Technology White Paper - AMiner...Technology White Paper New-generation satellite telecommunication...

Technology White Paper

New-generation satellite telecommunication systemsare based on the development of high-interactivitysatellite networks, which support the implementationof broadband mesh IP networks for point-to-point andmulticast transmission. The technology today is matureenough to enable the full exploitation of satellite-based solutions to complement terrestrial ones, andoffers special features to connect dispersed users andprovide broadband access, multimedia contentdistribution, and multicast applications.Mastery of on-board processing and payloadtechnologies is a key competence to conceive anddeliver advanced and cost-effective solutions. Withmany years’ experience in the conception andrealization of advanced satellite platforms likeSkyplex and AmerHis, Alcatel Alenia Space is aleader in the delivery of services with regenerativearchitectures. Leading-edge packet switchingtechniques have also been developed, along with thekey building blocks for future technology evolutions.

Telecommunications Services by Satellite:enabling technologies and examples

2 - Alcatel Telecommunications Review - 2nd Quarter 2006 www.alcatel.com/atr

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICESBY SATELLITE: ENABLINGTECHNOLOGIES AND EXAMPLESOn-board processing technologies are essential for thedevelopment and realization of advanced, cost-effectivespace solutions for emerging telecommunication services.

The continuous development of the Internet, along withadvances in voice and image compression techniques, hassharpened interest in multimedia services. These services

enable the joint presentation of various data formats, such as mov-ing pictures, voice, and text. The growth in emerging broadbandand multimedia services drives the need for ever-increasingthroughput in space-based communications processors. Satellitestoday play a strategic role. They complement existing terrestrialinfrastructures, for example to quickly deploy telecom infrastruc-ture in sparsely populated areas, and digital payloads are a keyelement in reducing the cost of user terminals and the end-to-end cost of delivering information to the end customer.

A significant amount of digital on-board processing isrequired to provide the proper channelization, switching, anduser management. It enables the efficient use of satellite sys-tem resources. Advances in modulation and access tech-niques, in coding and decoding functionalities, and in generalon-board processing and switching, contribute to the definitionof today’s on-board architecture and payload configurations.

A new class of On-Board Processors (OBP) is required to sat-isfy service evolution. This implies the development of hardwareelements to combine flexibility, payload cost-effectiveness, andimproved per-bit delivery costs. Finally, on-board elements mustbe conceived that match system design and on-board resourcesto traffic type, and which offer a fully scalable solution. Phys-ical and practical limitations on satellite size, weight andpower set an upper limit on such processors, and ultimately limitthroughput. A challenging engineering task is to define compet-itive hardware solutions that reconcile system needs with thematurity of the enabling technologies (devices, packaging, inter-connection, etc.).

OBP Systems, architectures and technologysolutionsOBP system and architectures

Current commercial OBP systems can be classified into twomain groups: regenerative and transparent.

In regenerative OBP, the signals are demodulated, and thedata decoded and processed, before being re-encoded andremodulated; the processing may or may not include a switch-ing matrix based on system requirements. The carrier accesstype can be either Single Carrier Per Channel (SCPC, very use-ful for TV services), or Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA,for any type or service), while the data structures are stan-dards-compliant.

Current commercial standards are DVB-RCS (Digital VideoBroadcasting-Return Channel Satellite) for up-link, and DVB-Standard (DVB-S) for down-link. They are however evolvingtowards DVB-S2 for down-link, and the use of an Adaptive Cod-ing Modulation (ACM) scheme, to achieve complete flexibil-ity and the best modulation efficiency in the communicationlink, according to actual conditions.

Transparent OBPs implement the processing through theuse of digital signal demultiplexing, different levels of rout-ing, from classic FDMA to advanced packet switching con-cepts, and multiplexing; more advanced transparent systems,like the regenerative ones, also make use of Digital BeamForming to create, with the associated antennas, a fully dig-ital system.

