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Space-based Interactive Broadband in 2002 Bruce Elbert, Managing Director, Application Strategy Consulting We’ve all been waiting for the launch of Ka-band broadband satellite networks, but their developers are still working on them. Meantime, space-based interactive broadband already arrived through existing C and Ku-band satellites and the medium of data broadcasting and high-speed return channel technology. Evolutionary improvements in the following areas have taken hold in the marketplace and major user organizations (public and private) that had held back may now proceed with greater confidence. Such innovations include: · Adoption of the DVB-S standard for data broadcasting through the principle of IP Encapsulation (IPE) · Reduction in the cost of corporate VSAT technology with a concomitant increase in throughput · Availability of several very-effective solutions to recognized problems with the Internet Protocol over GEO satellite, resulting in return times and throughput comparable to broadband terrestrial services · Lowering of manufacturing costs of critical C and Ku band low power transmitters and more integration of baseband equipment within the indoor unit · Renewed confidence in the ability of our industry to serve a large subscriber base with a high degree of customer satisfaction During the past Internet bubble, several new satellite networking companies introduced ideas and techniques not familiar to our industry. Rather quickly, more established suppliers learned the ropes and are also offering competitive products and services. This, together with the advances cited above, provide the environment needed to energize space-based interactive broadband in 2002. Rather than speak in generalities or make projections, we provide here a summary of technology offerings that immediately address interactive broadband needs. Available now is both a one-way approach (with terrestrial return) as well as two-way data transfers over satellite. The following list of technology companies is neither exhaustive nor provided in any order of precedence. ViaSat Satellite Networks, a company more familiar to US Government customers is now using a unique set of modulation technologies to enter the interactive market. Their new platform, ArcLight, introduces advanced technology to DVB-S in a particularly intriguing way. Shiron Satellite Communications, based in Israel, was one of the first to recognize the power of DVB-S for full bandwidth management facilities; this was combined with DAMA-SCPC, an old standby, for clear return channel performance. Hughes Network Systems, originator of the Ku-band VSAT and first-to-market with their tethered system, DirecPC, recently introduced bi-directional interactivity with DirecWay. Spacenet, the US subsidiary of Gilat , the leading VSAT supplier in terms of number of remote sites, has adapted Starband technology to corporate networks in Skyblaster 360E. SkyStream Networks, a company in Silicon Valley, is a leader in IP encapsulation technology and offers a complete solution for opportunistic data transfer in otherwise wasted bandwidth on MPEG streams. LogicInnovations, another leader in the IPE space, has high-performing products at the originating end of a data broadcast. They have been linked up with a Silicon Valley spin-off called BroadLogic in multi-casting IP data to the content-delivery market. Likewise, International Datacasting, a Canadian stalwart, provides end-to-end solutions using their own products as well as those of other companies mentioned herein. iDirect, based in the original headquarters of Iridium, introduced their high-speed interactive offering using economical TDMA technology at rates of nearly 2 Mbps. STM Wireless, an established supplier of star and mesh network technology to the global marketplace, was among the first to integrate their return channel with IPE multi-casting using DVB-S. VIPerSat Networks is another Silicon Valley venture that provides a return channel solution that can morph between star and mesh structures. Wegener, a company well known for their broadcast-quality video and audio IRDs, has introduced a new product line that includes IP data within the same package. Lastly, a young Internet-derived startup in Utah by the name of Helius markets a software solution for a satellite router that they claim delivers higher performance than current two-way over satellite networks. These are not the only suppliers, but they cover what the market currently offers to developers of interactive broadband data communications via satellite. To this we add the higher performance of current GEO satellites operated by SES (now adding the US to its constellation of European, Asia and South American products), Loral Skynet (part of the Loral Global Alliance), Intelsat (newly privatized), PanAmSat, Eutelsat, NewSkies, JSAT, Thaicom and others. With wider coverage and greater power, these satellites facilitate larger networks that can serve multiple needs. Capabilities such as regional and spot beams, cross strapping from C to Ku band (and vice versa), and channel linearization make current satellites more attractive for interactive broadband applications. A recent concern on the minds of potential new satellite network developers is orbital reliability, an issue drawing a lot of attention among makers, owners and insurers of spacecraft. The reality today is that even with as many as four catastrophic failures of operating satellites in a given year (still an extreme case), the expected reliability of a GEO satellite during a given 24-hour period is better than 99.99%. Even so, users of satellites depend on reliable end-to-end service and so must make provisions for back up and alternate means. Operators of straight video and audio networks using MPEG 2 can now consider adding broadcast and interactive data to their suite of services. Whether we are talking about internal applications like email or software updates, or services offered to subscribers for additional revenue or customer retention, space-based interactive broadband is likely to grow in acceptance. Issues regarding regulatory and market entry are still with us in key countries, but progress is being made on all fronts. Year 2002 promises to give space-based interactive broadband more of the foundation role it deserves. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bruce Elbert founded Application Strategy Consulting to assist clients in the selection and use of broadband and satellite communications in delivering a wide range of applications in communications and information technology. Recently, Mr. Elbert advised a major non-profit organization in adding broadband data to their existing global video network He also assisted a commercial joint venture in designing a system capable of delivering digital video and data to commercial jet liners. Mr. Elbert spent 25 years with the operating and manufacturing divisions of Hughes Electronics where he held several senior management positions in engineering, operations and business development. He holds an MSEE in electronics engineering and computer science from the University of Maryland, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and a BEE from CCNY. Mr. Elbert is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, College of Engineering, and teaches short courses in satellite and broadband communications at UCLA. He authored seven books in these fields, including the Satellite Communication Applications Handbook, 1997, Introduction to Satellite Communication, 1999, and the Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth Station Handbook, 2001, published by Artech House. Bruce may be reached at bruce@applicationstrategy.com. His web site is at: http://www.applicationstrategy.com. Back
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