Transcript Satcast Final Presentation - Home | West Consulting BV

SatCast Project Final
Presentation
Arendal, 27 September 2000
SatCAST Project
Roberto Donadio
European Space Agency
[email protected]
About ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a non-profit inter-governmental
organisation with the aim to promote and organise the R&D on
technology for space applications, for exclusively peaceful purposes
All member states participate in
activities related to space science and
in a common set of programmes
(mandatory programmes).
In addition, members choose the level
of participation in optional programmes
• Earth observation
• Telecommunications
Major Distribution of
ESA programmes
(source: Annual
Report 1997)
• Launcher development
• Manned space flight
• Microgravity research
Total ESA budget 1998: 2.59 BEUR, Telecom
Programmes 165 MEUR (6.4%)
ESA Member States
ESTEC
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
European Space Research &
Tech. Centre - Staff: 1051
ESA HQ
Paris, France
ESA Headquarters - Staff: 350
EAC
Cologne, Germany
European Astronauts Centre
- Staff: 11
ESOC
Darmstadt, Germany
European Space Operations
Centre - Staff: 244
ESRIN
Frascati, Italy
European Space Research
Institute - Staff: 136
Tot.: 1792 staff
Telecommunications R&D in ESA
ESA R&D in telecommunications is mainly carried out under
the ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications
Systems) programme.
Main Themes:
• Improvement of European industrial capabilities through
advanced development of communication technology
• Promotion of new satellite communications services through
experimentation and demonstration:
• fixed, broadcasting, mobile, data relay, navigation
• Cooperation with operating entities:
• Eutelsat, Ses, Inmarsat, Intelsat, W. European Telecom Operators
• Programme budget: 1.2 billions AU duration 1993 - 1999
Satellite technology for affordable
multimedia
What are the directions for R&D?
• reduce the cost of the Earth Segment
better coding techniques
multi-beam satellites
low-cost components for VSAT stations
• more efficient bandwidth utilisation
improved access schemes
improved transmission schemes
evolution towards transmission at Ka-band
• optimal utilisation of limited on-board resources
ARTES 3 projects currently running
Line 1: Pilot Systems & Applications
Development of Satcom Multimedia Market
Theme 1: “Public European High Speed Internet Demonstrators” 1 contract
Theme 2: “Tele-Education/Telemedicine Pilot Operations” 7 contracts
Theme 4: “Intra-Enterprise and other Networking Demonstrators” 3 contracts + 2 u.n.
Theme 5: “Multimedia Satellite Services Pilot Operations” ITT ‘00
Theme 6: “Tele-Education/Tele-Health Pilot Services” 3 contracts
Theme 7: “Broadband Mobile Pilot Services Implementation” ITT ‘99
Line 2: Components
Development of Satcom System Elements
Theme 1: Near Term Evolution of Satellite Infrastructure
Theme 2: Low Cost User Earth Stations, 7 contracts
Theme 3: Highly Integrated Radio-Frequency (on-board) Front-Ends, 5 contracts
Theme 4: Miniaturised Implementations for Modem and Switches, 2 contracts
Theme 5: Inter-Satellite Link Front-Ends, 3 contracts
Line 3: Systems
Pioneering Novel Systems
Skybridge, EuroSkyWay, WEST
… a few examples later 
Internet in Evolution: the Past
Internet-Attached
Device
Millions of
Text-Based Web Sites
Internet in Evolution: Now
The Case for Multicasting
Internet evolves to incorporate broadcasting applications
- the Unicast model does not scale well
- a mix of Unicast and Multicast is necessary
The Case for Reliable Multicasting
Real-time
Non-real-time
Multimedia
• Video server
• Video conferencing
• Internet audio
• Multimedia Events
• Replication:
• Video & web servers
• Kiosks
• Content delivery
• Intranet & Internet
Data-only
• Stock quotes
• News feeds
• White boarding
• Interactive gaming
• Data delivery
• Server-server
• Server-desktop
• DB replication
• SW distribution
• Requires reliability
ESA support to industry
ESA has launched a specific R&D programme (ARTES 3)
dedicated to multimedia over satellite
Objectives:
 Develop applications and involve a variety of user groups in the early roll-out of
services in pre-competitive, but real, environments
 Promote open standards in the satellite industry
 Develop the key satellite and ground sub-systems and system technology in order
to lessen the service deployment risk
Funding: Activities are co-funded by ESA and contractors on a 50 % basis.
Exceptions to this co-funding scheme are possible for the following specific cases:
•
•
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) can be funded up to a maximum of 75%.
University, institutes and equivalent research centres can be funded up to a maximum
of 100%.
SatCAST
- Project started in June ‘99
- Team: West Consulting BV, NLR, University of Salzburg
Objectives:
- to develop a software package for efficient access to Web-based information
between multiple proxy locations
- extension of the SaWa proxy platform developed under a previous contract
- integration of multicast into the SaWa concept
- implementation and adaptation of RRMP protocol under Solaris OS.
-The objective of MultiMAP is to develop a pilot digital map update
communications network via satellite in co-operation with Ordnance Survey,
Britain's national mapping agency
- Ordnance Survey foresee that their daily digital map transfer traffic will grow
from a volume of 450Mb in 1998 to 1,200 Mb in 2002. The current
terrestrial communications systems employed (ISDN) are adequate for today's
usage, but bottlenecks in the system have already been identified, and future
growth in communications volume will require significant increases in capacity.
-A pilot satellite-based Intranet is currently running, improving the existing
operations, as well as acting as a catalyst for new data dissemination
services that would not be viable within the current terrestrial framework.
Un’Azienda Fin
-The objective of the Advanced Broadcast Architecture for Retail Intranet Services
