Analysis of Satellite-Based

Telecommunications and Broadband

Services

November 2013

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TableofContents
1

ExecutiveOverview..................................................................................1

IntroductiontoSatelliteTechnology.........................................................2
2.1 UsesofSatellites.................................................................................................2
2.2 SatelliteOrbits....................................................................................................2
2.3 ConsumerServiceProviders...............................................................................4
2.4 Services...............................................................................................................6

IndustryRegulation..................................................................................8
3.1 FrequencyUtilization..........................................................................................8
3.2 SatelliteLifeCycle...............................................................................................9

SatelliteUsesandLimitations.................................................................10
4.1 SatelliteCommunicationImpairments.............................................................10
4.1.1

Latency...............................................................................................................................10

4.1.2

TerrestrialBlockage............................................................................................................11

4.1.3

WeatherInterference.........................................................................................................12

4.1.4

SunInterference.................................................................................................................13

4.2 VoiceoverSatelliteConcerns...........................................................................14
4.2.1

QuantitativeQoSMetrics...................................................................................................14

4.2.2

QualitativeQoSMeasurements.........................................................................................15

4.2.3

SatelliteVoiceCustomerPremisesEquipment..................................................................16

4.3 BroadbandoverSatelliteConcerns..................................................................18
4.4 TerrestrialandCelestialBroadbandComparison.............................................21

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1 Executive Overview
Overthelast50ormoreyears,satelliteshavebeenusedtoprovideavarietyofvoice,data,navigation,
andvideoservices.Satellitecommunicationsarebetteradaptedforsomeservicesthanforothers.
Whenusedtodelivervideoservices,asinglevideosignalcanbebroadcasttomillionsoflocationsand
noadditionalsatellitecapacityisrequiredasmorecustomersareadded.Withinteractivetwoway
traffic,suchasvoiceandbroadbanddataservices,complicationsariseduetolimitationsinnateto
satellitecommunicationsystems.Thesecomplicationsincludethefollowing:

HighLatencyThemostcommonsatellitesusedforthedeliveryoffixedbroadbandservices,
geostationarysatellites,arelocatedmorethan22,000milesabovetheequator.Becauseofthis
distancefromtheearth,voiceandbroadbandapplicationshavelatencythatexceedsindustry
standardsandismorethan20timesthelatencyoftypicallandlinecommunications.

CapacityLimitationsSatellitebroadbandusesalimitedamountofspectrumthatissharedby
allsatelliteusers.Asmorecustomersareaddedoriftheexistingcustomersbegintoutilize
morecapacity,exhaustionofsatellitecapacitycanbecomeasignificantissue.

EnvironmentalImpactsSatellitecommunicationsbecomeunreliableundercertain
environmentalconditions.Thefrequenciesutilizedbysatellitesystemsaresusceptibleto
outagesduringheavyrain,ice,orsnowconditions.Inaddition,twiceayearsunoutagesoccur
formanydaysinarow,andeachcanlast15minutesorlonger.

Thebroadbandperformanceofsatelliteservicesintermsoflatency,jitter,capacity,andspeedwill
alwaysremaininferiortomodernfixedwirelinetechnologies.Somesatellitelimitationsmaybemade
lessseverewithtechnicaladvances,butsomelimitations,suchashighlatencyandweather
interference,cannotbesolved.Whilesatelliteswillcontinuetoprovideanimportantroleinglobal
communications,satellitesdonothavethecapacitytoreplaceasignificantamountofthefixedwireline
broadbandinusetodaynorcantheyprovidehighquality,lowlatencycommunicationscurrently
availableusinglandlinecommunicationsystems.Whilerecentadvanceshaveincreasedsatellite
capacity,thecapacityavailableonanentiresatelliteismuchsmallerthanthatavailableonasingle
strandoffiber.Theseandothersatellitecommunicationsimpairmentswillbediscussedindetailinthis
report.

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2 Introduction to Satellite Technology

Thissectionofthereportprovidesanoverviewofsatellitecommunicationstechnology,capabilities,and
commonuses.

