Innovations in Satellite Communications and Satellite Technology E-Book

Daniel Minoli

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 671

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Surveys key advances in commercial satellite communications and what might be the implications and/or opportunities for end-users and service providers in utilizing the latest fast-evolving innovations in this field This book explores the evolving technical options and opportunities of satellite networks. Designed to be a self-contained reference, the book includes background technical material in an introductory chapter that will serve as a primer to satellite communications. The text discusses advances in modulation techniques, such as DBV-S2 extensions (DVS-S2X); spotbeam-based geosynchronous and medium earth orbit High Throughput Satellite (HTS) technologies and Internet applications; enhanced mobility services with aeronautical and maritime applications; Machine to Machine (M2M) satellite applications; emerging ultra HD technologies; and electric propulsion. The author surveys the latest innovations and service strategies and the resulting implications, which involves: * Discussing advances in modulation techniques and HTS spotbeam technologies * Surveying emerging high speed aeronautical mobility services and maritime and other terrestrial mobility services * Assessing M2M (machine-to-machine) applications, emerging Ultra HD video technologies and new space technology Satellite communication is an integral part of the larger fields of commercial, television/media, government, and military communications, because of its multicast/broadcast capabilities, mobility, reliability, and global reach. High Throughput Satellites) are expected to revolutionize the field during this decade, providing very high speed, yet cost-effective, Internet access and connectivity anywhere in the world, in rural areas, in the air, and at sea. M2M connectivity, enabled by satellite communications, connects trucks on transcontinental trips, aircraft in real-time-telemetry aggregation, and mercantile ships. A comprehensive analysis of the new advances in satellite communications, Innovations in Satellite Communications Technology is a reference for telecommunications and satellite providers and end-users, technology investors, logistic professionals, and more.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Chapter 1: Overview

1.1 Background

1.2 Industry Issues and Opportunities: Evolving Trends

1.3 Basic Satellite Primer

1.4 Satellite Applications

1.5 Satellite Market View

1.6 Where is Fiber Optic Technology Going?

1.7 Innovation Needed

References

Chapter 2: DVB-S2 Modulation Extensions and Other Advances

2.1 Part 1: A Review of Modulation and FEC Principles

2.2 Part 2: DVB-S2 and DVB-S2 Extensions

2.3 Part 3: Other Ground-Side Advances

References

Chapter 3: High Throughput Satellites (HTS) and KA/KU Spot Beam Technologies

3.1 Overview

3.2 Multiple Access Schemes and Frequency Reuse

3.3 Spot Beam Approach

3.4 Frequency Colors

3.5 Frequency Bands of Operation

3.6 Losses and Rain Considerations

3.7 HTS Applications

3.8 Comparison Between Approaches

3.9 A View Of KU-Based HTS Systems

3.10 HTS Design Considerations

3.11 Spot Beam Antenna Design Basics (Satellite Antenna)

3.12 Examples of HTS

References

Chapter 4: Aeronautical Mobility Services

4.1 Overview of the Mobility Environment

4.2 Aeronautical Systems

4.3 Technology Players and Approaches

References

Chapter 5: Maritime and Other Mobility Services

5.1 Approaches to Maritime Communication

5.2 Key Players

5.3 Comms-On-The-Move Applications

5.4 HTS/K-Band Transportable Systems

References

Chapter 6: M2M Developments and Satellite Applications

6.1 A General Overview of the Internet of Things and M2M

6.2 M2M Frameworks

6.3 M2M Applications Examples and Satellite Support

6.4 Competitive Wireless Technologies

References

Chapter 7: ULTRAHD Video/TV and Satellite Implications

7.1 H.265 in the ULTRAHD Context

7.2 Bandwidth/Transmission Requirements

7.3 Terrestrial Distribution

7.4 Satellite Distribution

7.5 Hybrid Distribution

7.6 Deployment Challenges, Costs, Acceptance

References

Chapter 8: Satellite Technology Advances: Electric Propulsion and Launch Platforms