Regenerative OBPs offer attractive performance in terms offull connectivity, but they are strictly associated with the pro-tocol and data structures, while transparent ones are linkedonly to the processed channel bandwidth; data can have anyformat. MPEG and ATM structures will remain the standardsfor several years, while the use of ACM and Multi-Order Mod-ulation schemes will allow a better use of available bandwidthand codes. A significant expertise has been developed and con-solidated in advanced coding key techniques like Turbo andLDPC (Low Density Parity Check) codes. Mixed OBP systemshave been already defined and proposed for specific futureapplications in fully meshed networks supporting user-to-usertraffic. More recently, the development of processors based onpacket switching has allowed the in-flight demonstration ofDVB-RCS/DVB-S2 systems, via a piggy-back OBP added to stan-dard commercial satellite configurations.

AAS OBP experience: available product portfolio and runningdevelopment

Alcatel Alenia Space (AAS) has built a leading position inthe marketplace through significant development of theenabling technologies and products for OBP solutions, andthrough the deployment of its technology-based services likeSkyplex and, more recently, AmerHis. In addition, the Euro-pean Space Agency (ESA) and various national Agencies haveco-funded projects focused on broadband multimedia applica-tions (Artes 3, Euroskyway, Domino 2). Through these stud-ies, a broad range of skills and know-how related to architec-tural and technology solutions has been consolidated.

The Digital Transparent Processor (DTP) is another keyproduct technology for both commercial (i.e. Geomobile) and

TECHNOLOGY WHITE PAPER

M. C. Comparini, A. Faure, R. Novello, J. Prat

www.alcatel.com/atr 2nd Quarter 2006 - Alcatel Telecommunications Review - 3

military payloads. AAS France has a significant presence inhigh-performance DTP, enriched in recent years by develop-ment of the regenerative solution. The focus has been on thedevelopment of two-way satellite access solutions through thefull exploitation of the DVB-RCS standard. Architectures basedon packet switching, originally derived from terrestrial Alca-

tel switching products,are today being studiedfor mesh networkapplications, usingregenerative schemes,to increase system

capacity in multi-spot systems (Figure 1). Protected up-linkwaveform and packet switching have been also validated forfuture EHF (Extremely High Frequency) military satellite com-munications.

Alcatel Alenia Space Italia has wide experience in regenerativesystems, which started with the design and manufacture ofITALSAT satellites and continued with the conception of theSkyplex system (Figure 2). The first unit, built for ESA andEUTELSAT, was embarked as experimental equipment on Hot

Bird 4. It demonstrated, for the firsttime in flight, the concept of an on-board DVB-S Multiplexer, with thesatellite assembling signals comingfrom different data providers, allowingthe elimination of the ground connec-tions. A complete product family hasgrown up over the years, whose latestdevelopment is the OBMM (On-BoardMPEG Multiplexer). downlink sig-nal. SourceThis is a system evolution of the Sky-plex (see insert) unit, which addsthe capacity and switching capabilitynecessary for multi-spot satellite sys-tems. AAS-España has also workedextensively on regenerative systems,started with collaboration in the firstSkyplex generation (HB4), evolvingtowards a multi-spot cross-connectiv-ity concept with the AmerHis project.The in-flight AmerHis equipmentdemonstrated the maturity of thetechnology and system concept; itssystem evolution aims at full interop-erability with third-party DVB-RCSuser terminals used in transparentsystems (e.g. the Alcatel 9780).

AMERHIS: a new AAS product is start-ing commercial exploitation

The AmerHis system, the firstregenerative satellite platform fullycompliant with DVB-RCS, is embarkedon the Amazonas satellite, launched byHispasat in 2004. AmerHis has four up-link and down-link 36 MHz transpon-ders, each one with different coverage(Europe, Brazil, North America andSouth America), with a maximuminformation rate per transponder of33.17Mbit/s (up-link) and 43.54Mbit/s(down-link), see Figure 3. The Amer-His platform allows bi-directionalbroadband DVB-RCS mesh connec-tions in one hop, and full cross-con-nectivity between different up-links

TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES BY SATELLITE: ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES AND EXAMPLES

Contribution Links

Digital TV Broadcast

Multimedia via Satellite

SCPC/TDMA DVB-S Multiplex

Internet

Figure 2: Skyplex technology-based communication system

http://www.losangeles.af.mil/SMC/MC/index.htmhttp://www.space-technology.com/projects/ehf/

>

>

Skyplex is a payload designed for onboard digital multiplexing.The multiplexing facility provides much more flexibility and loweroperating costs, because broadcasters can uplink services directly.Skyplex can receive video, audio and data uplink signals fromseveral different geographic locations, and multiplex them into asingle DVB downlink signal. Source

http://www.esa.int/esaTE/SEM6YM2PGQD_index_0.html>

Terminals/ground stations Terminals/ground stations

OBP

SWITCH

OBPC

signaling

signaling

S/CComputer

MCDDD

DVB-

RCS

uplin

k

DVB-S2 downlink

MCDDD

MCDDD

DVB-S2modu.

