The satellite industry has much to be positive about, but we are also experiencing a period of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. In order to respond to these market challenges, it is vital that we remain agile and flexible – and able to adapt as things change.

At Newtec we are committed to meeting the needs of tomorrow, defining the connectivity mix of the future with a unified vision and we look forward to the bright future of a world that is ubiquitously connected, embracing new technologies and this new satellite era. Here, we take a look at the landmarks we can expect on our communications journey.

Table of contents:

• LEO/MEO: Advances in space reflected on the ground
• 5G: Simplifying architecture and enhancing scalability
• Mobility: Spreading our WIFI-wings / Pushing The Limits of HTS
• Government & Defense: embracing the complexity of worldwide govdef networks
• Broadcast: Satellite and OTT – a good match

 

LEO/MEO: Advances in space reflected on the ground

With the growing prominence of High Throughput Satellite (HTS) platforms and the advent of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations, the satellite industry as a whole is facing a complex set of challenges. Everyone is trying to find synergies between this latest evolution of the payload and their current technologies so they can exploit the increased performance it can offer. An important factor to remember with this innovation in space is that it must be matched on the ground. If the ground segment doesn’t keep pace with the fast-moving HTS and LEO technologies, we as an industry will never realize their full potential impact. Most of these new innovations are disruptive in some way, meaning that this must be reflected in the ground segment technology if the premium services they enable are to be delivered. With so many different technologies in the marketplace, operators and service providers need their ground segments to have this synergy with each of them to ensure that they aren’t the weak link in the chain.

The satellites of the future are going to demand a lot from the ground equipment that is used to support them and this is something that has been at the forefront of Newtec’s work for some time. Satellites in different orbits, with varying payloads have different demands so flexibility, agility and dynamism are essential in order to meet these different requirements.

Newtec has been watching developments in LEO satellite technology very closely. It is critical that our modem portfolio, combined with next-generation on-board technologies, is ideally suited to bring maximum efficiency and throughput.

Newtec’s multiservice Newtec Dialog platform has performed successful over-the-air tests on Telesat’s inaugural Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite. Launched in January 2018, the tests on the Ka-band payload is ongoing, and Newtec’s technology is being used to demonstrate different service scenarios. The tests have demonstrated that Newtec’s equipment works seamlessly with LEO satellites and that Newtec’s technology is already able to deliver next generation connectivity today.

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> The complete over-the-air LEO testing

 

5G: Simplifying architecture and enhancing scalability

5G promises to revolutionize our personal and work lives, and even whole cities through new applications in health, transport, entertainment, and security. This will require a huge shift towards a landscape dominated by wireless connectivity – and satellite has an important role to play in the mix of technologies required to meet 5G’s full potential.

To ensure satellite is ready, major architectural changes will be necessary and these are already beginning. Virtualization plays a key role at the core and edge of the network, bringing increased computing power, scalability and reduced operational costs. To achieve seamless terrestrial and satellite connectivity, a suite of orchestrators will be needed to dynamically steer traffic to the best transport option available, depending on bandwidth, latency, network conditions and other application-specific requirements.

Newtec is currently taking part in a number of 5G trials and we are looking forward to helping to accelerate its rollout using our Newtec Dialog multiservice platform. We have also recently collaborated with Wind River to utilize their Wind River Titanium Cloud virtualization platform to develop a Newtec 5G solution based on the Newtec Dialog platform.

Read more on:

> Newtec’s partnership with Wind River

> The ESA Satellite for 5G initiative

 

Mobility

Aero: Spreading our WIFI-wings

In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) is a huge area of interest and an area likely to grow substantially in the near future. For IFC to be successfully delivered, there are certain aspects that need to be carefully considered and specific requirements that need to be finely tuned. Panasonic Avionics is pioneering the journey towards seamless IFC in response to the increasing demand airlines are experiencing. It has carried out a major upgrade of its satellite network to increase the data rates available to airplanes by at least 20 times. The new network also leverages the latest transmission standard DVB-S2X, unleashing the full power of HTS.

At the core of the upgrade is a new satellite modem which Newtec developed in conjunction with Panasonic Avionics as part of the Newtec Dialog® VSAT platform. This modem dramatically improves data rates to unlock services such as faster Internet, Voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications, improved TV picture quality and a broader channel choice, 3G phone services, and additional bandwidth for crew applications. It is also extremely scalable and will continue to meet the evolving needs of airlines and their passengers for many years to come.

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> The Panasonic IFC network

 

Maritime: Pushing The Limits of HTS

“Insatiable demand for bandwidth.” It’s a phrase that we hear a lot when we talk about the maritime sector, but it’s true and it’s only going to continue its upward trajectory. The expectations of connectivity at sea have transformed over a short period of time. We now expect to be connected literally wherever we go – and the sea is no exception. At Newtec, this demand for mobility is at the forefront of our business. It’s being driven by a combination of passenger, crew and operational factors and it’s a market that is evolving quickly, with more people wanting to run more applications for a plethora of different reasons. We need to be able to respond to these market demands and offer flexibility at the same time.

Milano is among the companies that have already chosen to work with us in this area. Looking to enrich its services for the maritime market, it deployed a Newtec Dialog this year, with two types of Newtec modems. Targeting namely yachts (via the “Orbis Yacht” brand) and cruise liners (with “iSeaglobal”) – both of which require very high-bandwidth connectivity – a number of vessels are already in service, with Milano Teleport seeing significantly reduced Operational Expenditure (OpEx) as a result of the Newtec Dialog hub located at its teleport in Italy.

Read more on:

> The flowing opportunities for maritime mobility

> Milano Teleport’s Maritime Offerings

Newtec is enabling mobility for the masses, providing the technology that is required to deliver data-rich services, both securely and reliably, to wherever they are required – at land, at sea or in the air.

 

Government & Defense: embracing the complexity of worldwide govdef networks

The government and defense sectors have always been, and will continue to be, heavy users of satellite connectivity due to the very remote and harsh areas of the work in which they operate. Newtec supports different applications and network configurations in the civil, government and defense market place. The understanding of your application in combination with our satellite communication products leads to reliable, cost-effective and bandwidth-efficient solutions. Every government and defense application and project brings new challenges and specific needs.

By staying close to the customer Newtec provides the best solution fit in terms of technology and products. A prerequisite for Newtec is to make every project a success and assure mission critical communications over satellite at all times.

> Watch this video on setting up secure and resilient links

 

Broadcast: Satellite and OTT – a good match

According to a recent Unisphere report, when it comes to OTT viewership, the streaming media industry has a surprising prediction for the traditional cable and broadcast industries: OTT viewership will overtake traditional viewing before 2020. With billions of connected devices such as phones and tablets at people’s fingertips, it’s no wonder that users are turning to new ways to consume content: anytime, anywhere and on any device.

Broadcast transmission is integral to successful content distribution. And at the heart of that is a traditionally overlooked solution: satellite.

Whether it is used to deliver high quality content Direct-to-Home (DTH) or whether it is to offload congested terrestrial backbones for live content or to feed Content Delivery Networks with popular content, for successful roll-out of OTT services, satellite is the ideal tool.

Read more on:

> What’s next for satellite in a 5G & OTT Era

> Where satellite fits in the OTT market