SUB-NETWORK

Switched Mesh network made Sub-Networking possible and easy to implement.  SkySwitch is a modern VSAT system with sub-networking capability to meet requirements of VSAT operators worldwide.  Sub-networking involves network grouping capability based on users, satellite coverage, applications, topology, traffic routing, and security, as well as operational purposes. A SkySwitch network can be divided into sub-networks to cover different end users with separate traffic requirements over different C and/or Ku band transponders/satellites.  Traffic segmentation from one group to another ensures data security and eliminates performance degradation due to interference and congestions.  Each sub-network can be separately operated or as a branch of a large telecom network to cover vast geographical region and provide global connections.

There are always performance conflicts in network design using Shared Mesh such as those VSAT systems based on TDMA.  Use a single large shared carrier in Shared Mesh increases remote hardware costs with reduced channel efficiency as traffic intensifies.  Use multiple smaller shared carriers but without frequency hopping will only segment a network and no longer can be called mesh.  Use multiple smaller carriers with frequency hopping require all terminals the capability of fast frequency switching that requires additional hardware to handle.  Multiple carriers also require costly burst modems be installed at hub and remote gateways, while the modem's performance is generally degraded to only support lower modulation and less efficent error correction mode that also increase bandwidth usage.  Be a large shared carrier, or multiple smaller shared carriers, the problem for a Shared Mesh network is the high cost.  To avoid the increased cost, Shared Meshnetworks often compromise in performance by not delivering a true mesh capability, in stead, at best it delivers only Multiple-Star network with multiple carriers with multiple burst modems, or substantially reduced channel efficiency as evidenced by low ratio of data throughput over burst carrier rate of each terminal.