Blockstream, a blockchain technology company specializing in cryptography and distributed networks, launched its Blockstream Bitcoin Satellite 2.0 update, three years after releasing the first version of the network. The firm is also behind several notable products in the market, such as the Bitcoin Lightning and Liquid networks. With this upgrade, users will be able to access “standards-based transmission protocol, more bandwidth, additional coverage areas, and the ability to sync a Bitcoin full node all the way from the genesis block up to today”.
Users will be able to set up a Bitcoin node without internet connection, and this upgrade highlights the challenge of Bitcoin and other crypto assets being over-reliant on the Internet. Instead, Blockstream uses six satellites to transmit Bitcoin blockchain data worldwide and is now offering its users the same functionality with their Satellite 2.0 network. The advantages of using satellites over the Internet are apparent with higher network stability and lower operational costs.
Blockstream is also launching its Satellite kits for users to receive direct broadcasts and perform transfers of data with greater speed and efficiency.
According to Blockstream, Satellite 2.0 utilizes a new DVB-S02 protocol, allowing for higher bitrates and wider geographical coverage, where signals are less dependent on “weather interference” or “equipment tuning”. Coverage has been extended to the Asia Pacific region with an additional Ku-band, when they were relying on only the C-band in the first version.
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