SS/L-partnered satellite broadband service provider taps Kratos carrier monitors for support

A Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) customer procured a multi-million dollar order from the SAT Corporation subsidiary of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. order for Kratos' Monics carrier monitoring system and related products. The anonymous SS/L customer is a Ka-band satellite services provider that aims to bring satellite broadband communications services to remote areas in the region.

The industry's leading Radio Frequency (RF) monitoring system, Monics provides automatic carrier monitoring and advanced interference detection and analysis capabilities. The Karos-developed carrier monitoring system will be implemented into SAT's new SAT-DSP-6000 instrument, which uses advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology to measure entire transponders faster. The combination of the Monics solution and the DSP-6000 instrument will allow the latter to perform multi-beam monitoring of the next-generation Ka-band satellite constellation operated by SSL's customer.

And to make sure that the SS/L's customer's multi-beam satellites will maximize their performance, SAT will activate Monics' In-service In Orbit Test (IS-IOT) feature. IS-IOT uses advanced measurement techniques to characterize transponders in terms of gain, frequency response, and phase. Best of all, IS-IOT can perform its tasks when the transponder is active. That makes IS-IOT the industry's only true in-service IOT solution, as it can analyze network data stream analysis or characterize transponder performance without forcing the transponder to shut down first, which would negatively affect revenue-generating traffic.

The scalability and flexibility inherent to the Monics carrier monitoring solution will allow the SS/L customer to operate a fully-distributed, autonomous system that monitors payload traffic and RF interference. It allows for quick response if the customer's satellite broadband services suddenly act up due to, say, co-channel interference or similar disruptions.

In addition, SAT will also provide the SS/L customer with the satellite antennas, trailer-mounted systems, and flyaway systems to set up and operate 21 monitoring stations. These transportable stations can keep an eye on the customer's Ka-band satellite fleet from anywhere in the service provider's service area.

Inmarsat will launch more Ka-band satellites if Global Xpress service gets congested

Believing it's better to be safe than sorry, Inmarsat is setting up plans to boost the bandwidth capacity of its upcoming Global Xpress Ka-band satellite constellation in case the much-touted system gets congested earlier than expected.

The London-based satellite services provider is confident that Global Xpress will have plenty of bandwidth for its diverse array of planned users. But in case the planned constellation of three I-5 Ka-band satellites somehow cannot handle the demand, Inmarsat also intends to launch additional satellites to expand bandwidth capacity for the long term.

In fact, David Coiley, Inmarsat director of aeronautical business, welcomes the possibility of bandwidth congestion. Heavy demand would mean numerous users who would pay for the additional capacity.

“[Satellite] network operators always say, ‘If there is any congestion, it’s a problem we’d love to have,'" Director Coiley said, "and Inmarsat is already considering the necessary long lead items to put in place should it be required.”

Inmarsat's trio of I-5 satellites each pack a payload of 89 Ka-band spot beams. The planned constellation will be able to provide worldwide coverage save for the sparsely-populated polar regions. Each satellite also carries six steerable beams that can be aimed at high-traffic commercial or government areas.

“Interestingly, the major maritime and aviation routes overlap quite nicely," Director Coiley notes, "so we’ve already looked at areas in the world – such as the North Atlantic, Western Europe and Southeast Asia – where we’re looking to double up Global Xpress capacity. Plus," he adds, "we have steerable spot beams over and above that."

Inmarsat has invested $1.2 billion investment in its Global Xpress Ka-band satellite constellation, which is intended to serve terrestrial, maritime, and aviation customers alike. Director Coiley said that the GX service is not dependent on airline passengers who swipe a credit card session to surf the web.

“The business model, though positive, has yet to be proven whether commercial aviation alone can sustain the numbers being bandied around out there,” he said.

In addition, Director Coiley says that Inmarsat is “absolutely on track” to launch the first I-5 satellite at the end of 2013. Inmarsat will be able to offer global coverage “by the fourth quarter of 2014."

Predicted Global Xpress customers include business and commercial aircraft, government aircraft, ships, and news agencies all around the world.

Can satellite amplifier suppliers satisfy Ka-band satellite market demand?

It's a hot market nowadays for satellite amplifier technology. Everyone has got to have an amplifier to boost signal reception. So a bunch of companies are now competing to provide all those customers with this now-needed equipment. But can these suppliers satisfy the demand for satellite amplifiers? And can the market support all these competing companies?

The constant, unending demands for more and more satellite capacity increases the need for new technology and solutions close the gap. The arrival of high-powered Ka-band satellites, while a solution to the need for bandwidth, also placed a massive demand on the infrastructure that powered these new systems. The new platforms required new technologies and techniques, which in turn opens up new markets for equipment that support and enhance the new or improved services, such as satellite amplifiers.

Amplifier technology vendors have scrambled to meet the demand from satellite operators like Hughes, Eutelsat, ViaSat, and Inmarsat. These companies invested significant amounts into Ka-band satellite technology. And they are apparently satisfied with the quality and quantity of the supply of satellite amplifiers.

“We certainly feel that the success of these satellites is critical to the future of the satellite industry," said Andy Tafler, head of CPI’s satcom division. "Meeting the satellite system providers’ requirements for very high power and very high quality gateways has really pushed the capabilities of both Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTA) and Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA) amplifiers. What they have asked from the amplifier industry and the tube vendors is to push their capabilities," Tafler said. "Manufacturers have risen to the challenge, and these systems have been operating successfully and on time."

In short, the answer to the first question is 'yes.' And the second question can also be answered by a 'yes.'

According to Daniel Enns, senior vice president, business development for Comtech EF Data, the Ka-band market presents some unique issues that vendors must overcome. “The challenge in Ka-band is that there are military bands and commercial bands,” he pointed out. “The number of different bands raises questions: Do I have the right amplifier for the right band, and for the right application or customer requirement? So, we need to predict the right band for the right application so that we can have the right amplifiers built when there is demand."

SVP Enns goes on to say that the military market certainly has a lot of demand for satellite amplifier technology. "The WGS Ka-band for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is being deployed," he said. "Many of the foreign DODs are getting on the bandwagon for the WGS, so that is driving the demand for international Ka-band. In the Middle East, there are several other satellites that have Ka-band capacity that are also looking at the enterprise market.”

Cristi Damian, vice president, operations, Advantech Wireless, brings up the theme of more demanding customers. “Our customers are demanding high-linearity, high-efficiency and high-power,” she said. “We see a migration from the traditional 30 GHz to 31 GHz market to lower 26 GHz to 30 GHz frequencies, as well as a demand for higher bandwidth SSPAs." As a result, Advantech invested in Ka-band solid state technology for over nine years running now.

Marion Van Fosson, vice president and general manager, CVG-Avtec, believes that the key to success in the market is providing dual-use products that can serve both commercial and military segments. “Tier I OEMs would like to have a dual-use product that can support both the commercial and military bands," he said, "so amplifiers that can operate over a wide Ka-band range to satisfy both military and commercial requirements are desirable."

So far, there's enough business to go around for everyone who wants a slice of the pie chart of profit in the Ka-band market. The CEO of Miteq, Howard Hausman, reveals that his company wants such a slice. He also brought up statistics regarding the levels of data traffic, and uses these statistics as proof of why the Ka-band sector will place such a heavy yoke on technology vendors.

“We supply nearly every major Ka-band satcom system," Mr. Hausman said, "and we expect further growth over the remainder of the year. The projections for ever-increasing data transmission are simply staggering with Ka-band satcom being the critical transmission link to achieve these demands. To give just one example," he noted, "at a recent Air Force conference it was stated that traffic will grow by a factor of 50 over the next five years.”