A DVB-RCS network is a satellite-based communications system that provides interconnection between users who are exchanging real time applications based on several data types (e.g. text, voice, images, video etc…). There are two transmission paths, the Forward Channel from a centralized Hub location to the remote location and a Return Channel from the remote location to the central Hub.

The DVB-RCS system standard underwent final standardization by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute in 2000. The standard calls for a forward link based on a DVB/MPEG-2 data format and a return link using Multi-Frequency – Time Division Multiple Access (MF-TDMA) scheme, allowing a two-way exchange of data. The DVB/MPEG-2 format carries up to 80 Mbps in the forward link and the MF-TDMA scheme allows up to 8 Mbps per carrier in the return direction.

The network consists of a central earth station Hub station, one or more satellites in the forward direction, a Satellite Interactive Terminal (SIT) at the remote location, and a satellite in the return direction.

An overview is given in our presentation ‘DVB-RCS: Rallying Around the VSAT Standard’, while a more detailed introduction is given in our white paper ‘Description of the DVB-RCS VSAT System’