May 8, 2015, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company contributing to customers across various electronic applications, has launched the world's first 500 Mbaud High-Symbol-Rate (HSR) satellite demodulator chip, the STiD135. When installed alongside a transponder for high-frequency bands, such as data transmission over Ka-band communication satellites, this chip can improve satellite internet throughput and significantly increase the efficiency of bandwidth usage.

This new product, compliant with DVB-S2, DVB-S2X, and DVB-S2 Annex-M[1], was designed as part of the French Space Agency (CNES) THD-SAT[2] program. It is a program that develops fast and cost-effective High Throughput Satellite (HTS) broadband internet access with performance comparable to fiber optic, ADSL, and 4G networks by utilizing the benefits of ubiquitous satellite signals.

Eric Benoit, Senior Vice President of Advanced Platform Products at ST Consumer Products, stated, “The digital divide is being highlighted as a significant social issue in national and regional studies, such as the European Union’s Digital Agenda.” He added, “The new satellite demodulator chip is the result of our collaboration with CNES and can process useful data at speeds of up to 600 megabits per second in the Ka band. It represents a significant advancement unlike anything seen before, while also optimizing bandwidth efficiency, which is typically only possible in the lower-frequency Ku band.” “Combining these advantages will bring us one step closer to achieving ST’s goal of ‘broadband for everyone,’” he said.

Jean-Philippe Taisant, Senior Project Manager for the Telecommunications Division at CNES, said, “We aim for THD-SAT to help provide high-speed internet services with downlink/uplink speeds of 100/10 Mbps by reducing the bandwidth costs of High-Throughput Ka-band Satellites to one-tenth of their current level. This will enable the cost-effective deployment of Fiber To The Home (FTTH) networks even in non-populated areas,” and added, “Thanks to ST’s STiD135 demodulator chip, we were able to economically develop satellite broadband modems.”

STiD135 is currently available as a sample and was demonstrated at the SES-Astra Industry Days held in Luxembourg from May 6 to 7.

For more detailed information regarding this, you can contact the STiD135 website or the ST Korea branch.