Andreas Voigt, Satcoms Innovation Group
Andreas Voigt, Senior Engineer, Service Operations/ Director, Satcoms Innovation Group
Newspace is breaking down satcom traditions and bringing new business opportunities to the industry. LEO removes many satcom pain points for customers, with low costs and low latency delivering the services many need. At the ground, Flat Panel Antennas (FPAs) are lightweight and easy to implement anywhere. They enable the scanning and tracking of satellites which is vital to LEO networks. However, are we entering into the wild west of antennas?
With the industry facing commercial pressures, satellite operator attitudes are changing in regard to the quality of antennas accessing their networks. Lower quality antennas are now accepted on the basis that customers acknowledge that lower throughput and reduced reliability may be the result. Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) has long plagued satcom, with the shared resource of spectrum being at the centre of the battle.
Anecdotally, it is being reported that not all FPA manufacturers are placing importance on the quality of manufacturing, testing, and presentation of performance statistics. Some are siting cost as inhibitive of what would have been considered the bare minimum for parabolic antennas. Others are producing simulation results as opposed to genuine results obtained via testing of the antenna.
In 2019, GVF worked alongside satellite operators to produce updated guidance to antenna manufacturers regarding the satellite operators’ expectations for new antenna products and how to demonstrate compliance with the Satellite Operator Minimum Performance Specifications (SOMAP). This has meant that manufacturers are able to ensure that the quality of their products matches the expectations of operators. This has streamlined the onboarding process helped to reduce the number of RFI incidents across the landscape, whilst simultaneously improving throughput and customer experience.
However, the application of the same strategy to FPAs has not been met with the same enthusiasm. It has been widely agreed throughout the industry that there runs a significant risk of networks being flooded by cheap, poorly manufactured antennas in a race to the bottom. Yet there have been endless discussions as to where responsibilities lie, without resolve. There is now hesitancy to refuse poorer performing antennas onto satellites networks due to the financially challenging era that satellite operators face. They continue to prioritise spectrum sustainability; however, warnings of underperformance are handed to customers choosing poorly made products.
FPAs face unique challenges which can have a huge impact on their performance. These include Beam Deviation, Mutual Coupling, Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP, Bandwidth Limitations, and Active Impedance Matching, all of which must be considered during the design phase, where innovative designs and optimisation are key.
The maintenance of high standards within the industry is too important to sacrifice on the quest to hand a low-price tag to the customer or to secure a large contract. We do not want a race to the bottom. This approach is likely to cause reputational damage to individual organisations, as well as to the industry itself. At a time when satellite faces a raft of new opportunities, as well as competition, it must prioritise quality. Like the age old saying goes: if it is too good to be true, it probably is. The industry as a whole must protect itself from itself.
This session will highlight the technical and operational challenges facing the FPA market, including the need for transparency of capabilities, the cost vs capability tussle, and question who should be responsible for ensuring a fair market for customers.