Ku-Band Satcom

Ku-band satcom uses roughly 12 to 18 GHz (about 10.7 to 12.75 GHz downlink, 14.0 to 14.5 GHz uplink) and was the mainstay of maritime VSAT before Ka-band high-throughput systems. It balances antenna size, throughput, and rain resilience: less rain fade than Ka but smaller dishes and more capacity than C-band. Many global maritime VSAT networks still run on Ku, and Ku high-throughput satellites remain in service. Ships often keep Ku for its established global footprint where Ka spot-beam coverage has gaps.