8.1 Basic Technology and Approach for Electric Propulsion

8.2 EP Engines

8.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of All-EP

8.4 Basics About Station-Keeping

8.5 Industry Approaches

8.6 New Approaches and Players for Launch Platforms

References

Appendix 8A: Transponder Costs

8A.1 Typical SG&A and Ebitda for the General Commercial World and Satellite Firms

8A.2 Transponder Costs

References

Appendix A: Partial Listing of System-Level US Patents for Spot-Beam/Multi-Beam Satellites

Appendix B: Glossary of Key Satellite Concepts and Terms

References

Index

End User License Agreement

Pages

xi

xii

xiii

xv

xvi

xvii

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

125

126

127

128

129

130

131

132

133

134

135

136

137

138

139

140

141

142

143

144

145

146

147

148

149

150

151

152

153

154

155

156

157

158

159

161

162

163

164

165

166

167

168

169

170

171

172

173

174

175

176

177

178

179

180

181

182

183

184

185

186

187

188

189

190

191

192

193

194

195

196

197

198

199

200

201

202

203

204

205

207

208

209

210

211

212

213

214

215

216

217

218

219

220

221

222

223

224

225

226

227

228

229

230

231

232

233

234

235

236

237

238

239

240

241

242

243

244

245

246

247

248

249

250

251

252

253

254

255

256

257

258

259

260

261

262

263

264

265

266

267

268

269

270

271

272

273

274

275

276

277

278

279

280

281

282

283

284

285

286

287

288

289

290

291

292

293

294

295

296

297

298

299

300

301

302

303

304

305

306

307

308

309

310

311

312

313

314

315

316

317

318

319

320

321

322

323

324

325

326

327

328

329

330

331

332

333

334

335

336

337

338

339

340

341

342

343

344

345

346

347

348

349

350

351

352

353

354

355

356

357

358

359

360

361

362

363

364

365

366

367

368

369

370

371

372

373

374

375

376

377

378

379

380

381

382

383

384

385

386

387

388

389

390

391

392

393

394

395

396

397

398

399

400

401

402

403

404

405

406

407

408

409

410

411

413

414

415

416

417

418

419

420

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Preface

Begin Reading

List of Illustrations

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

Figure 1.3

Figure 1.4

Figure 1.5

Figure 1.6

Figure 1.7

Figure 1.8

Figure 1.9

Figure 1.10

Figure 1.11

Figure 1.12

Figure 1.13

Figure 1.14

Figure 1.15

Figure 1.16

Figure 1.17

Figure 1.18

Figure 2.1

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

Figure 2.4

Figure 2.5

Figure 2.6

Figure 2.7

Figure 2.8

Figure 2.9

Figure 2.10

Figure 2.11

Figure 2.12

Figure 2.13

Figure 2.14

Figure 2.15

Figure 2.16

Figure 2.17

Figure 2.18

Figure 2.19

Figure 2.20

Figure 2.21

Figure 2.22

Figure 2.23

Figure 2.24

Figure 2.25

Figure 2.26

Figure 3.1

Figure 3.2

Figure 3.3

Figure 3.4

Figure 3.5

Figure 3.6

Figure 3.7

Figure 3.8

Figure 3.9

Figure 3.10

Figure 3.11

Figure 3.12

Figure 3.13

Figure 3.14

Figure 3.15

Figure 3.16

Figure 3.17

Figure 3.18

Figure 3.19

Figure 3.20

Figure 3.21

Figure 3.22

Figure 3.23

Figure 3.24

Figure 3.25

Figure 3.26

Figure 3.27

Figure 3.28

Figure 3.29

Figure 3.30

Figure 3.31

Figure 3.32

Figure 3.33

Figure 3.34

Figure 4.1

Figure 4.2

Figure 4.3

Figure 4.4

Figure 4.5

Figure 4.6

Figure 4.7

Figure 4.8

Figure 4.9

Figure 4.10

Figure 4.11

Figure 4.12

Figure 4.13

Figure 4.14

Figure 5.1

Figure 5.2

Figure 5.3

Figure 5.4

Figure 5.5

Figure 6.1

Figure 6.2

Figure 6.3

Figure 6.4

Figure 6.5

Figure 6.6

Figure 6.7

Figure 6.8

Figure 6.9

Figure 6.10

Figure 6.11

Figure 6.12

Figure 6.13

Figure 6.14

Figure 6.15

Figure 6.16

Figure 6.17

Figure 6.18

Figure 6.19

Figure 6.20

Figure 6.21

Figure 6.22

Figure 7.1

Figure 7.2

Figure 7.3

Figure 7.4

Figure 7.5

Figure 7.6

Figure 7.7

Figure 7.8

Figure 7.9

Figure 7.10

Figure 7.11

Figure 8.1

Figure 8.2

Figure 8.3

Figure 8.4

Figure 8.5

Figure 8.6

Figure 8.7

Figure 8.8

Figure 8.9

Figure 8.10

