NERA prepared for large-scale DVB-RCS deployment

28 Apr 2005: A spring forward in terminal transmit speeds has been accomplished by Nera Satcom of Norway. The ESA Telecom supported project has achieved a very significantly improved utilisation of the return link spectrum than in common VSAT systems and at a much reduced cost.

Supported by ESA Telecom, the project 'Large Scale Deployment of DVB-RCS Systems' aimed at reducing cost and enhancing the capability of Nera's SatLink DVB-RCS system for a potential expansion of the system.

SatLink DVB-RCS system
The current system for two-way communication via satellite has interactive return-link channels via satellite. A HUB is connected to the terrestrial network and user terminals. It supports two-way IP connectivity among terminals both in the system and the terrestrial system, enabling Internet access, intranet/VPN, VoIP, and multicast. Both MPEG2 and DVB-S broadcast services are available uni-directional from the HUB to the terminals.

IDU
Weighing less than a kilo and no bigger than a laptop computer the enhanced SatLink 1000 Indoor Unit (image right) is almost half the price of other versions. An important achievement for commercialisation.
Nera accomplished an increase in TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) acceleration through implementation of the embedded PEP (Packet Exchange Protocol) client in the forward link. In the return link, special mechanisms for HTTP acceleration were applied as well as interaction with the RRM (Radio Resource Management) system.

Gateway
A new compact Multi-Carrier Receiver will be of interest to Gateway operators. The cost of these has been reduced to a fraction of previous prices, while still maintaining equal performance to current RLS (Return Link Subsystem).

A major development is on the analog front end. Instead of supporting an L-band interface, Nera decided to support a 140 MHz interface. This ensures an optimal low cost of the platform while reducing the risk and hence the time to marked for the final product.

Mr Johan Stjernevi, Principal Network Engineer for ESA Telecom and Technical Officer in charge of the project said: "Cost reduction of user equipment is a main goal of ESA Telecom, particularly when functionality is not sacrificed. ESA gladly lends support to industry partners like NERA that are commited to this."

TL Simulator
To verify the scalability of the system, Nera developed a unique Terminal Load Simulator (TLS), a valuable tool in realising the project into a mature commercial product. The TL simulator is capable of a full-blown test of the Nera SatLink Gateway performance, simulating up to 5000 terminals within a DVB-RCS network.

It can also verify if terminals from different ISP's are using only allotted capacity. In the future the TL Simulator will perform a variety of functions all designed to increase the Gateway Performance.

Project Manager, Mr Heng Lu of Nera Satcom Norway stated: "We're convinced that the Multi-Carrier Receiver will be a key product in our portfolio of DVB-RCS products in the near future."

Nera Satcom is an active member of the SatLabs Group. The SatLabs Group builds on open standards like DVB-RCS and IP, maximising interoperability with Hub's and terminals from other vendors.