2.1 Uses of Satellites

Sincethe1950s,satelliteshavebeenutilizedtoprovidecommunicationslinksinareasandsituations
wherewirelinetechnologieswerenotavailableandwerenotfeasibletoconstruct.Most
communicationssatellitesactasarelayfromonepointontheearthtooneormoreotherlocationsor
canbeintersatellitecommunications.1Theinformationbeingrelayedacrossasatellitelinkcouldbe
voice,broadbanddata,and/orvideo.Insomeways,satelliteservicesaresimilartothoseofferedby
landlineproviders,butinothersignificantwaystheyaredifferentaswillbediscussedinthispaper.

2.2 Satellite Orbits

Satelliteorbitscanbeclassifiedintothreemaintypes:geostationaryorbits,lowearthorbits(LEO)and
mediumearthorbits(MEO).MEOismainlyutilizedfornavigationservicessuchasGPSandGalileo,
whilegeostationaryandLEOorbitsareusedforpointtopointandpointtomultipointsatellite
communications.Figure21showsthesethreeorbits.
Geostationarysatellitetechnologieswereanearlyenablerofglobalrealtimecommunications.Because
geostationarysatellitesorbittheearthatthesamespeedastheearthsrotation,thesatellitesappearto
bestationaryabovetheearth.Toaccomplishthis,theyareplacedintoorbitmorethan22,000miles
abovetheequator.Atthisdistance,geostationarysatellitebeamshaveadirectlineofsighttolarge
portionsoftheearth.ManysatellitesuseContinentalUS(CONUS)beamsthatcoverthecontinental
UnitedStates.SincetheUnitedStatesisnorthoftheequator,asatelliteusermusthaveaclearviewof
thesouthernsky.Additionally,sincegeostationarysatellitesarepositionedoveronespotonthe
equator,thegroundstationantennaneedstopointtoonlyonelocationtoreceivetheinformation
beingtransmitted.

Pointtopointcommunicationsisbetweentwofixedlocationsonearth;broadcastcommunicationsisbetweena
fixedlocationandmultiplelocations(overawidecoveragearea);andintersatellitecommunicationsisbetween
twosatellites.

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Source:GIGAOM
Figure21:SatelliteOrbits

Geostationarysatellitesareeffectiveindeliveringcertaintypesofsignalstomultiplelocations
simultaneously,suchasisthecasewithbroadcasttelevision.Nevertheless,thereisveryhighlatencyin
thecommunicationsdeliveredovergeostationarysatellites,sincetheradiosignalmusttravelover
44,000miles(roundtrip).Toincreasethequalityofcommunicationssignals,MEOandLEOsatellites
havebeenused.BecauseLEOandMEOsatellitesorbitbetweenafewhundredandafewthousand
milesabovetheearth,theyintroducemuchlesslatencythangeostationarysatellites.Attheselower
altitudes,LEOandMEOsatellitesorbittheearthrapidly.Fromafixedpointontheearth,these
satellitesappeartomoveacrosstheskyquickly;therefore,manysatellitesarerequiredtoensurethata
subscriberalwayshasasatelliteinview.Becauseofthenumberofsatellitesandthe
intercommunicationbetweensatellitesandtheearthbaseddevices,LEOsystemsrequiresophisticated

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systemstomaintainandhandoffserviceconnectionsbetweentheorbitingsatellites.2Thesesystems,
whenusedtoprovidevoiceordatatofixedlocationsonearth,haveproventobecomplexand
expensivetodeployandoperate.

2.3 Consumer Service Providers

Thefollowingisasummaryoftheprimaryprovidersofsatellitevoiceanddatatelecommunicationsin
theUnitedStates.
HughesNetworkSystems
HughesNetworkSystems,LLC(Hughes)isawhollyownedsubsidiaryofEchoStarCorporation.InNorth
America,theHughessystemincludestheSPACEWAY3andtherecentlylaunchedEchoStar17Kaband
geostationarysatellites.3Hughesclaimstoserve660,000subscribersinNorthAmerica.4
ViaSat
ViaSatdeliversgeostationarysatelliteservicetoresidentialconsumers,businesses,governmententities,
andthemilitary,andoffersfixedandmobileservicesoverViaSat1,whichViaSatclaimstobethe
highestbandwidthcapacitysatellite.5In2009,ViaSatacquiredWildBlue6andcontinuestomarket
WildBluesdataandvoiceservicetoconsumers.Exede,ahighspeedInternetoffering,isdeliveredover
acombinationoftheViaSat1satelliteandolderWildBluesatellites.DIRECTVandDISHalsobundlethe
Exedeserviceaspartoftheirserviceofferings.
TheViaSat1coverageareaisprioritizedtoareaswithhighpopulation,showningreenonFigure22.7
TheblueareasshowninFigure22arecoveredbytheolderWildBluesatellites.

