Mobile satellite broadband

Ever since its origins in the 20th century, the Telecom market has been a global market. Only in the last two decades (80s & 90s), this market has experienced significant changes worldwide, due to the emergence of mobile networks and the Internet.

The 21st century has started with the some successful exploitation, namely of broadband internet, which along with digitization of content has definitely shaped the post-industrial economy in what has been termed the networked information economy.

The next big challenge is to bring the broadband experience to some of the places where the mobile terrestrial networks (GSM, UMTS, CDMA, etc) do not reach, which in terms of territory is still huge.

The mobile satellite solutions will give users the possibility to access broadband-like services, the same way it is experienced in places where mobile terrestrial networks are available.

The first applications have emerged for aircraft and trains, where the mobile satellite platform, generally known as satellite communications on-the-move solutions (SOTM), enables broadband connections for passengers, and, at the same time, a connection to provide Internet and Intranet operations for train companies such as telemetry, ticketing etc.

ACORDE tested its first generation of SOTM solutions during 2006 in high-speed trains, reaching data rates of 4 Mbps in the downlink and 2 Mbps in the uplink in the Ku band at speeds of up to 350 km/h.

The auto-pointing antenna subsystem developed for those scenarios, which is the heart of the solution, has to be upgraded to cope with the requirements of free and fast movement of land vehicles. ACORDE has developed its second generation of SOTM solutions with enhanced features (high speed and acceleration in azimuth and elevation, Churchville B terrain conditions, etc.) to serve the requirements of land vehicles in X and Ku-bands. The requirements have been set to provide communications to geographically spread units traveling fast, which therefore need real-time, agile communications solutions that function in various terrains and allow maneuvering at any speed. Additionally, mobile satellite solutions can be combined with terrestrial broadband communications, such as WiMAX , to provide communications to teams deployed in any place where there is no existing communication infrastructure. An ad-hoc network can be established, allowing users in a remote location, without communication infrastructure, to access a central server in the same way as if this user was in a central office.

The RF or antenna subsystem is also being upgraded to make available smaller antennas, which always comply with the masks of the satellite operators.

Mobile satellite solutions have been in the market place for some time, but they have not received the kind of widespread adoption necessary to convince the market that it would be safe to purchase them. It’s what some authors have called the chasm in the technology-adoption life cycle.

The only way to get out of the chasm is to target a vertical or niche market with a common problem for which no solution is known.

There is a set of vertical markets which comply with such requirements and that can benefit from using mobile satellite applications:

• Emergency or disaster operations
• Homeland security
• Military
• Border patrol
• Oil and Gas industry
• Mobile marketing vehicles
• Mobile labs
• Event management teams
• Sporting /racing teams
• Media /news command centers
• Transportation industry

These vertical markets exist and their further development will be possible due to mobile satellite solutions. Technologies that have got out of the chasm recently include RFID sensors (in the transportation and logistics market) or DNA testing (in criminology). In 2008 we will see the mobile satellite technology “get out of the chasm” since, in any of these vertical markets, there are plenty of opportunities for a complete solution that will cope with those important problems.

Broadband Internet provides a universal platform for various applications that are needed for an emergency response or mobile office. Such applications are:

• VoIP
• Videoconferencing
• Remote medical treatment

Additionally, the ability to send reports via email instantly to hundreds of people who can be working in different agencies thousands of kilometers away, and for them to be able to respond immediately to requirements, or to post updates on the web to be shared among different groups, surpasses other methods of communication such as mobile telephone or fax.

Once the market is aware of the tremendous potential of SOTM solutions, its deployment will be assured and its demand will increase dramatically.

Advances in communications technologies can still not answer the “anywhere, anytime, anyplace” requirements for broadband internet access.

Mobile terrestrial networks have their shortcomings in the places in which the network is not deployed, even more in countries with complicated terrain. Mobile terrestrial networks are not valid in security applications, because in an emergency or disaster operation, it might not be convenient to rely on the terrestrial network infrastructure.

In both cases, satellite communications are the solution for broadband communications. However, broadband satellite communications so far, have not allowed the possibility of communication anytime, as the operation of the system was limited to static situations. Up to now, movement was possible for low data rate satellite communications, but not possible for real broadband communications. Therefore, SOTM finally provides a solution for real broadband communications.