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What is Tooway™? Tooway™ is a broadband satellite Internet connection service that is addressed to private users throughout Europe and which is characterised by moderate costs and high quality.
Why choosing Tooway™? If in your area Internet is only accessible through the telephone line, Tooway™ is what is you are looking for, because it offers a broadband alternative to the low-speed commuted line. Tooway™ subverts the price/performance ratio for accessing the Internet via satellite for private users in European areas which are not covered by ADSL or by ISDN.
What equipment is needed? All you need is a 68cm dish for Ka band service, or a 96cm one for Ku band service, and the Tooway™ modem. You don't need to install any software component to enable your pc to communicate with the Tooway™ modem.
Is a telephone line necessary? No, it isn't. Tooway™ does not require for any telephone or cable connections, which instead used to be necessary in the past for satellite Internet services that were addressed to private users.
Are there any minimum requirements for computers? Generally not. Any computer (with either Mac, Windows or Linux operation system) that is provided with a 10/100 Mbps network card can be connected to the satellite modem, without the need to install any further hardware or software components.
How much does it cost? In terms of price and speed, Tooway™ is comparable with terrestrial broadband services, but it offers a valid alternative for houses which are located in areas where the Internet can only be accessed through a low-speed telephone line. By setting up the Tooway™ service jointly, Eutelsat and ViaSat have initiated an era of high-quality broadband satellite connections for private users at a much lower cost as compared to satellite services for companies, which are designed to manage several workstations and to satisfy complex network needs.
What is Tooway™ connection speed? Tooway™ offers four different formulas, all with maximum speeds of 2048 Kbps Downstream and 384 Kbps Upstream. The choice of either the Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum formula depends on the volume of data that you intend to receive or to send.
What are the maximum uplink and downlink speeds? The SurfBeam terminal can receive at a maximum speed of 4 Mbps. A 2-Watt amplification enables data transmission by the user to the satellite with speeds over 1 Mbps, according to frequency band, satellite, antenna dimensions and terminal location. The simultaneous sharing of the resource among numerous users lowers these values to the guaranteed ones.
Is it possible to carry out the installation by one's self? To carry out the installation, the intervention of an expert installer from our network is recommended.
Can Tooway™ be integrated within a network? You just need to connect an IP router between the existing home network and the satellite modem. You'll also be able to choose to use an advanced internal unit (IDU) which is provided with an integrated router and Wi-Fi interface.
Can Tooway™ be used with a home wireless network? Yes, it can. By paying a little supplement, a Wi-Fi home network can be set up with Tooway. Alternatively, you can connect a Wi-Fi router to whatever Tooway™ modem to browse wireless.
Does Tooway™ offer triple-play services? Tooway™ service can be configured so as to receive TV channels, by means of an additional receiver, and VoIP telephone services, by connecting a dedicated device.
Can you receive TV channels through the Tooway dish? The Outdoor Unit (kit) with Ka band currently only supports transmission and reception of data, and therefore does not enable receiving of TV channels. We are working on an integrated solution.
Does Tooway™ enable online games? Yes, of course. However, it is not advisable to play "Egoshooter" games (armed fights) because of the significantly longer ping times (600 – 650 ms).
What technology is Tooway™ based on? Tooway™ is based on ViaSat's SurfBeam® DOCSIS® two-way broadband satellite transmission system. Unlike other satellite-based broadband Internet services that are addressed to consumers, this system does not require any cable or phone line connection. The SurfBeam system is well established in North America, with over 350,000 users. It is a highly scalable open standard platform, reducing significantly the cost of terminals and of services born by the user, in that it exploits the network technology of cable modems DOCSIS 1.1, a widely used open standard. To adapt the standard to the satellite, ViaSat has developed a satellite hertzian interface which has been perfectly integrated into the terminal systems of the distributing centre.
How long are the time delays with satellite transmissions? Geostationary satellites are located in orbit approximately 36,000 km above the equator. Data needs approximately 250 msec for a roundtrip to satellite, and two-way protocol latency is of about 600 msec, including SurfBeam system latency. To reduce latency, which would impact on TCP throughput and web browsing speeds, a PEP (Performance Enhancing Proxy) and a Web accelerator have been integrated into the SurfBeam modem and in the DOCSIS system of the distributing centre.
Does the service remain stable even with bad weather conditions? In the past, it was thought that bad weather could greatly hinder implementation of Ka band satellite systems. Indeed, the strong attenuation of signal level made it extremely difficult to guarantee a high quality service. ViaSat included in the SurfBeam hertzian satellite interface system a technology which reduces attenuation caused by rain. The SurfBeam system automatically responds to attenuation by controlling the uplink signal power and using adaptive coding techniques (ACM, Adaptive Coding and Modulation), which avoid potential interruptions while optimising the use of satellite transponder bandwidth. All this makes the Tooway™ network much more reliable than other two-way satellite services for private users that are available in Europe.
What frequency bands does the Tooway™ service operate on? Tooway™ operas in Ku- and Ka-bands. Ka-band is managed by Eutelsat's HOT BIRD™ 6 at 13° East, whereas Ku-band is managed by the satellite EUROBIRD™ 3 at 33° East. In 2010 Eutelsat will deploy a dedicated satellite for Ka band with more spotbeams across Europe, in the transmission zone of its satellite HOT BIRD™ (13 degrees East).
What is Ka-band and what are its advantages? Broadcast satellites operate mainly Ku-band frequencies, which have the advantage of offering broad geographical coverage. Ka-band, which has recently started to be exploited for Europe also, has other benefits: the ITU allots each satellite with a larger Ka-band bandwidth (1 GHz per orbital slot). For dedicated two way communications, spotbeam technology allows for extensive frequency re-use, enabling an appreciable reduction of the cost of spectrum. Availability of a larger bandwidth enables obtaining higher transmission rates, while supporting higher peak speeds for individual users. The higher frequencies of the Ka band enable users to utilise smaller antennas. Necessary authorisations for user equipment can be obtained more easily and the cost of user terminals is lower.
Who manages platform operations? Management activities for the Tooway™ network's hub and platform are carried out in the SkyPark teleport in Turin, Italy, under the responsibility of Skylogic, a Eutelsat group company dealing with broadband services. Over 50 Skylogic staff are present, managing 14 hubs which use the capacity of eight Eutelsat satellites. Dedicated staff charged with ensuring maximum service availability is also present within the teleport.
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Sitmar - Satellite Management Services: Adsl Via Sat, Bidirectional Internet via Satellite.
Sitmar srl p.i. 09054141008 - Lungotevere della Vittoria, 11 - Roma 00195
mobile (+39) 335 1409013
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