Innovations occurring in the satellite sector continue to reshape the satellite services market. The advent of High-Throughput Satellites (HTS) massively expanded the supply of available bandwidth and reduced the cost per bit. This lowered the barrier to entry to providing satellite services and expanded the marketplace.
From Hardware to Software
The next generation of satellites will be defined by software, designed to serve a market wherein IP content is the dominant traffic for satellite communications (SATCOM), broadcast and Earth Observation (EO). Software-defined satellites are fully reconfigurable on-orbit, allowing bandwidth to be dynamically adapted and flexibly reconfigured, which means coverage, frequency and bandwidth allocation can be changed to meet demand. This enables even greater flexibility, scalability and cost- effectiveness in SATCOM.
During the past decade, software-defined satellites have advanced from the planning stages to reality. Total traffic volume is exploding, waveforms are multiplying and spacecraft in every orbital plane are looking for access to a more sophisticated ground infrastructure that is able to handle thousands of connections — without interference.
This digital transformation in the sky is creating immense pressure for a similar transformation on the ground. Today, most ground systems remain largely hardware- centric facilities. These legacy architectures are often proprietary and designed for bent-pipe, fixed satellite delivery models, with relatively static payloads. This infrastructure developed as it was the most efficient, cost-effective means to serve the older generation of satellites on-orbit. As the satellite layer becomes more complex, more dynamic and more flexible, the ground segment needs to transition to a software-based infrastructure to match those capabilities.
From Sky to Ground
The transition to digital operations is underway, but how fast or slow organizations proceed — or how far they go down the path — can depend on business models, customer mix and applications, as well as the current infrastructure and partners.
“The ground system will remain analog for the foreseeable future. It’s not going to be a complete change by 2023,” a technology provider executive said. “The reality is it will be gradual over many years. But some applications are making the digital transition faster.”
The digital transition is being factored into the value of the ground segment economy, Euroconsult said in a 2022 forecast. The market will reach a value of $3.6 billion by the end of the 10-year window, driven by the growing demand for data and services.
The transformation toward very high throughput connectivity and Non-Geostationary (NGSO) constellations is already responsible for most of the growth, and “the deployment of software-definition in both satellite systems and within ground infrastructure will also stand as a key item in the product roadmap of many ground segment suppliers, with a need to partly transition from a role of hardware to technology suppliers. Satellite operators are relying more and more on virtualization in place of physical hardware, reducing expenditures and improving ground segment flexibility.”
To take full advantage of the innovations on-orbit, the ground segment needs to more fully integrate with the satellite layer to become one, synchronized system.
To achieve this, ground station operators need to incorporate open, flexible, automated software.
“We are seeing every day with the growth of AI that operations need to change; to be more managed and faster. AI is the new way to say automation – an evolution of automation. It’s moving from manual operations to operations being done by machines,” a technology provider executive said. “In that regard, it’s a similar scenario in the satellite domain. What has been analog for years is now becoming digitized. What has been digitized can be better. We see how both technology and teleports are being digitized with more software and see how operations are being much more managed with AI, with machine learning or just automation from the previous generation.”
To enable this capability, teleports must convert analog RF signals to digital packets and virtualize operations via software. This will make the ground station more agile and efficient, enabling easier management of optimization of network traffic as well as deliver more cost-efficient operations. Plus, opportunities to provide new services and enter new markets that are on the rise due to the changing communications needs, will be created.
“There is a lot of talk about what is happening in space – multi-orbital constellations, the flexible satellite, more capacity. If you have a completely static ground segment, all of that is of no use,” a technology provider executive said. “If want to create a new beam but have to bring new hardware into the teleport to do it, that’s not really flexible. Teleports need to digitize so they can reconfigure the ground segment with just a few clicks. We need ‘new ground’ to enable the new capabilities in space,” the official said.
“A few years ago, there were conversations about digitalization and virtualization, and everyone was wondering what was going on,” another technology provider official said. “This year, everyone seems to be onboard. They can see this as the future, but now the questions are ‘When is the future? How will I make transition? When will I make it? What does it mean? How does it work?’ Over the last year, the satellite sector has turned the corner on recognizing that this is the future. Now people are wondering about the details,” the executive said.
Key Takeaways from the Report
While innovations in orbit are a major factor, the pressure to move toward software-defined ground operations also comes from market changes and the need to incorporate operations that are based on defined standards that eliminate proprietary equipment and operations. This will help the satellite sector compete in the overall communications market as well as enable the satellite sector to more easily integrate with terrestrial networks.
Teleports do not need to immediately stop using their established hardware investments but they need to start preparing for the transition to software- defined operations. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be very important in optimizing the teleports of the future. Teleports will need to learn how to continuously improve and become an integral part of digital future.
The software-defined teleport had already been deployed in single-case implementation, but not in multi-mission scenarios. The challenge is standardization and interoperability of the digital signal. The satellite sector is working on an industry standard, but certification is just underway. Once there is a standard and certification process and industry-wide compatibility, then software-defined operations will begin to grow.
Technology providers expect the transformation will enable teleports to reach new market and new customers. Teleports expect the transition to help them provide an improved customer experience, offer higher availability and deliver better program performance. Simultaneously, it must be cost-effective for the teleports.
The Interviewees
In researching this report, input from teleport industry executives and technology experts was solicited and received and they offered a wide range of viewpoints on the subject. To ensure an open discussion, the interviewees were assured that their remarks would not be attributed by name or by company. WTA thanks them for contributing their time and expertise to the project:
Report Contents
• Introduction
• Key Takeaways
• Methodology
• The Factors Driving Ground Transformation
• New, More Capable Satellites
• Growth in LEO and MEO Constellations
• Better Integration with Terrestrial Networks
• Standardization for Easier Interoperability
• Is Teleport Transformation Underway?
• Customer Verticals Moving at Different Speeds
• The Roadmap to Providing Software Services
• The Investment Case for Going Digital
• Adapting Step by Step
• What Teleport Operators Expect
• A Transformed Workforce
• New Capabilities and Business Opportunities
Andrew Bond, Sales & Marketing Director, ETL Systems, Ltd.
Frank Czulo, President, Advanced Networks, Network Innovations Stuart Daughtridge, Vice President, Advanced Technology, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.
Alex Donnelson, Special Products Business Development Manager, ETL Systems, Ltd.
Michel Dothey, Co-Founder and COO, neXaT
Gil Elizov, Vice President Products, Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd.
David Gellerman, President & CEO, SpaceBridge, Inc.
Tom Gleaves, Chief Engineer, Liquid Intelligent Technologies
Daniel Hobel Manager, Systems Engineering, SSC Space (Swedish Space Corporation) US
Ian Jones, CEO, Goonhilly Earth Station Limited Ltd.
William Mudge, Vice President Engineering Operations, Speedcast Limited
Sergey Raber, COO, AXESS Networks
Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys S.A.
Kartik Seshadri, Vice President, International Division, Hughes Network Systems
Frederik Simoens, CTO, ST Engineering iDirect
Jack Waters, President & CEO, XipLink, Inc.
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