The Game Change in Satellite Service Provision

by Martin Jarrold

London, UK,  November 7, 2012--Broadband is the hot topic around the world. Demand for spectrum never abates. Profound statements indeed! Over the years, satellite systems have responded to the increasing demand for more-and-more spectrum, at lower-and-lower cost, in order to facilitate expanded broadband access, by developing ever more efficient, powerful, and cost-effective space and ground segments.

Most recently the satellite market has responded to the demand for spectrum by developing brand-new state-of-the-art systems, using the Ka-Band frequency range. Most current satellite systems operate in the C- and Ku-Band.  Due to increasing congestion in those bands however, there has been considerable growth in the number of Ka band satellite systems being deployed and planned for fixed (FSS), mobile (MSS), and broadcasting (BSS) services.

The Ka-Band is of the utmost strategic importance to the satellite industry and most of the satellite operators around the world have either already developed, or are developing, Ka-Band satellite systems. Many new Ka-Band satellites have already been launched, and yet more satellite operators are developing Ka-Band systems to be orbited within the next few years leading to the availability of Ka-Band satellite systems globally.

Current and Planned Ka-Band Satellite Systems:

The list of the satellites with Ka-Band capacity already operating, and planned for future orbit, is extensive, featuring:

ABS 2 and 7 | Arabsat 5A and 5C, BADR 7 | Avanti Hylas 1 and Hylas 2 | Eutelsat W3 series and KA Sat, W3C and 3B | Eutelsat/ictQATAR ES’HAIL | Hispasat 1E and Spainsat, AG1 and Amazonas 3 | Hughes Spaceway 3, Jupiter 1 | Inmarsat Global Xpress and Alphasat 1-XL | Insat G-Sat 14 | Intelsat IAS 28 | Ipstar | Iridium (LEO) | JAXA/NICT Winds | Measat 5 | NBN 1 and 2 | NewSat Jabiru 1 | Nilesat 201 | O3B Networks (MEO) | RSCC Express AM5, 6 and 7 | SES Astra 1H, 1L, 3B, 4A, AMC 15, AMC 16, NSS 6, 2E, 2F, 2G, 4B and 5B | SmartSat | Spacecom Amos 3, Amos 4 and 6 | Telenor Thor 7 | Telesat Canada Nimiq 4, Anik F3 | Turksat 4A and 4B | Viasat 1, Wildblue 1, Anik F2, Viasat 2 | Yahsat 1A, 1B.

Assessing the Ka-Band Advantage

Satellites are uniquely capable of providing communications services over wide geographical areas, instantly connecting large numbers of users over large, often remote and sparsely populated areas. Ka-Band satellite technology offers equipment at low cost, leading to Ka-Band satellites being a very important part of the overall telecommunications infrastructure.  With their high-power and broad coverage, satellites have traditionally been optimized for video distribution and professional data networks. Now, recent technological developments allow the Ka-Band to provide significantly increased capacity and new services.  This means the cost to users has been reduced, and the throughput is dramatically increased.  Ka-Band user terminals are also very attractive in terms of size (smaller) and price (cheaper), even when compared to traditional Ku-Band satellite networks.  With the advent of higher functionality and lower costs, Ka-Band satellites can now support a broader range of domestic and international communications than ever before.

These listings of operators and the applications/services shown below in the Roundtable Assembly program of themes/topics amply illustrate that Ka can no longer be considered a niche market. The 50% of the world’s satellite operators that have either ordered or plan to order Ka-Band satellites, the 14 million households, and the 50% of enterprise terminals predicted to be using Ka-Band by 2020 are testament to that!

High-Throughput Satellites

Typical/traditional C- and Ku-Band geostationary satellites with broad beams used for consumer broadband provide around 1 Gbps of throughput. Thanks to frequency re-use made possible by using multi-spot beams in the Ka-Band, this throughput can be increased 50 to 100 fold.  Hence these Ka-Band geo-stationary satellites are referred to as high-throughput satellites (“HTS”).  The massive increase in throughput allows these geostationary satellite operators to offer satellite capacity in support of direct end user terminals and backhaul applications at considerably lower prices. In addition, innovative approaches using non-geostationary satellites to provide certain types of Ka-Band services, e.g. Internet backhaul, have also now evolved and will become operational shortly.  The Ka-Band is a breakthrough satellite communications technology for delivering cost-effective, two-way broadband services with near 100% coverage of world geography.  The two-way capability means customers do not need a traditional phone or cable line to receive high-speed Internet access. This enables dramatic improvements in access to two-way, high-speed Internet services for consumers and businesses in rural and remote areas.

