Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs)

Definition

A very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is a two-way ground station that transmits and receives data from satellites. A VSAT is less than three meters tall and is capable of both narrow and broadband data to satellites in orbit in real-time. The data can then be redirected to other remote terminals or hubs around the planet. Key Takeaways: A very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is a data transmission technology used for many types of data management and in high-frequency trading. VSAT can be used in place of a large physical network as it bounces the signal from satellites instead of being transported through physical means like an ethernet connection. Because the signal needs to bounce, there can be a latency issue that wouldn't exist with a physical network. However, most users feel this is the price you pay for remote access and less infrastructure and consider it a fair trade. Weather can adversely impact the efficacy of a VSAT network.