First published in 2000, DVB-RCS is a technical standard that defines a complete air interface specification for two-way satellite broadband VSAT (very small aperture terminal) systems. DVB-RCS provides users with the equivalent of an ADSL or cable Internet connection, without the need for local terrestrial infrastructure. The standard is published by ETSI as EN 301 790.

The DVB-RCS working group continues to meet regularly and is targeting the end of 2007 for a revised release of the standard. This new release will address the emerging market for provision of broadband services of the nature handled by DVB-RCS to mobile terminals. Successful trials and implementations have already been carried out using terminals mounted in trains, maritime vessels and aircraft. This is being paralleled by the addition of sophisticated mobility support features to DVB-RCS. These include live handovers between satellite spot-beams, spread-spectrum features to meet regulatory constraints for mobile terminals, and countermeasures against shadowing and blocking of the satellite link.