Forexample,theserviceproviderIridiumutilizesaconstellationof66LEOsatellites.
http://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2012/07/09/echostar17launchbringshughesnextgenkabandinto
space/[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
4
http://www.hughes.com/company/aboutus[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
5
http://www.viasat.com/company[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
6
http://www.viasat.com/news/viasatacquirewildbluecommunications[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
7
http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/01/howviasatsexedemakessatellitebroadbandnotsuck/[URLverified
3

onSeptember22,2013]

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Figure22:ViaSatExedeCoverage

ThelowerdatacapacityonWildBluesatellitescausedViaSattosuspendnewinstallationsinmanyareas
overthepastseveralyears.8Forexample,Figure23showsanExedewebsitemessageforservice
availabilityforaSouthDakotalocationwhenattemptedonSeptember22,2013.

Figure23:ExedeNewInstallationsSuspensionNotice[https://order.exede.com]

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/ViaSatWildBlueLaunching5012MbpsServiceNextWeek117744[URL
verifiedonSeptember22,2013]

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IridiumSatellite
IridiumisaLEOsatellitecommunicationsprovideroriginallyformedasaMotorolaspinoff.TheIridium
networkconsistsofaconstellationof66satellites.In1999,IridiumWorldCommunicationsfiledfor
Chapter11bankruptcyasaresultofhighinfrastructurecostsandlowsubscriberpenetration.9Iridiums
networkwaspurchasedin2000for$25million(theIridiumnetworkoriginallycostapproximately$5
billion),andthecompanywasrestructuredasIridiumSatellite.10Iridiumhasamajorprogramunderway
foritsnextgenerationnetwork,IridiumNEXT.11
Globalstar
GlobalstarisanotherLEOproviderofmobilesatellitevoiceanddataservices.Thecompanyfiledfor
bankruptcyin2002andemergedfrombankruptcyin2004.12Globalstarappearstobelookingto
repurposethespectrumcurrentlyusedforsatelliteintoterrestrialwirelessspectrumbecauseithas
askedtheFCCtoconvert80percentofitsspectrumtoWiFitypeservice13andhasbeentestingwith
Amazon.14

2.4 Services
BothgeostationaryandLEOserviceprovidersoffervoiceservice.Duetotheshorterdistancethatmust
betraveledbytheradiowaves,LEOnetworkshavemuchlowerlatencythangeostationarynetworks.
LEOprovidershavefocusedonprovidingmobilevoiceservicesforindustriesthatoperateinremote
locationssuchasmaritime,aviation,mining,oilandsomeremoteemergencyservices.15TheIridium
andGlobalstarpackagesrangefrom$25to$265permonthdependingonthenumberofminutes
includedinthepackage.Thegeostationaryprovidersmarkettheirvoicepackagestoresidentialand
businessconsumers.Thesepackagesnormallyrangefrom$20to$30permonthwithunlimited
minutes.
CompetitivesatellitebroadbandservicesintheUnitedStatesarecurrentlyonlyprovidedby
geostationaryproviders.LEOsatelliteprovidersfocusonmobilevoiceservicesandonlyprovidelow

http://news.cnet.com/Iridiumknockedbacktoearth/21001033_3224895.htmland
http://news.cnet.com/IridiumfilesforChapter11bankruptcy/21001033_3229816.html[URLsverifiedon