DVB-S2modu.

DVB-S2modu.

Figure 1: Packet switching regenerative payload concept


and down-links. On the ground the system is composed of stan-dard Return Channel Satellite Terminals (RCST), a manage-ment station, gateways for interconnection with terrestrial net-works, and low-cost Video Service Providers acting as videomicro-broadcasters.

Furthermore, providing packet-level switching and multi-plexing, it is designed to physically support IP Multicast on-board. The OBP switch is dynamically re-configured by theManagement Station in order to optimize up-link and down-linkresources.

The Management Station, also developed by AAS, managesall the elements of the system. It controls the sessions,resources and connections of the user terminals. For the Amer-His user terminals, AAS chose a third-party solution, from well-known manufacturers in the DVB-RCS world like NERA, EMSand SHIRON (Figure 4).

In brief, the AmerHis system combines multiple features:

•• MMuullttii--bbeeaamm connectivity offering wide geographical coverage;•• One-hop satellite mesh connection, adequate for real-time

services like VoIP or video conferencing;•• Cheap (less than 2500 Euros) and integrated user terminal

solution (1.2 m dish, 2W BUC, for 1.5 Mbit/s);•• Multicast embedded, thanks to replication on-board;•• IP application oriented, with differentiated QoS.

The system implements the conceptof ‘Triple Play for All’, and also sup-ports end-user applications to showthat Triple Play (voice, video anddata) over satellite is a complement toother existing technologies (e.g.ADSL), and a proven alternative whereno other option is available (e.g. ruralareas). The service marketing launchwill take place in Q2 2006, with highexpectations from system operatorHispamar.

The Skyplex family: from technology toadded-value services

The Skyplex OBP introducedsome years ago the concept of a dis-tributed up-link for digital televi-sion via satellite; the idea was tomove the MPEG2 Transport Stream(TS) multiplexing capability to thesatellite. In Skyplex, the audio/videocontent is transmitted to the satellitewith proprietary TDMA or SCPC up-links via sparse and relatively smallEarth stations. Broadcasters in differ-ent geographical locations can inde-pendently have direct access to thesatellite for multiplexing and direct-to-home transmission.

The advantage is the elimination ofcontribution links and a big centralup-linking facility, achieving signifi-cant operating cost reduction forindividual broadcasters. The received

signals are demodulated, regenerated, multiplexed on-boardthe satellite and “down-linked” in a single, standard DVB-S,multi-program transport stream.

The on-board equipment receives up to 18 Quadri-Phase ShiftKeying (QPSK) modulated carriers, allocated 33 MHz, and


Figure 4: Indoor user terminals from EMS, NERA and Shiron.

www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMJPRL26WD_index_0.html

http://www.nera.no/index.shtml, http://www.ems-t.com/ http://www.shiron.com/

>

>

AmazonasAmerhis

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

North American Coverage

Management Station:• Network Control Centre

• Network Management System

DVB-RCSUPLINK

DVB-SDOWNLINK

South American Coverage

Brazilian Coverage

DEM

DEM

DEM

DEM

European Coverage

North American Coverage

South American Coverage

Brazilian Coverage

European Coverage

MOD

MOD

MOD

MOD

Figure 3: OBP Switching and beam coverage provided by AmerHis


processes them to create a TDM DVB-S QPSK modulated output stream withthe same global bandwidth. Up-linkdata structures are MPEG packets,either RS or DVB-RCS turbo encoded;and the single carrier data rate can beselected between 2 and 6 Mbit/s.

The Skyplex product family, withunits embarked on HB4, HB5, HB6 andW3A, has been continuously improvedto offer better operational perform-ance, and to minimize mass and powerconsumption. Currently, the portfolioincludes the “Standard Turbo Unit“and the “Enhanced Unit”. Both config-urations can work in Ku and Ka band(up-link station with a 90 cm dish andRF power less than 2W). This is pos-sible using a “Quasi Error Free” end-to-end transmission when up-link car-riers have a Signal to Noise ratio(Ebi/No) > 6.5 dB (SCPC case) or7.5 dB (TDMA case).

