Satstream Media Limited

Why Multicast?

BENEFITS OF MULTICAST

There are many protocols utilised within an IP data network. Some of these protocols require the sender to send a message to a specific receiver (this is called Unicast) and others require the sender to send a message to a number of receivers (this can be either Broadcast or Multicast).
Most desktop applications and most of the data that is transferred across the internet, use a Unicast method of data transfer. Although applications such as email enable the user to send the same message to multiple recipients, the email application achieves this by setting up a unicast data transaction to each recipient in turn so that the total bandwidth required to achieve the message delivery is based upon the message size and more importantly, the number of recipients.

Basic IP Data Communication

Simply stated, Unicast is the term used to describe communication where data is sent from one sender to one receiver. Examples include email, web browsing and file transfer.
Broadcast is the term used to describe communication where data is sent from one sender to all receivers on the same Local Area Network (LAN). Generally, broadcast transmission is originated by network hardware for other network hardware.
Multicast is the term used to describe communication where data is sent from one sender to a set of receivers either on the same network or on adjacent networks. Unlike Broadcast transmission, Multicast transmission is generally used by higher level applications to send data defined by the user.

Benefits of Multicast

SatstreamNet Implementation of Multicast