10

September22,2013]

http://www.airspacemag.com/spaceexploration/iridium.html[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
http://www.iridium.com
12
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2004/05/17/story6.html?page=all[URLverifiedonSeptember22,
2013]
13
http://business.financialpost.com/2013/08/23/amazonsaidtotestitsownwirelessnetworkin
california/?__lsa=13b9ab5d[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
14
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/20130823/amazonissaidtohavetestedawirelessnetwork.html[URL
verifiedonSeptember22,2013]
15
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iridium-satellite-and-blue-sky-network-enhance-communications-foraviation-customers-75611832.html [URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
11

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ratedataservicesforspecializedapplications.AsshowninTable21,thebroadbandpackagesvaryboth
bythebroadbandspeeddeliveredandthemonthlydataallowance.16

Company

DataPricing

DownloadSpeeds

UploadSpeeds

MonthlyDataAllowance

HughesNet
ViaSat
Exede/WildBlue

$49.9999.99

5Mbps15Mbps

1Mbps2Mbps

10GB40GB

$49.99$129.99

12Mbps

3Mbps

10GB25GB

Note1:Servicepackagesalsorequireleasing/purchasingofCPE
Note2:AdditionalchargesapplyifthecustomerexceedstheMonthlyDataAllowance.

Table21:SatelliteConsumerBroadbandServiceOfferings

Whencomparingsatellitebroadbandserviceofferingstolandlinebasedofferings,allofthesatellite
limitationsdescribedinSection4ofthisreportmustbeconsidered.Thesatellitequality,performance,
andreliabilityarenotcomparabletoamodernlandlinesystem.TheFCChasnotedthatcurrentlandline
providersoffer150GBto250GBofdatausepermonthandstated,Weprovideguidancebynoting
thatausagelimitsignificantlybelowthesecurrentofferings(e.g.,a10GBmonthlydatalimit)wouldnot
bereasonablycomparabletoresidentialterrestrialfixedbroadbandinurbanareas.17Asshownin
Table21,thesestandardsatelliteofferingsprovideasignificantlylowermonthlydataallowancethan
whatisconsideredacceptabletotheFCC.Withtheselowmonthlydatausageallowances,userswould
quicklyexhausttheirmonthlyallocationswithstreamingvideoorotherhighbandwidthapplications.

16

TheinformationforTable21wasderivedfromtheHughesNet(www.hughesnet.com)andViaSat
(www.viasat.com)websitesandwasvalidasofSeptember22,2013.
17
ConnectAmericaFund,WCDocketNo.1090,ANationalBroadbandPlanforourFuture,GNDocketNo.0951,
EstablishingJustandReasonableRatesforLocalExchangeCarriers,WCDocketNo.07135,HighCostUniversal
ServiceSupport,WCDocketNo.05337,DevelopinganUnifiedIntercarrierCompensationRegime,CCDocketNo.
0192,FederalStateJointBoardonUniversalService,CCDocketNo.9645,LifelineandLinkUp,WCDocketNo.
03109,UniversalServiceMobilityFund,WTDocketNo.10208,ReportandOrderandFurtherNoticeof
ProposedRulemaking,FCC11161(rel.November18,2011),pg.3637.

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3 Industry Regulation
ThetransmissionofservicesviasatelliteisregulatedbytheFCCandcoordinatedwiththeInternational
TelecommunicationsUnion(ITU).Federalregulationsrequirethat:
Nopersonshalluseoroperateapparatusforthetransmissionofenergyorcommunicationsor
signalsbyspaceorearthstationsexceptunder,andinaccordancewith,anappropriate
authorizationgrantedbytheFederalCommunicationsCommission.18

AspartofitsFCCreviewprocess,applicantsmustsubmitacomprehensiveproposalincludingitemssuch
astheproposedfrequenciestobeutilized,operatingspecifications,orbitparametersanddisposalplans.
Orbitalseparationofbetweentwoandthreedegreesiscommonforgeostationarysatellites.Because
ofthisphysicalseparation,thereisalimitonthenumberofsatellitesthatcanbeplacedintoorbit.
Therehasbeenpressurefortighterregulationstoensurethattheallocatedslotsareactuallybeing
used.Forexample,in2012theFCCreclaimedaslotfromDish.Inthatdecision,theFCCstatedthat
allowingDishtokeepthelicensewouldallowDishtowarehousescarceorbitandspectrum
resources.19Demandforsatelliteorbitalslotscontinuestogrow.In2008,AndreaMaleter,technical
directoratFutronCorp.,stated:20
therearenotanyorbitalslotscurrentlyunusedorunspokenfor(asinallocatedtosatellites
alreadyunderconstructionandexpectedtolaunchinthenearfuture)thatprovideaccesstowhat
mightbeconsideredsignificantmarkets.
TheFCCtypicallyleavesanorbitalslotvacantfor90days,unlessawaiverisgranted.21Waiversare
typicallygrantedinthecaseoflaunchorinorbitfailures.