The last evolution, proven on theground, is the Skyplex OBMM (OnBoard MPEG Multiplexer) on a chip.This allows DVB-RCS standard pro-cessing of up-link carriers with information rates selectablebetween 500 Kbit/s and 12 Mbit/s; a T stage switching matrixallows the implementation of the spot-to-spot switching ofup-link carriers allocated in several 37 MHz channels.OBMM building blocks consist of multimillion-gate 0.35 µmASICs, and Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC)based hybrid MCMs.

EUTELSAT and AAS-I have developed ground infrastruc-tures to provide, in both Ku and Ka bands, services like inter-active distance training, business TV, Web TV, telemedicine,videoconferencing, e-commerce, and company data broadcast-ing, services widely used today by many institutional and com-mercial customers (see Figure 5).

Service description: Triple Play (video, voice and data)Triple Play service has become a “killer” application used

by incumbent operators to counteract competition, and toincrease their Average Revenue Per User (ARPU). We will out-line some of the features of the three components of the TriplePlay service, taking into account the benefits provided by theOBP-based solution.

VideoDifferent applications may coexist, i.e. transparent video

broadcasting and regenerative, low-cost “micro”-broadcasting.The transmission of native DVB-S video is based on MPEG-2 TS,containing several video programs in the same stream. In IP TVnetworks, video delivery is normally done after a user requestto join a video stream, and the user is logically attached to thedistribution using multicast capabilities over UDP/IP. The“join” to a video flow is done through the IGMP protocol.

VoiceOBP technology allows all kind of voice communications

without any loss in quality. In mesh communication, thetransmission delay is around 300 ms, resulting in good per-

ceived quality. In transparent systems, the communicationshave to go through the hub (double-hop). This means that itdoes not enable telephony with the perceived quality of thePSTN/ISDN. Star topology is also allowed, through a gateway,in order to connect with users outside the satellite domain(Internet, PSTN, ISDN, etc.), also in a single hop.

DataAll IP applications are supported, for example by AmerHis.

Different QoS levels can be given to different applicationsdepending on user requests. The gateway provides intercon-nection with external networks and, consequently, any data orapplication server is reachable by an AmerHis user terminal.For the corporate market, OBP-based satellite can offerIntranet Access or VPN enhancement.

Enabling TechnologiesAdvances in deep sub-micron CMOS technology, driven by

high-volume markets, are enabling rapid reductions in ASICsize, weight, power and cost. High-density, low-power ASICtechnologies have the highest potential for meeting spaceprocessor needs.

In parallel, essential progress in programmable devices(Field Programmable Gate Arrays, or FPGAs) in the spacedomain allows the design of flexible and scalable DSP platforms,including the software-defined radio (SDR) concept. Toreduce significantly the mass and size of the satellite electron-ics, packaging technology needs to keep pace with the quan-tum leap in CMOS technology.

Highly integrated Multi-Chip Modules (MCMs) are todayhighly reliable, advanced packaging solutions for high-through-put on-board processors. The development of multi-million gateASICs requires advanced area array packages such as CeramicGrid Array (CGA, Column or Ball), with flip-chip die attachedto reap the full benefits of the semiconductor technology. Thisnext generation of packaging will provide, once reliability is


Fast Internet

InteractiveVideo streaming

MultipartyVideoconferencing Enhanced Interactive

TV and WEB TV

IntranetLAN to LAN

ConnectivityNetwork

Interactivee-learninge-commerce

Figure 5: SkyplexNet architecture – examples of two-way services


proven, significant mass, size and cost improvements over thepresent state-of-the-art MCM solutions. Optical technologiesfor plug-and-play, high-speed digital board interconnection havebeen also studied, and show very good potential to be appliedin next-generation on-board systems (Figure 6).