List of Tables

Table 1.1

Table 1.2

Table 1.3

Table 1.4

Table 1.5

Table 1.6

Table 2.1

Table 2.2

Table 2.3

Table 3.1

Table 3.2

Table 3.3

Table 3.4

Table 4.1

Table 4.2

Table 4.3

Table 4.4

Table 4.5

Table 4.6

Table 4.7

Table 4.8

Table 5.1

Table 5.2

Table 5.3

Table 6.1

Table 6.2

Table 6.3

Table 6.4

Table 6.5

Table 6.6

Table 7.1

Table 7.2

Table 7.3

Table 7.4

Table 7.5

Table 8.1

Table 8.2

Table 8.3

Table 8A.1

Table 8A.2

Table 8A.3

INNOVATIONS IN SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY

The Industry Implications of DVB-S2X, High Throughput Satellites, Ultra HD, M2M, and IP

DANIEL MINOLI

Secure Enterprise Systems Inc. New York, USA

Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone], or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at [phone], outside the United States at [phone] or fax [phone].

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Minoli, Daniel, 1952-

Innovations in satellite communication and satellite technology : the industry implications of~DVB-S2X, high throughput satellites, Ultra HD, M2M, and IP / Daniel Minoli.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-98405-5 (cloth)

1. Artificial satellites in telecommunication. I. Title.

TK5104.M539 2015

621.382′5–dc23

2014043912

For Anna.And for my parents Gino and Angela.

Preface

A number of technical and service advances affecting commercial satellite communications have been seen in the past few years. This text surveys some of these new key advances and what the implications and/or opportunities for end-users and service providers might be. Satellite communication plays and will continue to play a key role in commercial, TV/media, government, and military communications because of its intrinsic multicast/broadcast capabilities, mobility aspects, global reach, reliability, and ability to quickly support connectivity in open-space and/or hostile environments.

Business factors impacting the industry at this time include the desire for higher throughput and more cost-effective bandwidth. Improved modulation techniques allow users to increase channel datarates by employing methods such as 64APSK. High throughput is also achieved via the use of Ka (and Ku) spotbeams on High Throughput Satellites (HTS), and via the reduction of transmission latency (due to higher layer protocol stack handshakes) using Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites that operate in a 5,000-mile orbit over the equator (also known as MEO-HTS), but where users must use two steerable antennas to track the spacecraft and retain signal connectivity by moving the path from one satellite in the constellation to another.

Providing services to people on-the-move, particularly for transoceanic airplane journeys is now both technically feasible and financially advantageous to the service provider stakeholders. M2M (machine-to-machine) connectivity, whether for trucks on transcontinental trips, or for aircraft real-time-telemetry aggregation, or mercantile ship data tracking, opens up new opportunities to extend the Internet of Things (IoT) to broadly-distributed entities, particularly in oceanic environments. Emerging Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) provides video quality that is the equivalent of 8-to-16 HDTV screens (33 million pixels, for the 7,680 × 4,320 resolution), compared to a maximum 2 million pixels (1,920 × 1,080 resolution) for the current highest quality HDTV service – clearly this requires a lot more bandwidth. Satellite operators are planning to position themselves in this market segment, with generally-available broadcast services planned for 2020, and more targeted transmission starting at press time.

At the core-technology level, electric (instead of chemical) propulsion is being sought; such propulsion approaches can reduce spacecraft weight (and so, launch cost) and possibly extend the spacecraft life. Additionally, new launch platforms are being brought to the market, again with the goal of lowering launch cost via increased competition.

