 to $7 per Mbyte.

    Coverage
    Inmarsat provides near global coverage with BGAN on a seamless network. You can take your
    BGAN terminal from Texas to Alberta, to South America, Africa or Asia and connect easily to
    the Inmarsat satellite network. VSAT coverage is similar to BGAN coverage however the
    network in most cases is not seamless and you need separate contracts on different satellites
    and teleports to achieve global coverage. If mobility is a big factor, BGAN provides a more
    seamless transition across geographies and its small form factor makes it ideal for mobile
    users.

    Ease of Use
    BGAN is a simple and easy to use. Within five minutes, any user can set-up, point and connect
    their PC or a telephone to a BGAN terminal and be communicating. Fixed VSAT systems
    require a trained technician with a spectrum analyzer to point and peak the VSAT terminal;
    unless you invest in auto-pointing technology, which enables push-button deployment of the
    VSAT system. The size of the equipment also factors into ease of use in that a BGAN terminal
    will fit in your PC laptop bag whereas a VSAT system will often require two people to deal with
    the size and weight of mounting or moving the equipment.

    Form Factor
    VSAT terminals range from 1 meter to 2.4 meter diameter for most applications. Fixed
    antennas can be mounted on a 2″ pole or on a non-penetrating roof mount (NPRM) with 500 to
    1,000 pounds of ballast to support the mount and prevent it from moving and becoming
    misaligned. BGAN terminals are about the size of a laptop computer and they include a
    rechargeable battery so they need not be tethered to a power source for operations.

    Communications on the Move


    BGAN offers auto-tracking antennas to facilitate communications while in a moving vehicle. If
    you need your IP communications while you are moving, then BGAN is the best option for land
    use applications. There are VSAT tracking antennas available but they are designed for
    maritime use and are a larger form factor than a BGAN tracking antenna.

    Licensing
    Last but not least is the administrative side of the technologies related to importation and
    licensing around the globe. Licensing varies from country to country for both BGAN and VSAT.
    Generally speaking, BGAN licensing is less expensive than VSAT.

    GIT Satellite Communications • (512) 918-9502 • www.gitsat.com • [email protected]


    BGAN vs VSAT Comparison

    BGAN or VSAT – Comparing the Technologies

    There are two popular options for IP communications over satellite: Inmarsat’s BGAN
    (Broadband Global Area Network) and VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) technology, which
    operates on a variety of satellite carriers including Intelsat, Telesat and SES amongst others.
    Both technologies provide reliable communications for voice and data applications in remote
    locations.

    Your business applications and requirements will drive the decision making process as to which
    of the two technologies makes the most sense for your specific situation. Listed below are
    some of the main differences between BGAN and VSAT which will help you to determine which
    option is likely better suited to your needs.

    Data Volumes
    How much data you will send or receive over the satellite link will be a key factor in choosing
    between VSAT and BGAN since it has a significant impact on operating cost. If you expect to
    move a lot of data, hundreds of megabytes or gigabytes of data, month over month, on a long
    term basis, then VSAT will likely be the better choice if none of the other factors below isn’t
    deemed more important.

    Link Speed
    The BGAN service offers a Standard/Shared service IP connection with peak speeds of 490
    Kbps and a Streaming/Dedicated IP service with selectable speeds from 32 to 384 Kbps. VSAT
    bandwidth is selectable from 64K to multiple Megabits per second in symmetrical or
    asymmetrical configurations. If you need high bandwidth, then VSAT is the likely path for you.

    Number of Concurrent Users


    If you don’t know what link speed you’ll need or how much data you are going to transmit in
    megabytes, then consider how many concurrent users you will have that need to use the IP
    communications. Generally speaking, BGAN is for single user or small teams who have
    sporadic usage patterns through a day or month and their most pressing need is Email, small
    file transfers, telemetry or short term video broadcasts. VSAT can accommodate large camp
    operations for oil & gas, mining or military operations where you may have dozens of users
    and a broader base of applications in use.

    Capital Cost
    BGAN directional antennas range from $3,000 to $5,500 and auto-tracking units are $8,000-
    $18,000. BGAN units are customer installable and do not require a technician to set them up
    and use them. VSAT costs vary dramatically depending upon several factors including the type
    of equipment (Ku or C band), BUC size and reflector/antenna size. Entry level configurations
    are approximately $3,000 but can be tens of thousands of dollars for large scale operations.
    Auto-pointing VSAT systems can range in price from $20,000 to $200,000 depending upon the
    type of system deployed. A trained technician is required for VSAT installations, so you will
    have additional costs with VSAT for initial fixed site installations.

    GIT Satellite Communications • (512) 918-9502 • www.gitsat.com • [email protected]

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