The demand for communications-on-the-move (COTM) has increased dramatically over the past few years as more and more users have come to expect, anywhere in the world, the same capabilities they get on their smartphones at home.
The capability to support COTM has grown tremendously in the past decade with the development of smaller, more portable antennas and more capable satellites, including the recent launch of HTS.
Chris Hudson, Principal Technical Advisor at Intelsat General, says people expect to have access to all types of information at all times, and this expectation spills over into any sort of military operation too.
“Every end user wants an ever smaller terminal, and that is the direction we are heading. We want satellite terminal sizes to shrink as long as performance and operating costs are not adversely affected. High throughput satellites, such as Intelsat Epic, are ideally suited to enable these small platforms.”
From a maritime perspective, Tore Morten Olsen, President-Maritime, Marlink, thinks there has been a huge shift towards VSAT for MSS, as shipping companies recognise the advantage of fixed price, high-speed maritime broadband. This has been driven by increased global coverage on seamless VSAT networks.
“For instance, Marlink has developed the most extensive global VSAT network, which enables ships to roam freely almost anywhere and stay connected. Our VSAT network has recently been augmented with a huge amount of Ka-band capacity from new HTS services such as Inmarsat GlobalXpress and Telenor Thor7, and will be extended even further with capacity on Intelsat’s Epic Ku-band HTS services. This, alongside our continuing development of our fully managed network, ensures that the global shipping industry has the capacity to leverage the power of connected technology for safer, smarter operations,” says Olsen.
Along with better connectivity, terminals are also getting smaller and thinner, yet at the same time data rate demand has increased dramatically.
Hudson says that the maritime sector is seeing a range of changes in applications, especially for small craft operations near coastlines. Once again, terminal size is an important driver in developing new communications capabilities using HTS. In addition, he says it’s hard to find a sailor anymore who is willing to go to sea for long periods of time without being connected to home or to the internet.
There are three main drivers for installing communications on ships – safety and regulatory aspects, crew welfare and vessel/fleet operational efficiency. All areas have seen developments over the past few years that require more bandwidth and service availability to meet the needs of various stakeholders.
“In regards to crew welfare, we see a situation where competition for quality people is high. So in addition to offering good financial remuneration, shipping companies have to look at the on-board environment in order to attract the best crews. In addition to comfortable living quarters, internet connectivity and affordable voice calling facilities becomes important for retaining the most qualified crew. Crews’ expectations are high, so shipping companies need to deliver communication services to match,” explains Olsen.
He says Marlink’s XChange communications management system helps reduce admin time on board by enabling crew account management from the shore office. The company has also recently released XChange Media, a new Marlink crew-focused solution designed to deliver the best in news, sports and entertainment multimedia content. Looking forward, the company also has a Telemedicine system ready for release this September.
VSAT has also been key for vessels and fleets to operate smarter and more efficiently in recent years. More available global services are allowing greater use of machine-to-machine (M2M), electronic document handling and e-navigation applications, while a key communications investment driver of many shipping companies is saving significant money on fuel costs, which in turn has the added effect of reducing a vessel or fleet’s environmental footprint. A new generation of software and sensors has arrived that can stream or transfer in-depth data about a ship’s engine efficiency to teams on shore. This can be acted on by globally distributed experts in order to advise on adjusting operations to suit conditions.
Of all the sectors, aviation probably has the longest implementation and use cycle. It takes significant resources to qualify a terminal for aeronautical use. It also takes significant resources to install a satellite terminal on an aircraft. As such, the terminals do not change as rapidly in the aviation sector as they do in maritime or ground applications. The introduction of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) service is one of the biggest developments in the sector.
Darin Anderson, Director of International Business Development at ThinKom, says reducing the profile allows for a lower visual signature for covert/discreet operational needs and in the aero markets increases fuel savings due to reduced drag. In the aero applications (government, commercial aircraft, business aviation and UAV), these demands have placed antenna technologies in the spotlight to determine which ones are proven, affordable, high-performance, efficient, low SWaP (size, weight and power), reliable, aesthetically pleasing and offer a low cost of ownership.
Casper Jensen, VP for Business Development at Cobham SATCOM, says that the company is developing a full range of terminals which support the new generation SB-S and has just announced a new contract with Airbus to supply an AVIATOR S Series system as a line-fit option for the A320 and A330 fleets from 2018.
“We have also recently signed a Technical Service Agreement (TSA) with Boeing – Cobham SATCOM’s first contract with an airplane manufacturer for the AVIATOR S series. The TSA allows Cobham and Boeing to work together on the design of the AVIATOR 600S and 700S solutions on to the Boeing next-generation 737, the 737 MAX, the Boeing 777-300ER and 777X. Cobham SATCOM’s AVIATOR S product series offers smaller, lighter, more powerful satcom equipment to airlines and addresses the growing demand from airlines for continuous non-encrypted secure data exchange between their ground operations and their aircraft. The AVIATOR S series of products supports secure IP and ACARS data services, as well as multiple voice channels, among other things.
“Though SB-S is a current focus, our AVIATOR product range covers a wide range of requirements for cabin and cockpit communications. The full Cobham SATCOM AVIATOR range includes the revolutionary AVIATOR S series, which are smaller, lighter and more cost-effective than current satellite communication systems, adding to the current AVIATOR 700 and 700D, AVIATOR 350 with high gain antenna (HGA), AVIATOR 300 with IGA as well as the exceptionally compact and lightweight AVIATOR 200 with low gain antenna (LGA),” says Jensen.
Cobham SATCOM also recently launched the world’s smallest and lightest Inmarsat UAV satcom solution – the 1.45kg AVIATOR UAV 200. The unit integrates all components into one compact lightweight system which delivers Inmarsat Class 4 SwiftBroadband services in a low-SWAP package, making it 76% lighter than comparable products on the market.
On the military side of things, COTM is a vital tool for communications in the field, the ocean, reconnaissance and other missions. The communications needs of the defence sector can run from being essentially identical to those of a commercial company to being much more demanding in terms of operational environments, data needs and security.
Hudson explains that a battalion or a ship can be doing routine training at home one day and be halfway around the world engaged in intense operations just a week later. Their communications network has to work well under both conditions. In addition, these customers do not want to be tied down to any one type of terminal, so operators support open architecture allowing customers to access existing commercial platforms as well as their own specialised platforms.
Data demand continues to increase significantly year after year in air, land and sea applications with a variety of means of optimising the throughput. Although there are many tall dome/parabolic antenna systems for COTM military/government applications, trends are moving to replace these high visual signatures in the military environment.
Anderson explains: “By reducing the profile, this allows for discretion in use and application without giving up performance. That is highly beneficial for such aero, land and maritime applications that can be pushed terrestrially with advances in LOS and NLOS terrestrial use in varying frequency bands to the war fighter.”
“The AEHF satellite constellation cost way more than expected and strategic waveforms are too expensive, heavy and power-hungry for dismounted forces. Therefore, the American DoD is working to deploy affordable next-generation protected SATCOM systems based on protected tactical waveform (PTW). PTW provides low-cost communications for dismounted solders who have a critical need for secure, anti-jam (AJ) and low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) satellite communications.”
Intelsat and Intelsat General are working towards software programmable satellite payloads on future satellites.
“Down the road, we expect that satellites will be manufactured identically, but once on orbit be configurable – and re-configurable – spot and wide beam coverages, and performance can be customised to meet evolving market needs. This will be a win-win for all.
“Through standardisation, the satellites will be cheaper and quicker to manufacture and launch. At the same time, because of programmable payloads, a satellite’s performance will better match each customer’s needs,” concludes Hudson.
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