Presented by Zahid Ghadialy in the Joint techUK/UKspace Satellite Committee on 19th Jan. 2016

1. techuk.org |@techUK | #techUK
Space & Satellite News Updates – 19th Jan 2016
Zahid Ghadialy, Technical Program Manager, techUK

2. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
Drone Ships – In partnership with Inmarsat
A prototype drone ship controlled by a captain hundreds of miles from the vessel
could be plying the sealanes in 10 years’ time after satellite communications group
Inmarsat joined a research project developing systems to support autonomous
vessels.
Removing humans from long voyages would cut the cost of operating ships – crew
can represent a third of a ship's running costs – and allow them to carry more
cargo in the space normally taken up by people.
Inmarsat will provide expertise in data transfer and communications to the
Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications (AAWA) initiative, with drone
ships’ ability to stay in contact with land bases while out on the oceans being seen
as key to their viability.
Source: The Telegraph

3. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
HTS to help Cellular Backhaul over Satellites
High Throughput Satellite (HTS) services are poised to catalyze growth in cellular
backhaul, according to a recent study from Euroconsult. The research firm expects
HTS will contribute significantly to more than $1 billion in capacity revenues by 2025
in its “Prospects for Cellular Backhaul in Fast-Growing Economies” report.
Euroconsult identified the extension of 2G networks to rural sites as well as the
development of 3G small cells running on renewable energy in some markets as
top drivers for cellular backhaul over satellite. HTS is an influential factor in
expanding 3G, but reservations will need to be pushed through in order to make
this more of a reality.
Euroconsult estimates that the number of sites using satellite backhaul nearly
doubled from 2009 to 2014, reaching almost 19,000 sites, and projects that the
number of sites will climb to approximately 37,000 sites by 2025.
Source: Via Satellite

4. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
LEOSAT™ - HTS satellites networked together in LEO
LeoSat plans to build a constellation of 78 to 108 small,
High Throughput Satellites (HTS) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Key differences:
• Low Delay (Latency of < 50ms)
• Multiple satellite redundancy
• Interconnected satellites with intelligent routing
• Customer links are up to 1.2Gbs synchronous
connections worldwide.
• New generation of client stations using electronic beam
steering.
• Client stations are solid state with no moving parts.
• Low cost, easy deployable client antenna.
• Extremely high speed inter-satellite links.
• The only system that can provide 4G backhaul in its
native form and comply with the LTE standards.
Primary Markets: Maritime, Oil & Gas (Exploration and
Production), Telecom Backhaul and Trunking, Enterprise
VSAT
Source: Leosat

5. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
Fast in-flight WiFi by Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom
The multi-beam satellites rely on Inmarsat's 30MHz (2 x 15MHz) S-band spectrum,
which covers all 28 EU member states. Deutsche Telekom, on the other hand, will
utilize 300 specially-modified LTE sites that range up to 80 kilometers (normal masts
offer around 10 kilometers) and can efficiently deal with the speed of a plane
travelling at 10,000 feet.
Lufthansa will be the first European airline to trial the European Aviation Network
system in 2017.
Source: Engadget

6. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
Satellites for USO in Switzerland
Switzerland became the first nation to include broadband within the scope of its
universal service scheme.
Swisscom, the company responsible for fulfilling the country’s plan turned to SES to
deliver Internet access from the Astra 2E satellite.
The universal service obligation speed in Switzerland is 2 Mbps downlink and 200
Kbps uplink.
Roughly two percent of homes have not been able to reach the required
minimum transmission rate with Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) broadband, prompting
Swisscom to use a bidirectional satellite solution.
Source: Via Satellite, Via Satellite

7. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
Satellite Broadband Vouchers in UK
The Government is rolling out its voucher scheme aimed at some of the 300,000
properties across the UK which are currently unable to access broadband speeds
in excess of 2 Mbps.
Under the scheme, households and businesses which meet the above criteria can
claim up to £350 towards the installation of satellite broadband equipment and a
year's subscription for the service.
Clearly the £15 million scheme will not be sufficient if all those who are eligible
decide to claim.
Source: techUK

8. techuk.org |@techUK |#techUK
Science and Technology Committee launch new
inquiry on Satellites and space
The Committee is launching an inquiry into Satellites and space, to inform the Government’s
promised UK Civil Space Strategy in 2016. Satellite technology is one of the ‘Eight Great
Technologies’ identified by the Government in 2013.
The Committee welcomes written submissions by Friday 29 January 2016 on the National
Space Policy and the following issues:
• What satellite-based capabilities should the Government particularly support —
telecommunications, navigation, earth observation, space science, or others — and how?
• What steps should the Government be taking to build markets for both new satellites and
the ‘space services’ that they provide (such as space-based internet services or high
resolution imaging)?
• What is the impact of the current UK regulatory environment on growth in the satellites and
space sector? Is it conducive to new players, such as SMEs and start-ups, entering the
market? Has the regulatory environment kept pace with innovations in satellite/space
technologies?
• What mechanisms are needed to encourage investment in UK space and satellite
technology, and improve access to finance?
• Is the Government striking the right balance between national and European/international
endeavour?
• What are the key challenges facing the Government and industry in developing and
implementing new space capabilities and services? What are the technical barriers to
further growth in the sector, including the lack of a UK launch capacity?
Source: Parliament UK