(ABARIS) project is to establish an e-commerce Internet platform based on satellite
multicasting. The initial focus is on the delivery of CD quality audio products.
- ABARIS multicasts music products to customers who are equipped with a computer
connected to a standard satellite TV dish antenna. Following reception, each track may
be played using a multimedia PC or written to a CD for use in a standard home or car
hi-fi system. The music encryption scheme employed by ABARIS will protect
copyrights by preventing unauthorised performances or recordings.
-Avanti's partners in the project include V2 Music Group, a leading independent record
company; National Research Group which undertakes world-wide market research into
entertainment products and Central Research Laboratories - a leader in the development
of advanced digital intellectual property management technologies.
Un’Azienda Finmeccanica
-The objective of SiMPLE (Satellite Interactive Multimedia Platform for
Low-cost Earth-stations) has been the development of a software package
for advanced multicasting of multimedia Internet content, based on :
• Automatic multicast Web cache content updating
• Automatic selection and delivery of content
• Decentralised software system for distribution of information
-Implementation:
• Multicast proxies
• Scalable and reliable multicast protocols
• Web-based Flexible and secured system maintenance and monitoring
• Linux and Windows 95/98/NT4.0 based clients
• Generation of user profiles at server and client side for optimized content distribution
- Objective: production and distribution of video-rich learning materials delivered
with interactive modules targeted to primary schools (pupils from 5 to 11 years old)
- Kids’ expectations from such a system are very demanding:
 they expect PC to deliver multimedia as good as television, and to be as interactive
as video games
 they do not cope with the world wide wait: if a PC does not respond quickly to
their mouse clicks, they lose concentration, and start doing something else
 they must be “guided” in the Internet jungle in intelligent way (a difficult, time
consuming task often beyond the teachers capabilities)
- Several elements of the modules have to be refreshed every week (e.g. news clips,
extracts from newspapers, web links, guide to TV educational programmes). This,
associated with the need to have a broad dissemination of the material, makes the satellite
platform (package delivery via ASTRA-NET) very attractive
To know
more
Information is available on
the web at:
http://telecom.estec.esa.nl/artes/
including an overview of
the running projects and a
pointer to the open tenders
The need for tailored applications
Satellites are now increasingly used for providing fast Internet access
Applications:
• Traditional applications designed for unicast transmission
Advantage (with satellite):
only enhanced speed
Disadvantage -->> not very efficient,
not exploiting the potential of the
media
• Applications tailored to the point-to-multipoint environment
Plus: very efficient on satellite
Constraint: full compatibility to the
mainstream Internet environment
(seamless integration)
 There is the need to develop new applications in order to allow the
satellite services to be attractive and financially viable and demonstrate
them in pilot systems
Development of the Satcom
Multimedia Market
• Development of applications in:
- tele-medicine
- tele-education
- Intranets
- high speed Internet
• Involvement of a variety of
user groups in early roll-out of
services in pre-competitive, but real, environments
• Promotion of open standards for interactive satellite terminals
Development of the Satcom
System Elements
• System building blocks such as onboard processing technology,
intelligent antennas, inter-satellite links and communications
control techniques
• Ground systems such as low cost
user terminals and those elements of
satellite infrastructure which are
necessary to support the interfaces
with service providers
Pioneering Novel System
• Support actions to European Industry proposing new satellite
systems
• Risk mitigation in new satellite enterprises
Perceived Risks
ESA can helps with:
 Time to Market …………... Advanced development of key system
technology
 Technology ………………. Co-funding of key system components
development
 Competitive Landscape ….. Supporting standards definition
• Capital Plan
• Regulatory/Licensing
armstrong
electronics
- The objective of the WEBSAT project is to establish and conduct technical and
functional field tests of a demonstration high speed Internet service using a low
cost "Return-Link" system previously developed.
- During the initial development phase Armstrong established an ISP satellite
gateway (Hub) with direct high speed connection to the Internet backbone.
- First phase testing was conducted to assess traffic profile for a given amount of
space segment.
- Second phase addressing pilot pre-commercial service to various users dispersed
across the footprint of a Eutelsat W-Series satellite (currently running).
- Commercial service already announced
IP over Direct Broadcasting
Satellites: an enabling technology
Growing acceptance of DVB as the standard
for digital TV broadcasting. The 50 millions
satellite households* in Europe are now
migrating to digital.
*DTH+SMATV


Standards for data over DVB are in place :
ETSI 301 192 “Digital video Broadcasting (DVB);
DVB Specification for Data Broadcasting”
This creates a large potential user base for
data broadcasting over DVB.
Satellites are now offered to access to
broadband services at high speed in a pointto multipoint configuration, allowing
applications which are not possible with the
most common means of access (e.g. modem,
ISDN)
As a result the cost of data reception
equipment (e.g. DVB decoding cards for PC
platforms) have fallen sharply and will
continue to do so.

IP over DVB as an enabling technology to
deploy fast, geographically dispersed access
to broadband access at low cost