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The satellite communication project called IPSTAR was first
developed in 1997 by Shin Satellite of Thailand. The project’s
aim was to deliver an inexpensive broadband satellite better
suited to consumer markets. This project included a broadband
satellite with more advanced ground system capabilities.
The model for the IPSTAR ground system was first field deployed
in the year 2000 using IPSTAR first generation services
on conventional satellites. These first generation services
are still available in various countries on Thaicom, INSAT,
APSTAR and ST-1 satellites.
Figure
1: IPSTAR Terminal
IPSTAR
(also known as Thaicom-4), the world largest broadband satellite,
was launched from the space port in Kourou, French Guiana,
South America in late 2005,. The satellite is now located
at 119.5 degrees east, providing its 45 gigabits per second
capacity through 94 beams, covering all of the Asia Pacific
Region. This satellite and its ground systems is being used
for digital high-speed Internet services, and can support
all-IP applications. Even though IPSTAR is designed for
IP applications, it is not used just in broadband markets.
It is applicable to other telecom infrastructures such as
rural telephony, e-government, e-medicine and distance learning.
As of 2007, there were almost eighty thousand dishes deployed
in the Asia Pacific region addressing those markets.
Figure
2: IPSTAR Footprint and Thailand gateway
The
idea of distance learning on IPSTAR was first explored in
Cambodia around year 2002. Shin Satellite donated 3 initial
sets of IPSTAR equipment to schools in a remote area of
Cambodia. Without electricity, the IPSTAR terminals were
fed by a diesel generator and solar panels. These terminals
provided education to poor children, but they also provided
connections between a local hospital and the capital city,
even linking in Harvard Medical School for consultation.
This project was the result of a cooperative effort between
Shin Satellite and Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) that followed a child-centered approach
to education allowing children to learn how to work in the
real world, using appropriate technology, and by experimenting
themselves.
Figure
3: IPSTAR initiative in Cambodia
In Thailand, “Schoolnet” was established by
the Government of Thailand in 1995 in raise the education
level of children, and enable teachers to access and exchange
knowledge, news and information and share intellectual activities
on a common network. Schoolnet also enabled teachers and
students to access the global Internet. The project had
as its target to connect 45,000 schools in 2005.
Schoolnet activities include constructing Thai and English
content web sites. These are intended to create centers
for such learning activities as quizzes, games, digital
libraries, course tool kits and lesson plans that will enhance
the work of instructors and students.
Initially, the required infrastructure was expected to provide
basic Internet access and voice services to schools nationwide.
The bandwidth would be upgraded for each school to support
such future e-learning applications as video conferencing,
multicasting, e-library searches and distribution, and online
courseware.
Figure
4: IPSTAR in Thailand’s Schoolnet project
Due
to its nationwide coverage, fast deployment and low cost
equipment, IPSTAR was selected and commissioned by the Ministry
to provide Internet access and voice services in a large
project that would include more than 10,000 schools.
The Thai Schoolnet network expanded from a small network
with a few schools in 1995 to more than 10,000 schools in
2005, and was reaching over 35,000 primary, secondary and
vocational schools nationwide by 2006. Schoolnet supports
a mix of infrastructures that include dial up, ADSL, WiFi
and two-way satellite depending on which technologies are
most accessible and appropriate for a specific area or school.
The
strength of IPSTAR is not only in providing Internet access
at broadband speeds, but also in providing multicast and
broadcast features, which are characteristic of satellite
communication. With multicast capabilities, the satellite
enables the broadcasting of e-learning content from central
locations to all schools and communities at one time, content
that can be cached in local servers. These cache servers
often take care of the majority of bandwidth demand while
what is not cached can then be downloaded via (relatively
bandwidth-expensive) point-to-point transmission.
Figure
5: Type of infrastructure
Compared
with other access technologies serving education, like lease
line and dial up, the growth of IPSTAR has extremely high
in the Asia Pacific region due to the fact that it can serve
the bandwidth demand and technical requirement of e-learning
activities. This major involvement of IPSTAR in the education
sector demonstrates a successful use of broadband satellite
communication.
In summary, even though using IPSTAR as education infrastructure
requires an economic investment, it is also clear that its
ultimate success depends on the creation of appropriate
content, the training of teachers and system maintenance
on the ground. This caution can also be given when the satellite
is used for community development. Governments can also
use the e-schools broadband infrastructure to connect rural
communities as a way to widen people’s knowledge and
lift their living standard while also raising the economy
of the country. Attention must also be given to the appropriateness
of the infrastructure for the desired applications on the
ground.
Reference:
1. www.ipstar.com, Shin
satellite marketing material and presentation.
2. www.school.net.th,
Thailand’s Schoolnet project website.
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