Satellite networks cannot really exist (forever) as stand-alone islands in a sea of connectivity; hence, hybrid networks have an important role to play. The widespread introduction of IP-based services, including IP-based Television (IPTV) and Over The Top (OTT) video, driven by continued deployment of fiber connectivity will ultimately re-shape the industry. In particular, Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) is a technology now being deployed in various parts of the world that will allow true explicit end-to-end device addressability. As the number of intelligent systems that need direct access expands to the multiple billions (e.g., including smartphones, tablets, appliances, sensors/actuators, and even body-worn bio-metric devices), IPv6 becomes an institutional imperative, in the final analysis. The integration of satellite communication and IPv6 capabilities promises to provide a powerful networking infrastructure that can serve the evolving needs of government, military, IPTV, and mobile video stakeholders, to name just a few.

This book explores these evolving technical themes and opportunities. After an introductory overview, Chapter 2 discusses advances in modulation techniques, such as DBV-S2 extensions (DVB-S2X). Spotbeam technologies (at Ka but also at Ku) which constitute the technical basis for the emerging HTS systems and services are discussed in Chapter 3. Aeronautical mobility services such as Internet service while on-the-move are covered in Chapter 4. Maritime and other terrestrial mobility services are covered in Chapter 5. M2M applications are surveyed in Chapter 6. Emerging Ultra HD technologies are assessed in Chapter 7. Finally, new space technology, particularly Electric Propulsion and new launch platforms ultimately driving lower cost-per-bit (or cost-per-MHz) are discussed in Chapter 8.

This work will be of interest to technology investors; planners with satellite operators, carriers and service providers; CTOs; logistics professionals; engineers at equipment developers; technology integrators; Internet Service Providers (ISP), telcos, and wireless providers, both domestically and in the rest of the world.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Mr. William B. McDonald, President of WBMSAT Satellite Communications Consulting (Port Orchard, WA) for review, input, and guidance for this text. WBMSAT provides research, systems design, engineering, integration, testing, and project management in all aspects of commercial and military satellite communication.

The author would like to also thank Edward D. Horowitz for valuable contributions. Mr. Horowitz is Co-founder and a Director of U.S. Space LLC, a satellite services company, and Chairman of ViviSat, its in-orbit servicing venture. Recently Mr. Horowitz joined the Office of the CEO of Encompass Digital Media, a leading provider of worldwide television channel origination, live sports and news distribution, digital media and government services.

However, any pointed opinion, perspective, limitations, possible ambiguities, or lack of full clarity in this work are solely attributable to this author.

About the Author

Mr. Minoli has many years of technical-hands-on and managerial experience in planning, designing, deploying, and operating secure IP/IPv6-, telecom-, wireless-, satellite-, and video networks for global Best-In-Class carriers and financial companies. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Secure Enterprise Systems (www.ses-engineering.us), an engineering, technology assessment, and enterprise cybersecurity firm. Previous roles in the past two decades have included General Manager and Director of Ground Systems Engineering at SES, the world's second largest satellite services provider, Director of Network Architecture at Capital One Financial, Chief Technology Officer at InfoPort Communication Group, and Vice President of Packet Services at Teleport Communications Group (TCG) (eventually acquired by AT&T).

In the recent past he has been responsible for (i) development, engineering, and deployment of metro Ethernet, IP/MPLS, and VoIP/VoMPLS networks, (ii) the development, engineering, and deployment of hybrid IPTV, non-linear, and, 3DTV video systems, (iii) deployments of a dozen large aperture antenna (7–13 m) at teleports in the U.S. and abroad; (iv) deployment of satellite monitoring services worldwide (over 40 sites); (v) development, engineering, and deployment of IPv6-based services in the M2M/Internet of Things area, in the non-linear video area, in the smartphone area, in the satellite area, and in the network security area; and (vi) the deployment of cloud computing infrastructure (Cisco UCS - 3,800 servers) for a top-line Cable TV provider in the U.S. Some Mr. Minoli's satellite-, wireless-, IP-, video-, and Internet Of Things-related work has been documented in books he has authored, including:

Satellite Systems Engineering in an IPv6 Environment

(Francis and Taylor 2009),

Wireless Sensor Networks

(co-authored) (Wiley 2007),

Hotspot Networks: Wi-Fi for Public Access Locations

(McGraw-Hill, 2002),

Mobile Video with Mobile IPv6

(Wiley 2012),

Linear and Non-Linear Video and TV Applications Using IPv6 and IPv6 Multicast

(Wiley 2012), and,

Building the Internet of Things with IPv6 and MIPv6 (Wiley, 2013).

