VSAT
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Telecom
| Stands for | Very small aperture terminal |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
VSAT stands for Very small aperture terminal, a telecom abbreviation.
Two-way satellite ground station with a dish typically under three meters, used to provide internet, phone and data links to remote sites, ships, oil rigs, rural businesses and retail chains.
Example: The research station in the Arctic connects to the outside world through a VSAT link.
Usage notes
Traditional VSAT systems use geostationary satellites about 36,000 km above the Earth, causing round-trip latency of around 600 milliseconds. Low Earth orbit constellations such as Starlink offer much lower latency and have reshaped the satellite broadband market. Banks and gas stations long relied on VSAT for card payment networks.
Related abbreviations
More telecom abbreviations
- UWB – Ultra-wideband
- VDSL – Very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line
- VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol
- VoLTE – Voice over LTE
- VoNR – Voice over New Radio
- VoWiFi – Voice over Wi-Fi
- WAP – Wireless Application Protocol
- WCDMA – Wideband code-division multiple access
- WEA – Wireless Emergency Alerts
- Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi (wireless local area networking based on IEEE 802.11)
- Wi-Fi 6 – Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax)
- Wi-Fi 6E – Wi-Fi 6 Extended