There has been a lot of discussion throughout the industry around antenna design and the risk of causing errors, especially as satellite networks become more complex and antenna design more innovative. Our CEO, Joakim Espeland, joined a panel at this year’s Satellite to discuss how the industry can enable that innovation without causing unforced errors. Expertly moderated by DataPath’s Nicole Robinson, the panel was an insightful and engaging discussion together with John Corrigan of Hughes, an EchoStar company, ThinKom’s Bill Milroy, and Amir Yafe of Gilat Satellite Networks.
The impact of LEO
The impact of LEO is proving to be far-reaching across the entire industry. When it comes to antenna design, as Joakim pointed out, LEO means the need to hand-off to different satellites. This adds a whole new level of complexity to the design, and opens up more areas for potential errors. Meanwhile with the rapid move into a multi-orbit domain, we are seeing many cases where antennas need to operate in different orbits, adding further challenges for manufacturers.
The panel also discussed the fact that Non Geostationary Orbits (NGSO) are opening the door for a whole wealth of different use cases, not just limited to traditional satcoms. This will have an impact on the ground equipment needed, as well as on possible interference from different types of connectivity, such as 5G.
Avoiding Risk
A big part of the discussion centred around risk avoidance. As Bill pointed out, the manufacturers don’t of course want to cause errors. The challenge however is that on the one hand they want to include all the “bells and whistles” with the latest and greatest features, but in doing so they need to take care not to make commercials inordinate or to impact quality.
Meanwhile Amir warned that there are a huge amount of constellations due to launch, meaning time is of the essence to ensure we can avoid risk. He also highlights that doing so requires collaboration so we can “move fast, fail fast, fix it, move it.”
Of course, at Quadsat we are making testing much more accessible to help find errors straight away, or even before they happen. Joakim mentioned that if you can test rapidly, you can much more easily avoid problems. But he also made the case for collaborating to develop procedures that are universally adopted for testing.
Although avoiding risk is vital and something the industry needs to prioritise, John made the point for “loving the risk” as risk means it is hard to do. If something is not simple, it is how you can differentiate yourself. The manufacturers that can get it right stand to do well.
Breeding Success
When asked who will be successful in this environment, it is clear that adaptability and flexibility will be key. For Bill it will be the players who are lightest on their feet and able to adapt and John echoes that by stating the need to be quick to react.
At the same time, we are seeing a certain amount of consolidation, as highlighted by Amir. Success will also require competitors to work together to solve some common challenges for the good of themselves, each other, and the entire industry. Bill mentioned the project being run by the Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) together with Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA) in which we are playing an active part.
For John, regulations are important. The challenge is, however, as Joakim pointed out, coming up with regulations that fit all scenarios is no easy feat. That is why collaboration is important to ensure we can work together to protect satcoms connectivity and encourage best practices across the entire industry.
Can Government and commercial work together?
Collaboration is important, not just between commercial companies but also between government and commercial entities. Bill feels the government is more open-minded about adoption of commercial products than ever before, which is important as that is where the innovation is. However, Amir warns that for certain capabilities only needed for defence, there needs to be more government investment to help commercial companies innovate quickly.
Final words
Interestingly the panel ended with a few final thoughts that are common across every section of the industry. Bill highlighted the lack of younger faces and the need to train and recruit new talent to help drive innovation. Joakim also highlighted that this industry is full of dynamic and innovative startups but being bootstrapped can make it challenging for them to make their mark within the industry. Having active participation from their customers can help drive their product roadmap and greatly accelerate the right kind of innovation.
As ever Satellite more broadly was a busy show and we had lots of interest for our testing solutions on our booth. If you missed us, you can catch us next at EuCAP from 30th March – 4th April!