The characteristics of satellite communications such as Variable channel, Propagation Delay, and Limited Bandwidth, present challenges and opportunities for the service providers. Effective test tools are required for monitoring, analysis, troubleshooting and management satcom networks.
GL reviews some of the unique aspects of the satellite communications channel, especially of geosynchronous satellites:
wide area connectivity almost anywhere and everywhere in the footprint of the satellite beam - thus applications such as video broadcast and mobile phone are possible for large populations
almost instantaneous network deployment, with no wired infrastructure required - thus voice, data, and video applications can be available almost immediately
propagation delay of about 250 milliseconds (up + down) and if you consider round trip, then almost 500 milliseconds
an RF channel that is more than 36,000 km long before amplification or repetition - this results in a free space path loss in the range of 190 to 208 dB!! (for frequencies in the 2 GHz to 15 GHz range). In the older days this was a show stopper, but now - high gain antennas, power amplifiers, ultra-low-noise receiver sensitivities and such that this is no longer a problem!
variable channel characteristics that can be totally absent or severely degraded as during sun outages, or bursty errors during rain and snow, or during clear sky low random/gaussian errors if power/signal constrained
limited bandwidth since the available electromagnetic spectrum must be shared among all users - one area of world politics in which engineers and scientists have actually cooperated without acrimony!
The above characteristics present challenges and opportunities.
GL provides various test solutions to monitor and test backhaul networks no matter what type of media, bandwidth, or signalling is over the network. Our products are portable, hand-held, or compact rack-based equipment and deployed successfully by customers world-wide to monitor and troubleshoot satcom networks.
The characteristics of satellite communications such as Variable channel, Propagation Delay, and Limited Bandwidth, present challenges and opportunities for the service providers. Effective test tools are required for monitoring, analysis, troubleshooting and management satcom networks.
GL reviews some of the unique aspects of the satellite communications channel, especially of geosynchronous satellites:
- wide area connectivity almost anywhere and everywhere in the footprint of the satellite beam - thus applications such as video broadcast and mobile phone are possible for large populations
- almost instantaneous network deployment, with no wired infrastructure required - thus voice, data, and video applications can be available almost immediately
- propagation delay of about 250 milliseconds (up + down) and if you consider round trip, then almost 500 milliseconds
- an RF channel that is more than 36,000 km long before amplification or repetition - this results in a free space path loss in the range of 190 to 208 dB!! (for frequencies in the 2 GHz to 15 GHz range). In the older days this was a show stopper, but now - high gain antennas, power amplifiers, ultra-low-noise receiver sensitivities and such that this is no longer a problem!
- variable channel characteristics that can be totally absent or severely degraded as during sun outages, or bursty errors during rain and snow, or during clear sky low random/gaussian errors if power/signal constrained
- limited bandwidth since the available electromagnetic spectrum must be shared among all users - one area of world politics in which engineers and scientists have actually cooperated without acrimony!
The above characteristics present challenges and opportunities.
GL provides various test solutions to monitor and test backhaul networks no matter what type of media, bandwidth, or signalling is over the network. Our products are portable, hand-held, or compact rack-based equipment and deployed successfully by customers world-wide to monitor and troubleshoot satcom networks.
