esa telecom

The Web-Sat DVB S2 development project has now been concluded successfully. ATiT staff supported Web-Sat in the management of this project which begun in June 2006, testing and piloting with the service have been on-going since July 2007 and were completed at the end of February 2008.

As a result of this development project, the forward link has been upgraded to the DVB-S2 standard, leading to an immediate increase in capacity and the potential for future increases using the ACM (Advanced Code Modulation) option. Suitable DVB-S2 data receive cards have been sourced and satellite trials performed successfully to date using 8PSK modulation. The return link has also been upgraded with the development of a new transmit card. The new transmit card employs a digital signal processor (DSP) and provides greater flexibility in terms of the supported modulation schemes (BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK etc..). It has been designed so that software/firmware upgrades can be easily applied when new features are required.

One of the key advantages of the development is that the new transmit card’s firmware can be upgraded remotely in a matter of seconds to add new features such as SCPC (single carrier per channel) mode.

These developments have been integrated into the overall service chain to include all the necessary software services necessary to operate a full end-to-end service. Further information, contact info@web-sat.com

ATiT staff recently spent several days in Greece providing support to the HERMES project funded by the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. HERMES is a pilot project providing two way interactivity based on DVB-RCS technology to remote Greek schools, many of them located in areas for which satellite is the only access option possible. This project will contribute to a national roadmap on how schools Internet access can be provided on a nationwide basis.

ATiT has updated the ESA User Support Office Tutorial on VSAT Licensing, which provides end users with basic information about regulations and licenses for the sue of VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals). Available since Autumn 2002, this module has been revised and updated with the latest available information on national licensing. Four countries have been added to the list (Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovakia), which now describes the regulatory situation in 28 European countries. The VSAT tutorial can be found on the ESA Telecom website under http://telecom.esa.int/vsat.

The User Support Office (USO) of ESA Telecom has recently launched a free web-based training system with information regarding satellite technology. The SATCOM Training Module offers an introduction to the fields of satellites and telecommunications ranging from basic information for non-technical personnel to advanced for expert engineers.

Visit the USO and learn more about satellite communications!

In this report, Prof Patrick Cohendet explains how the diffusion of ICT in society cannot be compared to the classical “passive” pace of diffusion of a given technology such as cars, television or telephone. On the contrary, ICT are not basic products.

Read more on the European Space Agency Telecom website: The Digital Divide in the European enlarged Economic Scenario.

The Irish government recently announced their broadband plans for schools to include an 18 million Euro programme to fund the provision of a mix of broadband services including satellite. Read more about the programme including an article about SchoolSat led by ATiT.