He also played a founding role in the launching of two companies through the high-tech incubator Leading Edge Networks Inc., which he ran in the early 2000s: Global Wireless Services, a provider of secure broadband hotspot mobile Internet and hotspot VoIP services; and, InfoPort Communications Group, an optical and Gigabit Ethernet metropolitan carrier supporting Data Center/SAN/channel extension and cloud network access services.

He has also written columns for ComputerWorld, NetworkWorld, and Network Computing (1985–2006). He has taught at New York University (Information Technology Institute), Rutgers University, and Stevens Institute of Technology (1984–2003). Also, he was a Technology Analyst At-Large, for Gartner/DataPro (1985–2001); based on extensive hand-on work at financial firms and carriers, he tracked technologies and wrote CTO/CIO-level technical scans in the area of telephony and data systems, including topics on security, disaster recovery/business continuity, network management, LANs, WANs (ATM, IPv4, MPLS, IPv6), wireless (LANs, public hotspot, wireless sensor networks, 3G/4G, and satellite), VoIP, network design/economics, carrier networks (such as metro Ethernet and CWDM/DWDM), and e-commerce. For several years he has been Session-, Tutorial-, and now overall Technical Program Chair for the IEEE ENTNET (Enterprise Networking) conference; ENTNET focuses on enterprise networking requirements for large financial firms and other corporate institutions (this IEEE group has now merged and has become the IEEE Technical Committee on Information Infrastructure [TCIIN]).

He has also acted as Expert Witness in a (won) $11B lawsuit regarding a VoIP-based wireless Air-to-Ground radio communication system for airplane in-cabin services, as well as for a large lawsuit related to digital scanning and transmission of bank documents/instruments (specifically, scanned checks). He has also been engaged as a technical expert in a number of patent infringement proceedings in the digital imaging, VoIP, firewall, and VPN space supporting law firms such as Schiff Hardin LLP, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Dimock Stratton LLP/ Smart & Biggar LLP, Munger, Tolles, and Olson LLP, and Baker & McKenzie LLP, among others.

Over the years he has advised Venture Capitalists for investments in a dozen high-tech companies. He performed extensive technical, sales, and marketing analyses of high-tech firms seeking funding for a total of approximately $150M, developing multimedia, digital video, physical layer switching, VSATs, telemedicine, Java-based CTI, VoFR & VPNs, HDTV, optical chips, H.323 gateways, nanofabrication/QCL wireless, and TMN mediation. Included the following efforts: MRC: multimedia & Asynchronous Transfer Mode; NHC: Physical Layer switch; CoastCom: VSAT systems; Cifra: tele-medicine; Uniforce: Java IP-based CTI; Memotec: VoFR; Miranda: HDTV & Electronic Cinema; Lumenon: optical WDMs; Medisys: Web-based healthcare ASP; Tri-Link: H.323 VoIP gateway; Maxima: wireless free-space optics metro networks using nanofabricated QCLs (Quantum Cascade Lasers); and, ACE*COMM for TMN/IPDR (financiers/VCs: Societe' General de Financiament de Quebec; Caisse de Depot et Placement Quebec; Les Funds De Solidarite' Des Travailleurs).

Chapter 1Overview

Satellite services, spanning the commercial arena, the military arena, and the earth sensing arena (including weather tacking), offer critical global connectivity and observation capabilities, which are perceived to be indispensable in the modern world. Whether supporting mobility in the form of Internet access and real-time telemetry from airplanes or ships on oceanic routes, or distribution of high-quality entertainment video to dispersed areas in emerging markets without significant infrastructure, or emergency communications in adverse conditions or in remote areas, or earth mapping, or military theater applications with unmanned aerial vehicles, satellites fill a void that cannot be met by other forms of communication mechanisms, including fiber optic links. Over 900 satellites were orbiting the earth as of press time. However, due to the continued rapid deployment of fiber and Internet Protocol (IP) services in major metropolitan areas where the paying customers are, including those in North America, Europe, Asia, South America, and even in Africa, tech-savvy and marketing-sophisticated approaches that organically integrate IP into the end-to-end solution are critically needed by the satellite operators to sustain growth.