The road ahead: cost-effective solutions for futuremarket trends

The aim of the road-mapping process is to identify, from sys-tem trends, the related equipment and technology break-throughs that will be required for future broadband multime-dia satellite system solutions. The life cycle of OBP productsmust be deeply analyzed in order to match technology evolu-tion with the proper economic conditions, industrial con-straints, and market expectations. The integrated OBP prod-uct road map will provide, in conjunction with end-to-end anddigital payload roadmaps, the strategic directions for medium/long-term R&D related to satellite broadband communicationsystems. The main objectives are:

• To map existing product portfolio to markets/customers/opportunities;

• To review anticipated key operator requirements for themedium/long-term;

• To identify the techniques and technologies that need to beincorporated in the R&D plan for broadband satellite com-munications;

• To map external funding sources.

Convergence between commercial and the dual-use/militaryOBP systems is particularly relevant in this road-mappingprocess. Also, for the military customer, the winning solutionwill be the identification of scalable platforms built around keybuilding blocks.

Complete packet switch-based OBP has been successfullydeveloped and validated in France within the programs fundedby the European Space Agency and Centre National d’EtudesSpatiales (ESA and CNES). A major step forward in the defi-nition of the new class of OBP has been achieved through thevalidation of key building blocks: a 36 MHz MF-TDMA DVB-RCSMulti-Carrier demodulator; 32x32 2.6 Gbit/s packet switch withhighly flexible routing; OBP Controller with its embedded soft-ware; and DVB-S2 modulator with adaptive modulation andcoding.

ConclusionA long tradition in the advanced exploitation of OBP solu-

tions allows Alcatel Alenia Space to provide flexibility andlower operating cost to service providers, through the offer ofcommercial and institutional satellites. The next challenge isto master the technology evolution through a harmonized road-mapping process. The objective is to offer the right solutionfor every user and to support, through the company’s coretechnology assets, the most competitive solutions for thefuture market.

A broad portfolio is available in terms of products, buildingblocks, and enabling technologies. Modular approaches mustbe pursued to conceive scalable platforms, which alone canrespond effectively to the key driver of flexibility requirements,and to manage OBP product life cycles correctly.

AmerHis will enter operational service in the next few weeks. Thisrepresents a significant opportunity for further system evolution andservice development. Skyplex technology is a standard platform forEutelsat, and offers interesting possibilities in emerging markets likeRussia. Finally, solid and validated solutions are available for next-generation processors that address packet switching requirements.

Alcatel Alenia Space, with its advanced products and solutions,is well positioned to take advantage of the next wave of developmentsin space-based telecommunications systems.


Figure 6 : Examples of enabling technologies for OBP systems (a) OBMM SoC Equipment-AAS_I (b) MC3D Board in AmerHisOBP-AAS_E (c) 8 Mgates MC3D ASIC AAS-F (d) Optical compo-nent for high-speed digital board interconnection

(b)(a)

(d)(c)

Massimo ClaudioCompariniis Director,Convergence - IndustrialIntegration and

Electronics Technical Officer,Operations, Alcatel Alenia Space,Rome, [email protected]

Rocco Novellois Deputy Director,Power and ProcessingProduct Line, IndustrialUnit Electronics in

Alcatel Alenia Space, Rome, Italy. [email protected]

Alain Faureis Head of the DigitalProducts Department,Industrial Unit Electronics,Alcatel Alenia Space,

Toulouse, [email protected]

Jose Pratis a Multimedia SystemsManager in Alcatel Alenia Space España,Madrid, Spain.

[email protected]


� AbbreviationsACM Adaptive Coding ModulationDSP Digital Signal Processor

DVB-S Digital Video Broadcasting StandardEHF Extremely High Frequency

IP Internet ProtocolLTCC Low Temperature Co-fired CeramicMCD Multi-Carrier Demodulator

MHOMS Modem for High Order Modulation SchemeOBMM On-Board MPEG Multiplexer

OBP On-Board ProcessingOBPC On-Board Processing ControllerQPSK Quadri Phase Shift Keying

RCS Return Channel SatelliteRCST Return Channel Satellite TerminalSCPC Single Carrier Per Channel

TDMA Time Division Multiple Access


Alcatel and the Alcatel logo are registered trademarks of Alcatel. All other trademarksare the property of their respective owners. Alcatel assumes no responsibility for theaccuracy of the information presented, which is subject to change without notice.© 05 2006 Alcatel. All rights reserved. 3GQ 00015 0005 TQZZA Ed.01

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