ThinKom ThinAir Ka2517. Photo: ThinKom

ThinKom Solutions, Inc., announced April 8 that its phased-array satellite antennas are in compliance with the latest rules from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the 2019 World Radiocommunications Conference (WRC-19) that prevent interference between satellites in Geostationary (GEO) and Non-Geostationary (NGSO) orbits, and between aeronautical and 5G terrestrial services using shared frequencies.

ThinKom CTO Bill Milroy said the company’s VICTS phased-array technology is in full compliance with ITU requirements and protects against interference in the GEO plane. VICTS stands for “variable inclination continuous transverse stub.” He said multiple successful trials have demonstrated interoperability between NGSO and GEO satellites without interference.

“We are entering a new era in telecommunications in which the skies become more crowded with hundreds, or even thousands, of [GEO] and NGSO satellites and a proliferation of 5G terrestrial networks — all sharing portions of the same Ka-band spectrum,” said Milroy. “This will create challenges for many satellite antenna manufacturers to meet the international regulatory mandates. At ThinKom, our VICTS antennas are already fully compliant with all present and foreseen ITU and WRC requirements, ensuring future-proof solutions for our business partners and end users.”