Progressive satellite operators will undoubtedly opt to implement, at various degrees, some of the concepts presented here, concepts, frankly, not per se surprisingly novel or esoteric, since the idea of making satellites behave more than just microwave repeaters (microwave repeaters with operative functionally equivalent to the repeaters being deployed in the 1950s in the Bell System in the United States), in order to sustain market growth with vertically integrated user-impetrated applications, was already advocated by industry observers in the late 1970s (e.g., but certainly not only [MIN197901]) and by the early industry savants (e.g., but not only [ROS198201, ROS198401]).

1.1 Background

Satellite communication is based on a line-of-sight (LOS) one-way or two-way radio frequency (RF) transmission system that comprises a transmitting station utilizing an uplink channel, a space-borne satellite system acting as a signal regeneration node, and one or more receiving stations monitoring a downlink channel to receive information. In a two-way case, both endpoint stations have the transmitting and the receiving functionality (see Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1 A typical satellite link.

Satellites can reside in a number of near-earth orbits. The geostationary orbit (GSO) is a concentric circular orbit in the plane of the earth's equator at 35,786 km (22,236 miles) of altitude from the earth's surface (42,164 km from the earth's center – the earth's radius being 6,378 km). A geosynchronous (GEO) satellite1 circles the earth in the GSO at the earth's rotational speed and in the same direction as the rotation. When the satellite is in this equatorial plane it effectively appears to be permanently stationary when observed at the earth's surface, so that an antenna pointed to it will not require tracking or (major) positional adjustments at periodic intervals of time.2,3 Other orbits are possible, such as the medium Earth orbit (MEO) and the low Earth orbit (LEO).

Traditionally, satellite services have been officially classified into the following categories:

Fixed Satellite Service (FSS):

This is a satellite service between satellite terminals at specific fixed points using one or more satellites. Typically, FSS is used for the transmission of video, voice, and IP data over long distances from fixed sites. FSS makes use of geostationary satellites with fixed ground stations. Signals are transmitted from one point on the globe either to a single point (point-to-point) or from one transmitter to multiple receivers (point-to-multipoint). FSS may include satellite-to-satellite links (not commercially common) or feeder links for other satellite services such as the Mobile Satellite Service or the Broadcast Satellite Service.

Broadcast Satellite Service (BSS):

This is a satellite service that supports the transmission and reception via satellite of signals that are intended for direct reception by the general public. The best example is Direct Broadcast Service (DBS), which supports direct broadcast of TV and audio channels to homes or business directly from satellites at a defined frequency band. BSS/DBS makes use of geostationary satellites. Unlike FSS, which has both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint communications, BSS is only a point-to-multipoint service. Therefore, a smaller number of satellites are required to service a market.

Mobile Satellite Service (MSS):

This is a satellite service intended to provide wireless communication to any point on the globe. With the broad penetration of the cellular telephone, users have started to take for granted the ability to use the telephone anywhere in the world, including rural areas in developed countries. MSS is a satellite service that enhances this capability. For telephony applications, a specially configured handset is needed. MSS typically uses satellite systems in MEOs or LEOs.

Maritime Mobile Satellite Service (MMSS):

This is a satellite service between mobile satellite earth stations and one or more satellites.

While not formally a service in the regulatory sense, one can add Global Positioning (Service/) System (GPS) to this list; this service uses an array of satellites to provide global positioning information to properly equipped terminals.

