In many areas of the world, the rapid growth of voice and data communications usage has outpaced the deployment of network infrastructures. This is especially true in Africa, where for reasons of geography, history and topography, the laying of copper or fibre landlines has been slow and in many cases, prohibitively expensive. To overcome this situation, many local carriers and enterprises in Africa resort to satellite links for their communications transport needs.
Satellite networks are an effective, yet expensive, way to quickly open reliable lines of communications over great distances. Thus, satellite network operators and users require a way to make satellite links more cost-effective for transporting voice and data communications between remote locations. They need a solution that maximizes the amount of voice traffic that can be transported over the available link bandwidth, yet still support the necessary features to preserve high voice quality and associated signaling. 
Field-Proven Experience with Major Satellite Service Providers
RAD's Vmux voice trunking compression gateways are the ideal product solution. These devices have now been successfully deployed together with equipment from Intelsat, Eutelsat and other major satellite service providers, in several applications in Africa. In these installations, the Vmux ensures that the costly satellite links are utilized as efficiently as possible. Toby Korall, Senior Product Line Manager at RAD Data Communications explains: "Vmux lets satellite service providers offer customers a more attractive complete solution, one that enables them to maximize the traffic that can be supported cost-effectively over their satellite links."
An example of this solution is an MSC-to-BSC cellular backhaul application for a mobile network operator based in Nigeria. The operator wanted to backhaul traffic from a BSC site in the city of Benin to their MSC site in the commercial capital of Lagos. Vmux devices were deployed at each of the sites together with the satellite transceiver equipment from Intelsat. Here the Vmux gateways compressed the multiple E1 voice trunks from the BSC/MSC communications equipment down into a single E1 for transmission over the Intelsat satellite network connection between the two distant locations. "The operator was very pleased with the fast installation and smooth operation of the Vmux devices and encountered no problems connecting it to the Intelsat equipment," says Noam Dor, Senior Sales Manager for Africa and Middle East at RAD.
Vmux Delivers 16:1 Voice CompressionUsing RAD's advanced voice optimization methods together with the company's patented TDM over IP (TDMoIP®) technology, the Vmux provides a voice compression ratio of up to 16:1, while still maintaining high voice quality and transparently supporting all PBX features and national signaling protocols. The Vmux is available with IP, E1/T1 or n x 64 kbps serial network ports, allowing connection to satellite modems with both Ethernet/IP as well as TDM-based data interfaces. Together, these features enable enterprises, mobile operators and service providers to require less bandwidth for transporting their voice payloads over different types of satellite links, while reducing infrastructure costs by converging their voice, fax, modem and Ethernet data traffic using a single device.
Using satellite links with RAD's Vmux gateways suit a wide range of communications applications:
· Cellular backhaul, including BSC-to-MSC, MSC-to-MSC and MSC-to-PSTN
· Call centers
· Corporate connectivity between sites in different regions or countries
· Television broadcasts of special sport or news events
· Temporary site communications, military bases, offshore drilling
Vmux maximizes satellite links in GSM BSC-to-MSC backhaul application
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