ETRI Develops Modem That Sends Satellite Signals Tailored to User Requirements
Consists of a transceiver the size of a video set-top box
Communication data capacity and transmission speed increased by 15% and 20% respectively compared to existing levels

Domestic researchers have succeeded in developing a technology that actively sends satellite signals to where they are needed, making it possible to improve communication efficiency.
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced on the 3rd that it has developed a satellite communication modem utilizing Beam Hopping Satellite System technology, which can variably allocate satellite resources according to recent demand.

The newly developed satellite communication transceiver model is scheduled to be applied to the beam-hopping satellite communication currently being developed for the first time in the world by France's Eutelsat.

In the case of existing fixed-satellite communication technology, communication efficiency was low because satellite resources were allocated fixedly to specific regions, requiring the same signals to be sent even to vast oceans or airspace where there is almost no communication demand, and additional resources could not be allocated even to areas with high traffic.

With the development of technology that allows the utilization of satellite resources to meet user demand, it has become possible to send signals only to locations where essential ships and aircraft are situated, even across vast areas. It has become possible to increase communication speeds and reduce the problem of high satellite communication band costs.

To apply this technology, the research team conducted a technology verification test last October at the Rambouillet Teleport in France using a satellite emulator from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, which was configured with the same communication environment as a beam-hopping satellite.

As a result of the test, from a service perspective, communication data capacity and distribution efficiency increased by up to 15% and 20%, respectively, compared to existing technology, and communication speed recorded a maximum of 400Mbps per beam. Currently, the maximum speed in the same frequency band is around 150 Mbps, but with the application of this technology, more than 100 users will be able to receive HD video streaming simultaneously on an airplane.

A modem consisting of a transceiver the size of a video set-top box is expected to be used as a communication device and for verifying the functions of a satellite scheduled for launch in the first half of 2020.

The core of a modem is network synchronization technology, which synchronizes signals between satellite and ground gateway stations as satellite signals change, and variable data transmission technology, which dynamically changes and transmits data according to user requirements.

ETRI plans to improve network synchronization technology and develop high-speed modems to increase the current speed from 400 Mbps to 1 Gbps, and transfer the technology to overseas and domestic satellite communication equipment manufacturers.

To this end, ETRI is conducting research on network synchronization technology and technological advancement with the goal of commercialization by the launch of the beam-hopping satellite in 2020.

Yoo Jun-kyu, Head of the Satellite Wide Area Infrastructure Research Lab at ETRI, stated, “By developing next-generation beam-hopping satellite modem equipment, we will contribute to laying the foundation for Korea’s space industry,” adding, “We will focus on securing domestic beam-hopping satellites to prepare for the upcoming global telecommunications era.”

Meanwhile, this technology was developed as part of the Korea-France bilateral network project 'Joint Development of Ground Equipment for Korea-France Quantum Satellite Response,' which was jointly funded for three years starting in 2017 by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's Korea Institute for Industrial Technology Advancement (KIAT), France's Bpi Banque publique d'invesissement, and the French National Industrial Bank.

The project is led by Korea's ASAT and France's Eutelsat, and ETRI is supporting ASAT as a participating organization by developing network synchronization technology and forward link modem technology, which are core components of beam hopping technology.