Projects

The objective of youCache is to realise an idea born nearly ten years ago: SIMPLE ('Satellite interactive Multimedia Platform for Low-cost Earth-stations'). SIMPLE aims to develop a satellite based multicast web caching system where repetitious content is cached and served to the users without latency, saving costly satellite bandwidth.

The aim of the project is to establish the specific needs of Greece, Balkans and South East European/Mediterranean countries in advanced broadcasting and telecommunication applications/services, and to identify how these could be efficiently served by satellite communications.

The project targets the definition of an ESA DRS mission. From a technical standpoint, the project contributes to identifying and consolidating the requirements of an efficient EDRS solution which includes suitable payloads and frequency bands. From a business standpoint, the project intends to identify the various business and governance options that may exist for providing DRS services to institutional and commercial customers.

This study project prepares the groundwork for the development of a second generation Sat3Play system. The project includes the definition and design of the following features: Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM) in forward and return, Network Management System (NMS) improvement and Ka-ready Indoor Unit (IDU).

The overall objective of the HEO for ATM Study is the analysis of satellite communications system options focused on the provisioning of Air Traffic Communication services dedicated mainly to helicopter and small aircraft traffic on the north and polar routes of scheduled and non-scheduled flights.

The goal of the project is the development of a channel measurement equipment useful for characterisation of the mobile channel for satellite based systems including hybrid systems with complementary ground components, verification of the QoS during the system deployment and
verification of the antenna subsystem of new receivers.

e-regSAT provides a satellite based
multimedia environment for regional information, in
particular for e-government. The service portfolio
includes regional communication, dissemination of
institutional information, distance learning, internal
communication and best practise support to Public
Administrations.

The aim of this project is to develop an easy-to-use satellite receiver. It will be able to continuously update itself from data published on the internet, thus providing satellite television viewers with a straightforward, complete, and updated solution for all of their viewing needs.

Telemedicine Anywhere (TelAny) project
covers emergency and on-field telemedicine scenarios in
extreme cases: monitoring of patients directly accessing
life signals using devices implanted in their bodies
(scenario A, with five heart patients fitted with
pacemakers), emergency on board ships in Norway
(scenario B), and data collection in a large database
accessed by consulting specialists (scenario C).

The objectives of the INSPIRE project are
to validate the assumptions behind, and the results
arising from, the initiatives addressing the Digital
Divide, to evaluate the effectiveness of DVB-RCS in
combination with wireless 802.11b/g equipment to
deliver cost effective broadband Internet services to
residential and business users located in nonmetropolitan
areas, and to validate the commercial
assumptions underpinning the business case for next
generation satellites foreseen to provide dedicated
capacity for broadband services.

A Common Test House for DVB-RCST compliance and interoperability testing.

The aim of the project is the design, development and qualification of critical units that allow for the introduction of agility and flexibility features in payload architectures.

The main objectives of the project is to develop a detailed simulation tool for complex RF payload front-ends within a system simulator.

The objective of this project is to develop a Satellite modem for Internet access in rural areas using DVB-S2 technology. The product is intended to complement existing ADSL terrestrial based solutions. Where it is too expensive and /or too time consuming to get a terrestrial infrastructure for broadband, the Forsway modem offers a cost effective, easy to use solution to access the Internet based on satellite DVBS2 distribution associated with a multi-standard terrestrial return link.

The outcome of the TMO project will be an enhanced hifly® product able to support two of the most demanded platforms on the market, OSC STAR-2 and Boeing 702. On top of this, hifly® and focusSuite will be re-engineered to in-corporate new technology and advanced features to increase their competitiveness in the market.

The project scope is to develop the Azimuth (satellite modems, data and frequency converters and redundancy switches) and the Elevation (targeting IP applications) product lines.
In the first phase, the existing product portfolio is renewed, targeting the different market segments with dedicated products.

Following a successful initial implementation of the COTV environment during the 2008 - 2010 period, a 15 months extension of the COTV project has been awarded. This extension will enable the COTV environment to comply with the recently emerged HbbTV / CE-HTML / HTML5 market driven standards, as well as to cope with the strategic evolution of the broadcasters needs based on the rich feedback received during the original project pilot phase.

Study Proposal for a UHF Transceiver Concept providing Telemetry-, Telecommand- and Data-Transmission for Low Earth Orbiting Satellites.

The project objective is the development and qualification of a Coarse Sun Sensor (CSS). It will be suitable for the Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem of telecom-satellite platforms for multi-media applications such as the Spacebus-4000 platform.

Recent spectrum auctions indicate that the commercial market value of spectrum today is often driven by terrestrial mobile systems. This leads to a frequent requirement for the satellite communication industry to defend its spectrum. Satellite systems could compete more fairly in such a spectrum trading environment if the relative public value of different satellite communication systems and services were considered.