Mobile Applications via the Ka-Band

Recently there has been a rapid increase in the use of Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) networks by Earth stations mounted on mobile platforms. FSS networks are currently being used to provide telecommunications services to aircraft, ships, trains and other vehicles using both the C- and Ku-Band. The growing demand for service to these mobile platforms has caused service providers to turn to the Ka-Band to meet the need for increased transmission speeds, capacity and efficiency. Taking into account the growing demand for mobile applications, studies are also on-going in ITU-R and CEPT to determine under what technical and regulatory conditions mobile earth station use in other parts of the Ka– Bands could be accommodated and operated in Ka FSS networks.

Internet via the Ka-Band

A high profile and important use of the Ka-Band is for broadband Internet access via satellite.  In many countries, broadband access to the Internet has been identified as a key enabler of national competitiveness and economic prosperity.  Furthermore, many countries have set targets to give their entire population access to the Internet, whatever their location, to overcome the digital divide.  Many people living in rural areas today simply do not have broadband Internet access.  In many such areas, terrestrial technologies will never provide broadband coverage, and therefore it must be satellite, specifically Ka-Band satellite, that will make the difference.

A Dialogue on the Dynamics of Game-Changing

As a reflection of the accelerating dynamics in the response of the global satellite communications industry to demands for frequency spectrum to support the requirement for greatly increased Internet bandwidth from a wide range of end-user communities, O3b Networks has announced that it has taken the leadership position in the line-up of sponsors for the forthcoming GVF Ka Roundtable Assembly 2012: Satellite Service Provision Game-Changer in Action, an event taking place in London on 5^th& 6^thDecember 2012.

In making the recent announcement of O3b Networks’ support for the Roundtable Assembly, Vice President of Product Development, David Burr, commented “The GVF Ka Roundtable Assembly is a perfect forum to debate the role of Ka-Band today. Consumer bandwidth demands in every region are skyrocketing. It just isn’t possible to add enough capacity using C- and Ku-Band since the orbital slots are largely full. Ka band provides enough capacity to satisfy the tremendous growth in bandwidth that can be seen from IP trunking, mobile backhaul and enterprise, both today and in the future.”

O3bwill join a line-up of speakers from a wide-range of organizations – including the other Roundtable sponsors Inmarsat, Avanti Communications, iDirect, and Hughes. For the latest details on the Roundtable speaker line-up please visit www.uk-emp.co.uk/future-events-2012-13/.

In respect of Inmarsat’s support for the London Roundtable Assembly, Mark Steel, Director, Product Development & Services, Global Xpress, said “Inmarsat GX is pleased to be supporting the Ka Roundtable Assembly in London. Inmarsat GX looks forward to this opportunity to present our perspectives, as a satellite operator, on expanding the portfolio of satellite services for the industry utilizing our planned Ka Global constellation. Global Xpress is Inmarsat’s visionary response to this rapidly changing scene. As the next stage in the evolution of remote communications, our new Ka-Band satellite service will support broadband connections at speeds comparable with terrestrial networks. And it will do so from compact, highly portable devices – while further enhancing Inmarsat’s reputation for outstanding quality, global coverage and seamless mobility. Global Xpress will be the first service to offer global mobile broadband coverage, delivering unparalleled speeds and bandwidth to customers in remote locations around the world. It will be faster and less expensive than current Ku-Band market offerings, delivered to smaller and cheaper terminals and be the first offered on a seamless, global, end-to-end basis, with high quality of service and thanks to this cost effectiveness we have driven with our partners, we will become a powerful alternative for traditional VSAT networks.

“Users of our existing global services will be able to take advantage of unique hybrid packages that use both our L-Band and Global Xpress networks. Offering unprecedented scalability, these will also ensure increased resilience and reliability in remote and harsh environments. Our objectives for the conference include offering our insight into how the new GX system will operate, including our hybrid packages that will offer higher availability, how it weighs up against Ku band, we will address susceptible to rain fade, and how the new smaller terminal will fare in the current regulatory environment.”

