ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS

Satellite
Connectivity
Connecting the Caribbean

Emergency Communications &

Disaster Preparedness

Michael Gold
Vice President
Comtech EF Data
ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS

Connecting the
Caribbean
Global Mobile Trends

• Mobile is enabling connectivity for many people for the first

time in their lives
• GSM
– 3+ Billion GSM subscribers exist worldwide
– 700 mobile operators across 218 countries and territories of
the world are adding new connections at the rate of 15 per
second, or 1.3 million per day
– Emerging markets represent 85% of new connections today
– Over 90% of the Earth's population will be covered by mobile
networks
• To keep capital and operating costs down, new and
innovative ways must be proposed to meet connectivity
goals
• The fast pace of cellular network roll-out and take-up
around the world is creating mounting coverage challenges
for mobile operators

Sources:

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Satellite-Based Cellular Backhauling

• To enter markets beyond large city limits and to

blanket large regions with cellular services quickly,
satellite backhaul can efficiently extend reach
• To tap into new customer markets with tight and
regulated timeframes, mobile incumbents and new
operators can build networks with satellite
infrastructure
• Satellite can beat many fiber, cable or wireline
deployment schedules by weeks or months
• Technology advances (compression techniques,
IP-over-satellite delivery and optimized network
topologies) are catalysts to fuel the market for
cellular backhaul via satellite
Source:

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Satellite-Based Cellular Backhauling

• Market is driven by rapid expansion of cellular

networks in developing economies of Africa, Middle
East, Latin America and Asia
• Mobile operators are using satellite space segment
to backhaul traffic between remote cell sites and
the network’s Mobile Switching Center
• Satellite is most popular in greenfield operations –
it’s the quickest and most cost effective solution for
RAN deployment
• Total number of cellular sites backhauled by
satellite is predicted to grow to 35,000+ sites
globally by end of 2010 (CAGR = 28%)

Source:

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Connect the Caribbean

• Demand for satellite capacity is straining the

bandwidth supply
• In Latin America, operators will launch new
satellites during the next 2-5 years to meet the
new demand over the next 10-15 years
• However, the growth of government and
commercial applications over satellite requires
immediate solutions for satellite transponder
capacity
• The capacity challenge can be countered with
advanced satellite technologies
– Advanced forward error correction
– Higher order modulation
– Bandwidth compression

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ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS

Emergency
Communications &
Disaster
Preparedness
 Natural & Man-Made Disasters
An Unfortunate Reality

• Recent examples around the globe have proven that communications systems
can be severely affected when disaster strikes
– The financial impact of network outages can be considerable
– Even the most reliable terrestrial networks are susceptible to outages because they lack true path
diversity and have common points of failure
• Establishing first response connectivity of voice, data and video is a necessity
• And, maintaining continuity of business communications is critical for sustained
operations

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 Satellite Communication Systems
An Essential Component to Disaster Recovery

• Enables communications restoral more rapidly than terrestrial systems

• Allows enterprises and government agencies to respond quickly if
satellite communications systems (fixed or mobile) are the backbone of
emergency communications networks
• Facilitates instantaneous communications between hospitals,
headquarters, supply centers and remote locations
• Minimizes downtime of back office operations

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 Disaster Recovery &
First Responder Needs
• Rapid Deployment
– Satellite based systems are perfect for instantaneous deployment to the
disaster site
– Systems can be organized in vehicles or in transportable, self-contained
cases
• Interoperability & Standards
– IP based platforms provide a seamless way to integrate Internet, e-mail,
voice, video, file transfer applications between agencies
• Ruggedness
– Communications via satellite can be provided in extremely harsh
environments
• Reliability
– Satellite technology provides a highly reliable mechanism for one-way or
two-way communications
• Security
– Satellite links must provide secure communications

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Business Continuity Needs

• Redundant communication links

between corporate offices locally,
regionally, nationally and globally

• Critical connections to off-site

back-up servers, computers, and
databases

• Businesses to “get back on their

feet” quickly after a loss of
terrestrial/wired communication

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Satellite Services Meet the Need

• Satellites meet the key requirements of an effective

recovery plan
– Physical path diversity from the exiting network
– Fast service availability – within 24 hours
– Scalable bandwidth that can adjust to changing capacity
needs
– Flexible service support
– Bandwidth/capacity available for extended time frames
– Connectivity to primary and backup data centers
– Last-mile bypass of disaster-affected area
– Ability to relocate easily
– Rapid deployment
• The network can be leveraged to support applications other
than backup
• Deployment of advanced satellite technologies make it
more cost-effective
– Advanced forward error correction
– Higher order modulation
– Bandwidth compression
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ADVANCED COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS

Advanced Satellite
Technologies

• Forward Error Correction

• Higher Order Modulation
• Bandwidth Compression
Forward Error Correction & Modulation
Spectral Efficiency vs. Eb/No

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 Turbo Product Coding

3/4 7/8

Viterbi Turbo Viterbi Turbo

+ Reed Product + Reed Product
Solomon Coding Solomon Coding

Eb/No (dB) 5.2 4.0 6.5 4.2

Bandwidth Efficiency (bps/ Hz) 1.50 1.75
1.35 1.58
• Turbo Product Coding
– Lower Eb/No requires less power
– Higher efficiency uses less bandwidth
– Block size most important for coding gain
Turbo: Less
Power

Turbo
Less
BW

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 Low Density Parity Check

• Basis of DVB-S2 standard

• Third-class of Turbo Code
– Turbo Product Coding (TPC)
– Turbo Convolutional Coding (TCC)
• Iteratively decoded block code
• Performs 0.7 dB – 1.2 dB better than TPC at
low FEC rates (3/4 and below)
• While coding gain is greater, processing
delay can be an issue
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 Benefits of Advanced
Forward Error Correction

• Advances in FEC can offer ≥3-5 dB of

performance over currently used methods

• 3 dB of Coding Gain can:

– Reduce required bandwidth by 50% or
– Increase data throughput by a factor of 2 or
– Reduce antenna size by 30% or
– Reduce transmitter power by a factor of 2

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 Bandwidth Compression

S1 S2
S1*'+ S2*'

S1*'+ S2*'

Mod_1 Demod_1 Demod_2 Mod_2

S1 S1* S2* S2
S2 S1

• DoubleTalk® Carrier-in-Carrier® bandwidth

compression allows sharing of same satellite
bandwidth by both terminals

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 Satellite Connectivity

• Connecting the Caribbean

– Satellite-based cellular backhaul efficiently extends reach

• Emergency Communications & Disaster

Preparedness
– Satellite-based systems enable rapid communications
restoral

• Deployment of advanced technologies make satellite

more cost-effective

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 Comtech EF Data

• Specializes in solutions that optimize

satellite communications
• Is recognized as a technology leader
and innovator
• Has infrastructure products installed
in more than 160 countries
• Provides “around the clock”
customer support & authorized
service centers
• Is prepared to help you:
– Optimize satellite communications
– Minimize operating expenses
– Maximize transponder utilization
– Lower the total cost of ownership

2114 West 7th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281 USA

Tel +1.480.333.2200 • sales@comtechefdata.com • www.comtechefdata.com20