At Quadsat, industry collaboration has always been a part of our DNA. From early on, we joined a number of the industry associations, and we have always placed a great importance on listening to our customers and the wider industry. This is something that is vital in an industry such as this, where things change fast, because if you don’t understand your challenges, you can’t hope to address them. 

This was the impetus behind a recent demo day we held at our offices in Odense, Denmark. As well as showing our latest offerings, including QS RF Locator and our joint solution with Skyeton, we were able to gather some key players to discuss and share their experiences with us and each other. 

Taking place at the same time as International Drone Show also meant the airport was abuzz with activity and interest, and the team primed and ready to show off our latest innovations. 

Here are some of our key takeaways from the day:

1. Geolocation Accuracy Varies Greatly

As Matteo Conti from the European Space Agency (ESA) highlighted, satellite-based geolocation alone is not good enough as it cannot get close to the precise point, a view echoed by Arabsat’s Yasir Hassan. We started an activity with ESA in June 2023 looking into the concept of using drones for that last-mile geolocation. As Matteo commented this has been successful, and has in fact resulted in our latest solution, QS RF Locator. 

Justin Miles of SES talked through how operators currently use geolocation and its challenges and limitations. He presented 3 cases where geolocation proved challenging for a number of reasons, including starting with a 100km long ellipse. He explained that the size of the ellipse is everything. If it isn’t small enough, it is almost impossible to narrow down to a small enough search area for current methods, to eventually find the interfering carrier. While in all the cases he presented, the interference was eventually found, it is clear that it took time and was very much a team effort. He also made the point that geolocation tools are expensive so not all operators have them. Working together and sharing resources is important for helping keep spectrum clean for the entire ecosystem. 

Yasir pointed out that the process is even longer when dealing with intentional interference as that needs to be brought before escalation to ITU. This also means that you really need to do a lot of due diligence to be certain you can prove where an instance of interference is coming from. Again, this often comes down to collaboration where more than one operator performs a geolocation to ensure the result can be verified. 

With so much concern over the time it takes to perform geolocation and the accuracy achievable with current methods, it was great to be able to demonstrate our tool which helps with that last mile geolocation. To prove the case, we worked with SES to demonstrate how it can work. We created the signal for SES to geolocate and provide us with an ellipse. We then put in all the information we had into our system and the guests were able to watch real-time as we pinpointed the exact location with our drone.

2. Flat Panel Antennas Continue to Cause Concern (but are needed)

 The subject of flat panel antennas was raised, something that seems to be a hot topic for many industry discussions right now. We know just how valuable these antennas are for enabling the next generation of services, especially for comms-on-the-move, but we also know that they can cause issues if not properly tested. Yasir noted that Adjacent Satellite Interference is especially common with these kinds of antennas. We are currently involved with a number of industry initiatives, including with the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) and Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG). We are also working together with ESA on a project around drone-based FPA test and measurement for satcoms on the move, which was also mentioned by Matteo as an important step forward.

3. Satellite Operators are Innovating to Compete

The satcoms industry is evolving fast. The prevalence of LEO constellations and new innovations means that all satellite operators will need to adapt and innovate in order to navigate this new environment. Yasir gave a really good overview of some of the ways Arabsat is embracing this innovation, from deploying software-defined satellites, and hybrid satellites, to looking at spacecraft propulsion, new launch services, and preparing the ground for multi-orbit. He also discussed the importance of AI to improve efficiency especially for satellite control. Another interesting innovation he discussed is the TELEO project, which is being run in partnership with Airbus and experiments with optical comms. With much higher throughput, Yasir believes this will be the future of satcoms. 

Discussing preparing the ground for multi-orbit, one area Yasir highlighted was the importance of testing, validation, and type approvals, to ensure the ground segment really is ready. Our recent signed MoU with Arabsat gives the operator an efficient way to ensure antennas on its network are functioning as they should be, even in this multi-orbit environment.

4. RFI Remains a Challenge

The discussion also centred around interference and the potential threat of LEO to GEO interference, the risk of which is increasing exponentially as more LEOs are launched into orbit. ESA has a couple of projects currently in progress around interference management, including evolution of NGSO and GSO co-existence framework and a prototype measuring NGSO satellite interference and RF characteristics. It was highlighted that the FCC and ITU are looking to increase the power limits (EPFDs) for LEOs so GEO operators will need to monitor the impact this has to ensure they can remain protected from potential Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). 

Most interference is accidental, such as a case mentioned by Justin involving a new tenant accidentally switching an antenna back on from the previous occupant of a business premise. However, jamming continues to be a cause for concern, impacting a number of services, especially direct-to-home video services. For both accidental and intentional RFI, geolocation is an extremely useful tool for finding the interfering carrier. It is clear that accuracy is key so we are excited about the potential for our solution to help with that last-mile process to ensure operators can precisely pinpoint the source in a matter of minutes.

If you would like to find out more about QS RF Locator, check out this page or get in touch!