An Avanti Communications spokesperson, commenting on the company’s support for the Assembly said, “Avanti is pleased to share its experience gained owning and operating two Ka band satellites to the GVF Ka Roundtable Assembly.  We will explore the regulatory, design and vertical markets implications for Ka and draw upon the lessons we have learned delivering high speed data and broadband services.”

From iDirect, Chief Technology Officer David Bettinger added his support for the Ka Roundtable Assembly: “High Throughput Satellites will launch a new era of business opportunity, but they also introduce new technical complexities and higher end user demands. To capture the HTS opportunity, satellite operators and service providers need the right ground infrastructure platform - one that can connect to any band or satellite architecture, scale affordably with demand, deliver carrier-class reliability, offer a broad portfolio of remotes designed for distinct end user needs and run over a single network management system. iDirect is already actively engaged in many HTS projects as the preferred ground segment provider, and we will enable our partners to capitalize on the HTS opportunity in whatever ways are best suited for their business.”

In giving its support for the event, Hughes’ Senior Director for International Marketing, Dave Rehbehn, added “The introduction of so much Ka capacity around the world will significantly alter the value equation for satellite broadband in many ways. Forums such as the GVF Ka Roundtable assembly are an important place for players in the satellite industry to exchange ideas on how the industry can best apply the tremendous capacity that Ka systems promise.”

With higher throughput having become of the utmost strategic importance to the satellite industry, and to a multitude of satellite service users, a range of key subject areas have so far been identified for inclusion in the Roundtable program. In addition the European Space Agencywill be joining the event dialog, with a representative of ESA’s Ground Segment Technology Section setting-out the Agency ‘Roadmap’ on the future of developments in Ka band.

Themes intended for Roundtable Assembly coverage during the two-day program include:

Ka: The Technology & Market Context: The Satellite Market – Past, Present, Future; Ka, High

Throughput, High Capacity – What Does It All Mean? Why Now? Defining ‘HTS’ (High Throughput Satellites).

Satellite Operator & Provider Forum: Global Operators & Encompassing the Global Ka Space; The Ka Global Constellation; Regional Operator Ka Initiatives; Ka: New Opportunities from Revolution (or Evolution?)

The Hybridized L and GX Package; C band, Ku band... What & Where Now? HTS: Operator & Service Providers Development of Multi-band Service Strategies; HTS: Beyond the Consumer Play; High Capacity: Why Not All Ka & High Throughput is Alike!

User Verticals Focus: Enterprise Services; Government Services; Maritime Sector; Oil & Gas Sector; NGOs in Disaster Recovery & Development; Internet Service Providers; Satellite News Gathering; Airline Operators/Rail Operators.

OEM Forum: Equipment Design & Technical Innovation; Equipment Manufacture & Economies of Scale; HTS-enabled Terminals & New User Expectations.

Ka Engineering Forum: Planning, Designing, Deploying & Managing Ka-Band Ground Terminals/Earth Stations; Engineering the future of the Ka Satellite Payload (and Beyond!); Rain Fade: Understanding the Issues.

Ground Infrastructure Focus: Antenna Technologies; Application/Market Specific Antenna Design; Antenna Installation Training; Device Portability; Ground Infrastructure Evolution for High Performance Satellites.

Regulatory & Licensing Focus: Regulating for Ka band; Regulation for the Small Terminal/Mobile Terminal; The Ka band Licensing Environment.

In order to facilitate access to the event program to as wide an audience as possible, GVF-EMP and Definitive Direction are pleased to be working with the Broadcasting & Satellite Network, the United Kingdom affiliate of the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI), in providing a 25% reduction in the registration rate for the Ka Roundtable Assembly for allaccredited SSPI members.

Ongoing program updates may be viewed by clicking on www.uk-emp.co.uk/future-events-2012-13/ka-roundtable/. Speaking opportunities may also still be available by contacting either Paul Stahl, or one of the authors of these perspectives, at either martin.jarrold@gvf.org or etweedie@definitivedirection.com

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Martin Jarrold is Director of International Program Development of the GVF.  He can be reached at martin.jarrold@gvf.org