A number of technical and service advances affecting commercial satellite communications have been seen in the past few years; these advances are the focus of this textbook. Spectral efficiencies are being vigorously sought by end-users in order to sustain the business case for content distribution as well as interactive voice (VoIP) and Internet traffic. At the same time, to sustain sales growth, operators need to focus on delivering IP services (enterprise and Internet access), on next-generation video (hybrid distribution, caching, nonlinear/time shifting, higher resolution), and on mobility. Some of the recent technical/service advances include the following:

Business factors impacting the industry at press time included the desire for higher overall satellite channel and system throughput. Improved modulation schemes allow users to increase channel throughput: advanced modulation and coding (modcod) techniques being introduced as standardized solutions embedded in next-generation modems provide more bits per second per unit of spectrum, and adaptive coding enables more efficient use of the higher frequency bands that are intrinsically susceptible to rain fade; extensions to the well-established baseline DVB-S2 standard are now being introduced.

High throughput is also achieved via the use of spotbeams on High Throughput Satellites (HTSs), typically (but not always) operating at Ka-band (18.3–20.2 GHz for downlink frequencies and 28.1–30 GHz for uplink frequencies), and via the reduction of transmission latency utilizing MEO satellites. HTSs are capable of supporting over 100 Gbps of raw aggregate capacity and, thus, significantly reducing the overall per-bit costs by using high-power, focused spot beams. HTS systems and capabilities can be leveraged by service providers to extend the portfolio of satcom service offerings. HTSs differ from traditional satellites in a number of ways, including the utilization of high-capacity beams/transponders of 100 MHz or more; the use of gateway earth stations supporting one or two dozen beams (typically with 5 Gbps capacity requirement); high per-station throughputs for all the remote stations; and advanced techniques to address rain attenuation, especially for Ka-band systems.

Providing connectivity services to people on-the-move, for example, for people traveling on ships or airplanes, where terrestrial connectivity is lacking, is now both technically feasible and financially advantageous to the service providers. When that is desired on fast-flying planes, special antenna design considerations (e.g., tracking antennas) have to be taken into account.

M2M (machine-to-machine) connectivity, whether for trucks on transcontinental trips, or aircraft real-time-telemetry aggregation, or mercantile ship data tracking, opens up new opportunities to extend the Internet of Things (IoT) to broadly distributed entities, particularly in oceanic environments. With the increase in global commerce, some see increasing demands on maritime communication networks supported by satellite connectivity; sea-going communications requirements can vary by the type of vessel, type of operating company, data volumes, crew and passenger needs, and application (including the GMDSS [Global Maritime Distress and Safety System]), so that a number of solutions may be required or applicable.

Emerging Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) (also known as Ultra HD or UHD) provides video quality that is equivalent to 8-to-16 HDTV screens; clearly, this requires a lot more bandwidth per channel than currently used in video transmission. So-called 4 K and 8 K versions are emerging, based on the vertical resolution of the video. Satellite operators are planning to position themselves in this market segment, with generally-available broadcast services planned for 2020, and more targeted transmission starting as of press time. UHDTV will require a bandwidth of approximately 60 Mbps for distribution services and 100 Mbps for contribution services. The use of DVB-S2 extensions (and possibly wider transponders, e.g., 72 MHz) will be a general requirement. The newly emerging H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) video compression standard (algorithm) provides up to 2x better compression efficiency compared with that of the baseline H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) algorithm; however, it also has increased computational complexity requiring more advanced chip sets. Many demonstrations and simulations were developed in recent years, especially in 2013, and commercial-grade products were expected in the 2014–2015 time frame, just in time for Ultra HD applications (both terrestrial and satellite based). Even in the context of Standard Definition (SD)/High Definition (HD) video, upgrading ground encoding equipment by content providers to H.264 HEVC reduces the bandwidth requirements (and, hence, recurring expenditures) by up to 50%. Upgrading from DVB-S2 to DVB-S2 extensions (DVB-S2X) can reduce bandwidth by an additional 10–60%.

Hybrid networks combining satellite and terrestrial (especially IP) connectivity have an important role to play in the near future. The widespread introduction of IP-based services, including IP-based television (IPTV) and over-the-top (OTT) video, driven by continued deployment of fiber connectivity, will ultimately reshape the industry. In particular, IP version 6 (IPv6) is a technology now being deployed in various parts of the world that will allow true explicit end-to-end device addressability. The integration of satellite communication and IPv6 capabilities promises to provide a networking hybrid infrastructure that can serve the evolving needs of government, military, IPTV, and mobile video stakeholders, to name just a few.

