Module 4

Communication Satellites

A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio

telecommunications signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a
source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth.

Communication-related Applications of Satellites:

• Satellite TV refers to the use of satellites for relaying TV programmes from a point where

they originate to a large geographical area.

• GEO satellites in point-to-multipoint configuration are employed for satellite TV

applications.

There are primarily two types of satellite television

distribution systems

• television receive-only (TVRO)

• direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) systems.

In satellite telephony, satellites provide

o both long distance (especially intercontinental) point to-point or trunk telephony services

o mobile telephony services.

They are particularly advantageous when the distances involved are large or when the region to
be covered is sparsely populated or has a difficult

geographical terrain.

• Point-to-point satellite links are used for satellite telephony networks

Other services:

• Satellites also provide data communication services including data, broadcast and
multimedia services such as data collection and broadcasting, image and video transfer,
voice, internet.

• Two-way computer interactions and database inquiries.

• Satellites in this case provide multipoint interactive connectivity, enabling the user
terminals to exchange information with the central facility as well as other user terminals.
Communication Sat Orbits

• They can be LEO, MEO, HEO and GEO

• GEO have a key role in setting up national programmes and distributing traditional
services such as television or more novel services such as access to the internet.

• Newer services like messaging , voice, fax, data, video conferencing etc are handled by
LEO, MEO or HEO

Frequency bands

The bands of interest for satellite communications lie above 100MHz including the VHF, UHF,
L, S, C, X, Ku and Ka bands.

Payloads
Types of Transponders

• Transparent or bent pipe transponders

• Regenerative Transponders

Features of Transparent transponders :

Regenerative Transponder

• Regenerative transponders are those in which some onboard processing is done and the
received signal is altered before retransmission.

• These repeaters are also called digital processing repeaters as they use various digital
techniques like narrowband channel selection and routing, demodulation, error
correction, reformatting of data, etc., for processing the received signal.

Types of Regenerative Transponders

• Satellite-switched TDMA transponders employing wideband RF and IF switching

• Narrowband digital processing transponders with channel routing and digital beam
forming

• demod-remod transponders, which demodulate the received signal and completely restore
the information before retransmission.
Satellite versus Terrestrial networks

Terrestrial N/Ws with the advent of fiber optic technology is a good competitor for Sat systems

Advantages of Satellite over Terrestrial N/Ws.

• Broadcast property – wide coverage area

• Wide bandwidth – high transmission speeds and large transmission capacity

• Geographical flexibility – independence of location

• Easy installation of ground stations

• Uniform service characteristics

• Immunity to natural disaster.

• Independence from terrestrial infrastructure

• Cost aspects – low cost per added site and distance insensitive costs

Disadvantages of Satellite over terrestrial N/Ws

• Transmission delay

• Echo effects

• Launch cost of the Satellite

Satellite Telephony

Potential users :

• International business travellers/People living in remote areas.

• Satellite telephones either allow the users to access the regular terrestrial telephone
network or place the call through a satellite link.

• Single GEO satellites or a constellation of LEO, MEO and GEO satellites are used for
providing telephony services

• It uses circuit switching systems during the call(offering constant bit rate services).

• Some of the major satellite systems offering voice services are Intelsat, Eutelsat,
Inmarsat, Globalstar, Iridium, ICO, Ellipso and Odyssey systems
Sat telephony Contd…

Mobile satellite Telephony:

• Provides Interactive voice communication to mobile users.

The satellite phones target two specific markets.

 International business users requiring global coverage

 Unserved regions where basic telecommunication services are not present

• GMPCS is a personal communication system providing transnational, regional or global

two-way voice, fax, messaging, data and broadband multimedia services from a constellation of
satellites accessible with small and easily transportable terminal.
Point to point trunk telephone networks

Also called the thin route satellite telephony services(come under FSS)(C & Ku bands)(GEO
Sats)

• Used in areas where terrestrial networks are not feasible(low density of

population/difficult geographical terrain).

For eg. Connection b/w headquarters and remote offices

• Examples : Intelast, Europestar, Eutelsat, PamAmSat are examples of some of the

satellites used for the purpose

• Satellite TV

Satellite television basically refers to the use of satellites for relaying TV programmes from

a central broadcasting centre to a large geographical area.

Other means of TV broadcast are - terrestrial TV broadcasting and cable TV services

For example: INSAT in India broadcasts TV programmes

Hot Bird in Europe – 900 TV channels & 560 radio stations.

A typical Satellite TV network

 • Satellites can provide TV programmes either directly to the users (direct-to-home

television)

• Indirectly with the help of cable networks or terrestrial broadcasting networks, where the
satellite feeds the signal to a central operator who in turn transmits the programmes to the
users either using cable networks or through terrestrial broadcasting.

Parts of uplink section

The programming source comprises TV channel networks, cable TV programmers, etc., that
provide various TV programming signals, like TVchannels, sports coverage, news coverage or
local recorded TVprogrammes.

