PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The objective of this activity is to determine a common scope for the specification and verification of Satellite On The Move Terminals (SOTM). The activity leads to recommendations for future potential new standards that will allow players in the market, such as service providers, satellite operators, and end users, to clearly understand the capabilities of SOTM terminals without having to undergo expensive and lengthy validation campaigns themselves before investing in and deploying a product.
Challenges
Since the activity requires lot of interaction with the different contributors of the SOTM value chain, it is not easy to get prompt response and to schedule interviews with those contributors, especially, with the major satellite operators and SOTM manufacturers.
System Architecture
The activity leads to recommendations for standard SOTM testing and future potential new standards that allow players in the market, such as service providers, satellite operators, and end users, to clearly understand the capabilities of SOTM terminals without having to undergo expensive and lengthy validation campaigns themselves before investing in and deploying a product.
Plan
The work consists of 4 main tasks. The first two tasks, Task 1 and 2, deals with understanding the current market conditions. The associated work details and clarifies how SOTM products and related services are specified today as they pass through the value chain from manufacturers to end-users. Task 3 targets actors of the value chain and goes further in depth to understand the needs in terms of recognizing quality and performance of products and services related to SOTM terminals. The task uncovers what information and associated proof (verification) an actor in the value chain needs to trigger a purchase/business transaction.
Task 4 formulates recommendations for standard test procedures that can be mutually recognized and are coherent and efficient in expediting such transactions as well as investigates the implications for validation/verification of products to comply with the standards.
Current Status
Project has been completed. All deliverables were submitted to ESA.
Note that this initiative has been complemented by two activities;
- Satellite Operators Minimum Antenna Performance Requirements (SOMAP – ref GVF-101, 106): a complementary work being undertaken within the “Mutual Recognition Arrangement Working Group” (MRA-WG) introduced by the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), a non-profit, international association representing the interests of VSAT industrial players. The MRA is in charge of defining a common framework where standards and type approvals are created in a consensus manner by its members. The documents defined are mutually recognised meaning that if a product is compliant to an MRA standard and has obtained type approval; all members will recognise the product. In the case of SOTM, the MRA created a specific sub-group “GVF-MRA subgroup of Satellite Operators Minimum Antenna Performance Requirements (SOMAP) that has been working on a relevant Comms-On-The-Move section of the GVF-101-106 document.
- Characterization of the Mobile Tracking Needs: This is an ARTES 5.1 (7-0.22) study aimed to design, develop and publish a database that provides statistics of motion dynamics for mobile satellite terminals. This database (with access to industry residing within ESA member states) supports the design and testing of SOTM tracking systems. The activity included a data gathering campaign and the development and population of a database.