At the core technology level, electric (instead of chemical) propulsion is being investigated and, in fact, being deployed; such propulsion approaches can reduce spacecraft weight (and so launch cost) and possibly extend the spacecraft life. According to proponents, the use of electric propulsion for satellite station-keeping has already changed the global satellite industry, and now, with orbit-topping and orbit-raising, it is poised to transform it.

In addition, new launch platforms are being brought to the market, again with the goal of lowering launch cost via increased competition.

It is thus self-evident that satellite communications play and will continue to play a key role in commercial, TV/media, government, and military communications because of its intrinsic multicast/broadcast capabilities, mobility aspects, global reach, reliability, and ability to quickly support connectivity in open-space and/or hostile environments. This text surveys some of these new key advances and what the implications and/or opportunities for end-users and service providers might be. The text is intended to be generally self-contained; hence, some background technical material is included in this introductory chapter.

1.2 Industry Issues and Opportunities: Evolving Trends

1.2.1 Issues and Opportunities

Expanding on the observations made in the introductory section, it is instructive to assess some of the general industry trends as of the mid-decade, 2010s. Observations such as these partially characterize the environment and the trends:

“… a change of the economics of the industry [is] key to the satellite sector's long-term growth … We have to be more relevant, more efficient, we have to push the boundaries… the industry needs to both drive down costs and expand the market through innovation…”

[WAI201401];

“… the satellite market is seeing dramatic change from the launch of new high-throughput satellites, to the dramatic drop in launch costs brought on by gutsy new entrants … more affordable and reliable launch options [are becoming available]…”

[WAI201401];

“… it is an open question as to who will see the fastest rate of growth. Will the top four continue to score the big deals and push further consolidation, or will the pendulum swing to the regional players with their closer relationships to the domestic/national client bases and launch of new “national flag” satellites?…”

[GLO301301];

“… to combine with its wireless, phone and high-speed broadband Internet services as competition ramps up; the pool of pay-TV customers is peaking in the U.S. [and in Europe] because viewers are increasingly watching video online…”

[SHE201401];

“… The TV and video market is experiencing a dramatic shift in the way content is accessed and consumed, that should see no turning back. Technical innovation and the packaging of new services multiply the … interactions between content and viewers… Four major drivers are impacting the way content is managed from its production to its distribution and monetization. They are:

Delinearization of content consumption, and multiplication of screens and networks to access content;

Faster increase in competition than in overall revenues; new sources of content, intermediaries and distributors challenge the value chain;

Shorter innovation and investment cycles to meet customer expectations; and

Fast growth in emerging regions opening new growth opportunities at the expense of an increasing customization to local needs…”

[BUC201401].

“…seeking innovative satellite and launcher configurations is an absolute must for the satellite industry if it expects to remain competitive against terrestrial technologies… the cost of the satellite plus the cost of the launcher will … deliver a 36-megahertz-equivalent transponder into orbit for $1.75 million…”

[SEL201402];

“…Many factors can disrupt the market and have an impact on competition, demand, or pricing… FSS cannibalization of MSS, emergence of new competitors in the earth observation arena, changes to the U.S. Government's behavior as a customer, growing competition from emerging markets, growth of government (globally) as a source for satellite financing, and adoption of a 4 K standard for DBS…”

[SAT201401];

“Innovation and satellite manufacturing are not always words that end up in the same sentence… Due to the expensive nature, risk aversion and technical complexity, innovation has been fairly slow in satellite communications…”

[PAT201301];

“… After the immediate, high-return investments have been done, new growth initiatives are either higher risk or lower return… Is industry maturity itself a disruptor, forcing experiments that fall beyond the risk frontier? …”

[SAT201401];

“Higher speeds, more efficient satellite communication technology and wider transponders are required to support the exchange of large and increasing volumes in data, video and voice over satellite. Moreover, end-users expect to receive connectivity anywhere anytime they travel, live or work. The biggest demand for the extensions to the DVB-S2 standard comes from video contribution and high-speed IP services, as these services are affected the most by the increased data rates…”

[WIL201401];