35th AIAA ICSSC Colloquium: High Throughput Satellite (HTS) Broadband Opportunities: Orbits, Architectures, Interference and Markets Trieste, October 16, 2017

Satellite System Architectures, Future trends in the networks

Joel Grotz, SES Engineering, System Architecture

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October

2017 1

Satellite System Architectures, Future trends in the networks

What are the satellite network trends ?

• Gateway side • Smart gateways and virtualisation • Q/V band introduction • Pre-coding introduction

• Terminal technology evolutions • Wideband and flexible, efficient and reconfigurable physical layer • Affordable electronically steerable antennas for GEO and MEO access • Beamhopping introduction

• Overall network trends • Satellite networks complement terrestrial wireless networks for LTE/4G 5G networks • Long term: Intelligent network diagnostics and pre-emptive operational measures using machine learning

techniques

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 2

Gateway trends

• Virtualization of the gateway functions

• Introduction of smart gateways in combination with Q/V-bands for feeder links

• Pre-coding introduction in combination with a space segment that makes full usage of the pre-coding advantages

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 3

Gateway virtualisation and Q/V band introduction

• High Throughput Satellites (HTS) require a significant amount of gateways and high data rates

• Gateway backend functions are virtualised in a common database and cloud

• The multiple gateway baseband processing is limited to the RF and baseband signal processing functions

• A common virtualized backend in the cloud can leverage the flexibility of the virtualization and allow for a cost effective implementation of the gateway function

• A flexible usage of the gateways in a “smart gateway” configuration becomes possible

• The next step is the introduction of the Q/V bands for gateway links Multiplies the gateway capacity and frees all Ka-band for user links

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 4

Pre-coding introduction

• The pre-coding techniques have been studied and even tested with significant gains

• Optimise the capacity of the HTS multi-spot beam satellite significantly, if used adequately during the planning of the system • Especially high density traffic regions would benefit significantly from

the precoding introduction

• Next step: Improve the Pre-coding TRL with proof-of-concepts and live satellite tests

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 5

Terminal trends 1/2

• Affordable, efficient and easy to install flexible terminals

• Electronically steerable antennas using latest Flat Panel Antenna technologies

• MEO and GEO compatible terminals

• New efficient features in terminals • Usage of wideband carriers with full range of DVB-S2X options and latest return link standards

• CPEs capable of handover (pol and frequency) and with multiple receivers

• Hybrid CPEs capable of seamless traffic combination : • GEO in C-, Ku-, Ka-band, MEO in Ka-band and Terrestrial

• Seamless transition between beams for mobile usage in Aero and Maritime applications

• Lossless re-configurability of carrier frequency, bandwidth and power settings to increase the efficiency of the overall network

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 6

Terminal trends 2/2

• Mixed population: various CPE antenna sizes with RX only and TX/RX capabilities

• Converged Video (Broadcast) + Data (Unicast), content delivered by various paths with automatic routing

• CPE with embedded storage and processing for caching and applicative mirroring to make satellite friendly to non-linear Video

• Capacity to adapt to interference conditions and usage of shared frequency bands efficiently

• Interference detection at terminal and network level

• Interference management and mitigation will become an integral part of a large scale satellite network system

• Next step: Introduction of beamhopping compatible terminals in combination with large dedicated HTS spacecraft

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 7

Transmission flexible re-configurability

• The next generation of HTS satellites exhibits a large amount of re-configuration flexibility to adapt to usage requirements

• Operational re-configuration requirement at the terminal level

1. Reconfigure carrier frequency to adapt to changes in transmission plans dynamically during operation

2. Reconfigure bandwidth or TDM beamhopping plan of forward and return link usage

3. Power and ModCod control loops need to be integrated into the overall network reconfiguration plans

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 8

Beamhopping introduction

• Beamhopping allows to increase significantly the satellite network capacity per large HTS spacecraft

• In addition it provides a flexible manner to allocate traffic as required in the satellite networks

• The first chipsets have been tested successfully

• It has a significant potential to increase the capacity of large HTS platforms

Beamhopping finds its introduction in combination with a compatible HTS spacecraft

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 9

Network trends

1. Efficient and adaptive network capacity re-configuration

2. Seamlessly integrate satellite networks with terrestrial networks for LTE/4G and 5G terrestrial networks

3. Automated preemptive fault and degradation counter measures using machine learning in satellite networks

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 10

Satellite / terrestrial network integration with 5G networks

• Future satellite networks respond to coverage issues of terrestrial wireless networks

• Seamless integration of satellite and terrestrial network management and control functions

• Satellite networks feed the 5G head end stations with broadcast and broadband access

SES presentation – Ka-band conference– Trieste – 16 October 2017 11

Machine learning to operate the network

• The satellite networks of the future operate over multiple gateways and a large amount of terminals both fix and mobile

• Collecting all network component measurements and error conditions

• Combining this with external information about weather, trends in the traffic required, external factors

• The satellite networks of the future are adapting to the needs of the end users preemptively using machine learning techniques

Future research topic for large satellite network optimization

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