Communication Satellites

Shashwat Shriparv
dwivedishashwat@gmail.com
InfinitySoft
ABOUT…..
 Communication Satellites have many
interesting properties that make them easy and
attractive for many applications.
 Can be thought of as a big microwave repeater
in the sky.
 Contains several transponders, each of which
listens to some portions of spectrum amplifies
the incoming signals and then rebroadcasts it at
another frequency to avoid interference…
 GEOSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITES

 They are those satellites that travel at the same direction as our
earth moves and have the same time period as earth(24 Hrs).
 A typical satellite has 12-20 transponders, each with a 36-50-
MHz bandwidth. A 50-Mbps transponder can be used to
encode a 50-Mbps data streams and various other
combinations.
 In the earliest satellites the division of transponders was static,
by splitting the bandwidth into Fixed Frequency Bands (FDM).
 But now TDM facility is also used due to its greater
flexibility…
CONTD….
 The first satellite had a single spatial beam that
illuminated the entire earth. Each satellite is equipped
with multiple transponders and antennas.
 Each downward beam can be focused on a small
geographical area so that multiple upward and
downward transmissions can take place
simultaneously.
 These are called as Spot Beams and they are
elliptically shaped…
DEVELOPMENT…
 VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminals) which are low
cost micro station is the new development in the in the
field of Communication Satellites. These tiny terminals
have miniature antennas.
 In many VSAT systems, the microstations do not have
enough power to communicate directly with one another.
 For this they use hub with a large antenna. In this mode
either the sender or the receiver has a large antenna
and a powerful amplifier.
 The trade-off is a longer delay in return for having
cheaper end-user stations…..
 There are many properties that make the
communication satellites different from the point-
to point links.
 The large round trips introduces a substantial
delay.
 From the security and privacy point of view
satellites are a complete disaster.
 Encryption is essential when security is
required…
ADVANTAGES…
 Cost of transmitting a message is independent of
the distance traversed.
 A call across an ocean is same as a call across a
street.
 Have excellent error rates and can be deployed
almost instantly.
 This is a major consideration for many military
applications…
LOW-ORBIT SATELLITES
 For the first 30 years of satellite eras, low orbit
satellites were rarely used for communication
because they zip into and out of view so quickly.
 Later in 1990 a plan was devised for the above,
as soon as a satellite went out of view another
would replace it.
 The Iridium system is an example.
IRIDIUM SYSTEM
 Basic goal:-
Provide worldwide telecommunications
service using hand held devices that
communicate directly with Iridium Satellites.
It provides voice, data, paging, fax and
navigation services all over the earth. It uses
ideas from cellular radios…
CONTD….
 Normally the cells are fixed, but the users are
mobile. Here each satellite has a substantial
number of spot beams that scan the earth as
the satellite moves.
 Thus both the cells and the users are mobile
in this system
CONTD….
 The projected cost for the end user is about 3
dollars/minutes.
 If this technique can provide universal service all
through the world for that price, it is unlikely that
project would die for lack of services.
 Business and other travelers who want to be in touch
all time can sign in even if they are in undeveloped
areas.
 This system can face stiff competitions from
PCS/PCN….
SATELLITES VS FIBERS
۩ It was all of a sudden that the terrestrial fiber
connections looked like the long time winner.
۩ Communication Satellites have some major niche
markets that the fiber does not and sometimes cannot
address…
First Niche
۩ A single fiber has more potential bandwidth than all
the satellites ever launched.
۩ The fibers that are now being installed are used within
the telephone system to handle many long distance
calls at once.
CONTD….
۩ With satellites, it is practical for the user to erect an antenna on the roof of the
building and completely bypassing the phone system.
Second Niche
۩ Is for mobile communications. Many people now a days want to communicate
while moving. Fiber link optics are of no use now. But Satellite links potentially
are…
CONTD…
Third Niche
۩ Situations in which broadcastings are essential. A
message sent by the satellites can be received by
thousands of stations at once.
۩ Broadcasting facility through the satellite system is
much cheaper than simulating a broadcast on the
ground…
Fourth Niche
۩ Communications in place with hostile or poor
terrain infrastructure.
۩ Launching one satellite was much more easier than
stringing thousands of undersea cables…
CONTD…
Fifth Niche
۩ Obtaining the right way for laying fiber is difficult or unduly expensive.
۩ When rapid deployment is critical, as in military communication systems in
time of wars, satellites win very easily…
CONCLUSIONS
 The main stream of communications for future use
will be terrestrial fiber optics combined with cellular
radios, but for some specialized uses satellites are
better.
 Although fiber optics offer more bandwidth it is
certainly possible that terrestrial and satellite
communications will compete belligerently on price.
 If advances in technology radically reduces the cost of
deploying the satellites or low orbit satellites catch on,
it is not certain that fibers win an all markets…
 Shashwat Shriparv
dwivedishashwat@gmail.com
InfinitySoft