This is done through terrestrial means, like using the line-of-sight microwave

communication and the fibre optic cable, or using satellites referred to as back-haul satellites.

• The broadcasting centre is the hub of the satellite TV system and it processes and
beams the signal to the main broadcasting satellite.

• It also adds commentary or advertisements to the signals from the various programming
sources.
Parts of the downlink section

• The main broadcasting satellite is common in both the uplink and the downlink sections.

• The receiver network in the case of satellites distributing programmes to the terrestrial

broadcast network comprise various terrestrial broadcasting centres that receive the satellite

signal and transmit them to the users in the VHF and the UHF bands using terrestrial
broadcasting.

The user end has directional yagi antennas to pick up these signals

• Cable TV, originally referred to as CATV (community antenna television) stood for a
single head end serving a particular community, like various houses in a large building.

• The use of satellites to carry the programming channels to the cable systems head ends is
referred to as satellite–cable television
 • In analogue format of transmission, each

receiver is tuned to a different transponder channel and the signals from various receivers are
multiplexed for transmission to the users.

• The channels received(analog or digital) is transmitted over a a typical cable distribution

N/W to subscribers, who pay monthly for the service.

• The cable operators scramble their programmes to prevent unauthorized viewing. The
receiving end then

consists of a set top box to descramble and retrieve the original signal. The cable TV operators
also transmit the videotaped recorded programmes from other sources in addition to showing
programmes received from the satellites.

Satellite-local broadcast TV N/W

• It is similar to sat cable TV n/w except that Sat distributes programming to local
terrestrial stations rather than cable head end stations.

• The broadcasting stations use powerful antennas to transmit the received signals to
various users within the line-of-sight (50–150 km) using UHF and VHF microwave
bands. The users receive these TV signals using directional antennas like yagi antennas,
reflector antennas or dipole antennas.
Direct to Home Sat TV

Direct reception of satellite TV programmes by the end users from the satellite using their own
receiving antennas.

DTH services can be broadly classified into two types, namely the television receive-only
(TVRO) and the direct broadcasting satellite (DBS) services, depending upon the frequency band
utilized and the size of the receiving antennas. TVRO systems operate in the C band whereas the
DBS systems operate in the Ku band.

TVRO (TV Receive only )

• TVRO systems employ large dishes (6 to 18 feet across) placed in the user’s premises for
the reception of analogue signals from the satellite operating in the C band.

• The antenna size is larger in this case as compared to DBS systems as the wavelength at
C band frequencies is larger than at the Ku band frequencies.

• The TV antenna has a steerable dish.

• Systems are made user friendly by using microprocessor control, allowing the viewer to
select the desired channel with a remote control unit.

DBS (direct broadcasting Satellite) service

• It is a recent development in the world of television distribution(first service – Sky

television in the year 1989)

• DBS satellites transmit signals to Earth in the BSS segment of the Ku band (between 12.2
and 12.7 GHz), making use of MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group) digital
compression techniques

• They can provide about 200 channels from one satellite.

No steerable antennas are required.

DBS TV Rx

Satellite Radio

• Provides high fidelity audio broadcast services to broadcast radio stations.

• Low noise, wide bandwidth 5-15KHz.

• Uses GEO Satellites.

• The audio signals from various music channels, news and sports centres are transmitted
by the satellite to a conventional AM or FM radio station.

• The satellite can also transmit the signal directly to the user’s radio sets.

• Examples: Sirius and XM Radio of USA.

Regional Satellite systems

• A regional system provides services to countries on a regional basis rather than on a

global basis.

• Regional satellite missions were established with the aim of strengthening the
communication resources of the countries belonging to the same geographical area.

• Some of the regional satellite systems include Eutelsat, Arabsat, AsiaSat, Measat, ACeS
(Asia cellular satellite), Thuraya, etc.
• EUTELSAT

• The EUTELSAT ( 1977)formed to commission the design and construction of satellites

and to manage the operation of regional satellite communication services in Europe.

• Eutelsat satellites provide television, telephony and data transmission services on a

regional basis.

• The more advanced satellites also provided specific services like business communication
services and mobile communication services.

National Satellite systems

• National satellite systems, also referred to as domestic satellite systems, provide services
to a particular country.

• Developing nations like India, China, Japan, etc., also have their own national satellite
systems.

• In India we have the INSAT(Indian National Satellite)

INSAT

• Owned by the Indian Department of Space, named the Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO), INSAT is one of the largest domestic communication satellite
networks in the world, providing services in the areas of telecommunications, television
broadcasting, mobile satellite services and meteorology including disaster warning.

• INSAT is a joint venture of the Department of Space (DOS), Department of

Telecommunications (DOT), Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), All India Radio
(AIR) and Doordarshan. Making a modest beginning with the launch of INSAT-1A in
1982.