Gilat Satellite Networks has been selected by a Tier-1 Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in South East Asia to provide a SkyEdge II network for GSM and 3G cellular backhaul. The new SkyEdge II network will replace an existing SkyEdge network currently supporting the MNO's 2G infrastructure, and will provide improved bandwidth efficiency and higher throughputs to the operator's 2G and 3G networks.

Gilat will be providing the MNO with VSAT and hub equipment, including hub installation, and will supervise remote site upgrade and deployment in over 100 sites as part of the operator's cellular backhaul expansion program.

Satellite-based cellular backhaul is increasingly becoming a viable and competitive option for MNOs looking to expand their 2G and 3G cellular service to remote and rural areas, or fill in network gaps in suburban areas.

Offering ubiquitous coverage with high reliability, satellite technology is easily deployed, highly scalable, and offers both capital and operational efficiencies.

Gilat's SkyEdge II cellular backhaul solution offers customized features designed to maximize bandwidth efficiency while enabling enhanced voice quality and high-speed data throughput. The solution's ability to efficiently support bandwidth intensive data services is of growing importance, especially as more 3G networks are being deployed worldwide.

The solution incorporates Gilat's SkyEdge II BWO-II (Bandwidth Optimizer) solution. This capacity saving feature implements outbound carrier cancellation enabling outbound and inbound signals to share the same bandwidth - offering the MNO savings of approximately 27% of the network's bandwidth being leased on the APSTAR 6 satellite.

"We continue to see more deployments for 3G networks using satellite backhaul to connect remote base-stations, and these require ever increasing amounts of throughput.

"Gilat's BWO-II solution allows service providers to significantly increase the number of VSATs installed and grow their customer base while maintaining their space segment costs.

"We estimate that by installing the solution, customers can enjoy savings ranging from 20% to 40% of the required capacity, depending on their network configuration," explained Hagay Katz, AVP and Head of VSAT Line of Business at Gilat.

Additional features of Gilat's cellular backhaul solution include sophisticated support of automatic uplink power control that compensates for rain attenuation without additional consumption of space segment, as well as strong QoS and policing, ensuring that voice calls will commence at high quality even during periods of congestion due to excessive data traffic.

Additional features include header and payload compression as well as the support of 8PSK modulation in the inbound direction.