VSAT standards,status and applications in europe

This paper is an attempt to present the current status of VSAT systems in Europe, based on two aspects. 1. The first part describes the actions conducted by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for issuing proper technical standards. It is also explained how these standards are included in the general framework of the European legislation, the purpose of which is to create the conditions for a really open telecommunications market all over Europe, and more particularly to favour the implementation of independent (private) satellite communications networks, mainly for corporate services on a free competition basis, both as concerns operators and manufacturers. 2. The second part gives an overview of the actual implementation of VSAT networks in Europe and of the expected market trends.