The study aims to examine new ways of approaching the innovation-heritage-risk equation in order to ensure Europe remains competitive with emerging platform providers abroad. It also identifies cost reduction possibilities for the next generation of GEO telecoms missions.

The objective of the ARTES 3-4 development is to design, manufacture and qualify an Engineering Qualification Model (EQM) of SSTL GMP-T power subsystem. This high power, low mass and low cost power system is targeted to address the Small GEO Satellite market with up to 6kW power capability.

The proposed activity aims to implement a new release of evolved Network Control Centre (eNCC) as the evolution of the current NCC. This new eNCC should be developed to enable interoperability with several Operating Systems and hardware, preventing the obsolescence of them.

The project objectives are to study the characteristics of fading from satellite systems using angle diversity (spatial diversity) for different reception scenarios and to develop a suitable channel model.

In the context of aeronautical air-ground mobile data communications, the project is concerned with the development of network functions which enable interworking between legacy ATN/OSI and future ATN/IPS networks.

The objective of BB-MED is to implement a satellite broadband service as an efficient first step for the deployment of broadband internet in the underserved regions of the UfM.

One of the main objectives of this project is to investigate seamless video delivery to the end user across different access technologies. It also aims to maintain the integrity and wherever applicable, adapt and enrich the quality of the video media across the whole distribution chain.

The HITEC Antenna Control Unit (ACU) project aims at developing a Step Track and a Monopulse capable ACU version, based on HITEC´s existing Program Track ACU.
The ACU provides the user interface in a Ground Station antenna by communicating with the antenna control system and calculating the correct aiming of the antenna, based on different types of information (e.g. TLE, signal strength).

The focus of the study is on identifying areas where satellite communications can complement and integrate with terrestrial networks to provide enhanced and efficient multimedia services to end users, avoiding head-on competition in markets where terrestrial services have the upper hand.

This project will study and evaluate the applicability of MIMO techniques to satellite communications with the key application as DVB-SH. The work has been divided into 2 phases, where the 1st phase focuses on the study and develops a SW simulation environment to evaluate the performance of the selected MIMO techniques.

The study objectives focused on the feasibility, definition and size of an integrated mobile system dedicated to European Public Safety and Security operations. A hybrid system, composed of satellite, CGC and PMR segments is envisaged to meet the end-users´ requirements.

The CONT-TRAK project aims to provide a
unique, low-cost solution to make container shipping
more efficient and enhance trade security. It will ensure
continuous container monitoring and tracking from the
point of origin, by truck, rail or ship (buried in a stacked
environment) to the final destination. A suite of sensors
within the container will ensure immediate satcom
notification of any tampering, thus enhancing the safety
and security of container transportation.

The study will explore new air interface techniques and supporting payload/ground segment solutions for providing more cost effective broadcast/interactive services in the near future. The main emphasis is on validating the merits of the new promising solutions being proposed, such as MIMO, interference cancellation, on-ground beamforming, hybrid satellite /terrestrial coverage.

This study aims to identify architectural remedies using the emerging technologies that allow generic OBP designs which can be re-programmed in-orbit for more efficient and flexible operation.

he main objective and scope of the study is to assess the commercial and technical feasibility of a number of non-safety (i.e. APC and AAC) aeronautical communication solutions and business models in order to identify the commercial viability and technical feasibility of current and emerging connectivity solutions for the Air Transport, Business Aviation and Government market segments.

The scope of the project is to do an assessment of demands for and offers of communication services in the Arctic region in the 2015-2020 time frame. The assessment will include a number of market sectors such as shipping, mining, oil and gas exploration, fisheries and others, and geostationary and non-geostationary satellite communication systems as well as terrestrial communication systems.

The objective of the project is to design, prototype and manufacture a pre-production batch of two types of Ka-Band SSPA modules, to be integrated in future broadband multimedia satellite user terminals.

The DENISE project aims at designing and demonstrating, both via laboratory tests and field trials using W2A satellite, a suitable S-band interactive system capable of efficiently using the available bandwidth (15 MHz in both uplink and downlink for each of the two licensed European S-band operators).

The objectives of this project are to design, develop, test and trial new service extensions to BGAN to provide efficient delivery of IP-multicast traffic to mobile users via the Inmarsat-4 satellites.

The objective of this project is to pave the way for the detailed analysis manufacturing and testing of the first PFM Ka sat reflector. The objectives within this study phase are: the analysis of Ka Sat reflector requirements, thermo mechanical preliminary design and analysis, and manufacturing and testing of development test samples.