With the exception of voice trunking, all of the original applications of satellite communications are expected to grow as we head towards the new millennium.
As well, we see a proliferation of new satellite opportunities in a number of areas including DBS, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), PCS/mobile, and Interactive Multimedia.
Some of these emerging satellite applications will be complementary to future terrestrial services ( e.g. early entry & network extensions for interactive multimedia services ). However, many of the new satellite opportunities will be truly unique (e.g. PCS/mobile, DBS & DAB).
Several new technologies are emerging which, taken in concert, are leading to the development of Direct to Consumer satellite applications in a variety of areas, including:
* Direct Broadcast Services ( DBS )
* Digital Audio Broadcasting ( DAB )
* Mobile / PCS, and
* Interactive Multimedia services for the emerging information highway
Common to each of these emerging satellite systems is the development of small, low cost, high volume user terminals.
The first true DBS satellite over North America has just recently been launched & put into service. The Hughes DirecTV system offers over a hundred channels of video & audio programming, including various pay-per-view packages. It is expected that broadcast data/information services will be added shortly.
The success of this new satellite venture has been exceptional. Suppliers cannot keep up with the demand for the low cost consumer terminals.
Several other DBS systems are being planned in the U.S. for launch over the next few years.
ExpressVu, the new Canadian DTH company, will provide similar services to Canadian consumers starting this fall. ExpressVu, which will broadcast its programs over Telesat's Anik E satellites, takes advantage of favorable orbital spacing & geographical coverage in Canada to provide service using only slightly larger user terminals than true DBS, i.e. 60 cm vs 45 cm, at a fraction of the space segment cost.
One of the key enabling technologies for both DTH & DBS is digital video compression, or DVC. The new MPEG 2 standard for DVC allows the broadcast of a large number of high quality video programs into the very small consumer terminals just mentioned.
DAB is another emerging broadcast application for satellites. Several dedicated satellite systems are being proposed in the U.S. for the delivery of CD-quality digital audio programming to small, low cost consumer terminals located in cars as well as in homes.
These systems are awaiting FCC licensing & one or more of them are expected to go into service shortly after the year 2000.
In Canada, it is expected that radio broadcasting will begin migrating to digital format following the turn of the century. Satellite is being positioned as a "gap filler" for terrestrial-based DAB systems.
Joint ventures with U.S. satellite operators are unlikely due to spectrum incompatibility, i.e. S-band in the U.S. & L-band in most other countries, including Canada. However, opportunities exist to develop satellite-based DAB services that could be broadcast in Canada & regions of Latin America, using a common satellite facility.
A plethora of new satellite systems are being planned to address the global market opportunity to provide narrowband mobile/PCS voice & data services to users located literally anywhere on the planet.
At the low end, the so-called Little-LEO systems, like Orbcomm, are targeting the position location & data messaging markets for emergency communications.
The Big-LEO/MEO systems, such as Iridium, Globalstar, Odyssey & Inmarsat-P, plan to address the mobile/PCS voice communications markets & typically feature low-cost hand-held user terminals.
These LEO or MEO systems require a constellation of satellites geometrically located in various orbital planes around the earth. Satellite altitudes are typically 800 km for LEO systems & about 10,000 km for MEO systems. A typical LEO system would employ 48-66 satellites in the constellation, while a typical MEO system would feature 10-12 satellites.
Most of these systems will begin service sometime within the next 5 years.
As an example of how quickly satellite technology is being developed, the very small spot beam coverage for a second generation L-band mobile/PCS satellite system will result in miniature user terminals as well as very high system capacity.
To achieve such small spot beams at L-band from a geostationary satellite requires the use of very large on-board satellite antennas, in the range of 10 -13 m.
While there has been considerable discussion on the use of hybrid fibre/coax as the transmission medium of choice for the provision of wideband interactive multimedia services to businesses & consumers as part of the roll-out of the "information highway", it is clear that satellites can play a complementary role to terrestrial systems for these applications.
With the advent of advanced multiple-spot beam satellite systems at Ka-band, such as the Hughes Spaceway system, satellites are becoming an ideal medium to provide economical early entry services to areas that will not be connected to the information highway by terrestrial means for several years.
As well, the new advanced Ka-band satellite systems can also provide low-cost wideband interactive communications to users located beyond the economic reach of terrestrial facilities. It is estimated that between 20-30% of the market are located in these areas.
Such satellite systems will also provide the means for the government to achieve its objective of providing all Canadians with universal access to the information highway, regardless of location.
Telesat is currently actively investigating the development of a Canadian advanced Ka-band satellite system to provide such services to all Canadians. These advanced Ka-band satellites with on-board processing will offer a full range of two-way telecommunications services into small, low-cost user terminals that will retail for about $1300 Cdn. The projected airtime charges over the satellite are expected to be several times lower than today's bent pipe satellites like Anik E.
These systems will provide consumers, telecommuters, & business users with a variety of two-way services including voice, Internet access, multimedia conferencing, remote access to corporate LANs, videotelephony, data transfers, information services, videoconferencing, distance education, telemedicine, etc.
An interesting extension of these services would be to complement the two-way services mentioned earlier with the ability to receive DTH video programming. This could be achieved through the use of a single, common 60 cm consumer antenna. The DTH programming could originate from the same satellite or from a separate satellite located at a different orbital position.
Such a combination would provide consumers with a full range of low-cost two-way telecommunications services as well as a host of broadband entertainment services, including basic television, pay-per-view, audio on demand, computer games downloading, distance learning, etc.
The spot beam coverage & associated on-board processing are the main reasons why these new satellites can provide two-way satellite communications services at costs several times lower than bent pipe satellites. The high gain spot beams allow smaller user terminals as well as a much higher satellite capacity.
A further advantage is that spot beams allow frequency re-use, thereby making very efficient use of spectrum.
During this presentation, we have discussed four new emerging satellite applications. These four systems complement each other in providing a full range of broadcast & telecommunications services to end users.
The Mobile/PCS systems, like Iridium & Orbcomm, provide narrowband two-way voice & data services.
The Interactive Multimedia satellites, like Spaceway, offer a full range of two-way wideband communications services.
Future DAB systems will offer a variety of audio broadcast services.
DBS/DTH satellite-based services, like ExpessVu & DirecTV, will provide a range of broadband video, audio & data services to consumers.
A common theme to each of these emerging satellite systems is the use of very small, low cost consumer terminals.
