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Installing and running a receive-only satellite ground station requires no license from the Indonesian government.

Thus, receive-only IP based satellite access is the safest service that can be provided to the Indonesian communities without having the struggle of getting licensed by the government.

Shown in the figure (copied from http://www.makmurparabola.com) is the configuration of a typical receive-only broadband IP based satellite link as the downstream. It is fairly reliable and no license is required. The request (upstream traffic) may be directed through a dial-up modem, or ADSL connection, or WiFi connection to the Internet Service Provider.

Receive-only IP based Satellite Access is normally used to increase the system capacity especially for international traffic. It would be advisable to have a local Internet connection to the local Internet Exchange, such as, Indonesian Internet Exchange (IIX) before doing any receive-only IP based satellite access.

 

Such configurations are normally used by corporate users, including cyber cafes, hotels, and manufacturing industries, but also by personal/community networks, including apartment buildings, real estate developments and homes.

We need to set up a satellite ground station with a minimal parabolic antenna diameter of 180 cm including the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) and coaxial cable (such as RG6) that costs about US$120-200 as shown in the figure from Makmur Parabola; a pentium III personal computer 256Mbyte RAM and DVB Router with Windows or Linux operating system; Mikrotik router software; a dial-up 56Kbps modem for Internet dial-up connection, ADSL, cable modem or 2.4GHz WiFi connection for uplink connection.

The key equipment would be a DirecPC ™ or DVB card, such as Penta Value or Broadlogic 2030, that can decode downlink data from the satellite. A DirecPC ™ or DVB card, including CD-ROM and manual would normally cost about US$250. A registration fee of US$100 is fairly typical to use the service.

There are several receive-only IP based satellite access providers that serve Indonesian clients, such as Makmur Parabola. Makmur Parabola is not a licensed telecommunication service provider. It is merely installing parabolic satellite receiving antennas. In addition, the company is reselling downstream only Internet access through Singapore Telecom 1 (88 East) satellite.

Shown in the figure is Singapore Telecom 1 (88 East) 40 dBW and 38dBW coverage. DirectPC ™ equipment is used for receiving the Internet downstream signal from the main hub located in Hong Kong. The monthly charges are quite affordable at US$33 (64Kbps downstream), US$66 (128Kbps downstream), and US$198 (256Kbps downstream).

Lintas Langit Nusantara located in Malang on the eastern part of Jawa is an active group that supports the Indonesian wireless community at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Lintas Langit also provides a receive- only IP based satellite link via Angila 2 (146 East) that covers the western part of Indonesia. The setup shown in the figure can be used to get a downstream signal of 34Mbps from a teleport hub in Hawaii. A typical monthly fee including the rent of the satellite ground station and dedicated public IP for 64Kbps downstream is around US$270/month.

Telesindo is a VSAT Provider located in Jakarta, that can provide broadband satellite access at 4.42Mbps – 24Mbps. It is an IP based system. No detail of its technology or topology is provided.

PalapaNet is a subsidiary of Satelindo. PalapaNet manages Palapa (Palapa C) Satellites. The company provides several IP based services including i-Cast (DVB/IP gateway) Point to Multipoint Concept for Internet and content distribution using a bandwidth sharing DVB/IP mechanism over the Palapa C satellite. No more detail is provided.