3.1 Frequency Utilization

Toincreasecapacity,satelliteprovidersmustaddmoresatellites,i.e.spatialdiversity,oraddmore
spectrum,i.e.frequencydiversity.22Table31showscommonlyutilizedcommercialcommunication
satellitebandsandtheirgeneralcharacteristics.23

18

CFRTitle47,Part25,SubpartA,Paragraph25.102Stationauthorizationrequired.
http://www.spacenews.com/article/dishweighsappealfccrulingvacantorbitalslot[URLverifiedonSeptember
22,2013]
20
http://www.satellitetoday.com/publications/viasatellitemagazine/features/2008/03/01/hotorbitalslotsis
thereanythingleft/[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
21
CFRTitle47,Part25,SubpartD,Paragraph25.161Automaticterminationofstationauthorization.
22
Wirelesstechnologiesemployasimilarmeanstoincreasecapacity.Insteadofaddingsatellites,wireless
companiesaddmoretowers.Additionalspectrumincreasescapacityforbothwirelessandsatellite.
23
TableisadaptedfromAPracticalIntroductoryGuideonUsingSatelliteTechnologyforCommunications,
Intelsat,http://www.intelsat.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/01/5941SatellitePrimer2010.pdfpg.5.[URL
19

verifiedonSeptember22,2013]

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Band
C

Ku

Ka

Frequency
46GHz

Characteristics
Cbandtransmissionsarerequiredtohavelower
power,sincetheysharespectrumwithterrestrial
microwave.Cbandsatelliteantennasordishes
arenormallylarger(4.5to18metersindiameter)
duetothelowerfrequency.
Smallerdiametersatellitedishescanbeuseddueto
thehigherfrequency.Thehigherfrequencyofthe
Kubandalsomakesitmoresusceptibleto
atmosphericpropagationlossandadverseweather
conditionsthantheCband.

Applications
Publicswitchednetworks
Internettrunking
BroadcastVideo

VSAT
Ruraltelephony
Satellitenewsgathering
Videoconferencing
Multimediaapplications
BroadcastVideo
1830GHz Smallerdiametersatellitedishescanbeuseddueto HighspeedInternet
Videoconferencing
thehigherfrequency.Kabandtransmissionsare
impactedmorebyatmosphericpropagationlossand Multimediaapplications
BroadcastVideo
poorweatherconditionsthantheCbandorKu
band.
1114
GHz

Table31:TypicalCommercialCommunicationSatelliteFrequencyBands

3.2 Satellite Life Cycle

Satellitesrequireactivemaneuveringtomaintaintheirorbits.Satellitemaneuversconsumethe
satellitesonboardfuel.Asthefuelsupplyofasatellitedwindles,theoperatormustplanto
decommissionthesatellite.TheFCCrequiresthatgeostationarysatelliteslaunchedafterMarch18,
2002bedisposedofataspecificaltitude,referredtoasthegraveyardorbit.24Thisrequirementkeeps
thegeostationaryorbitclearofnonoperatingsatellites.Aftermostoftheirfuelhasbeenspent,some
geostationarysatellitesareplacedintoinclinedorbitstoprolongtheirusefullives.Wheninaninclined
orbit,thesatelliteisallowedtodriftnorthandsouth,whichrequireslessfueltomaintainthesatellite.
Sinceasatelliteinaninclinedorbitisnolongerstationary,earthbasedgroundstationsmustbeableto
trackthesatellite;therefore,satellitesininclinedorbitsaregenerallyonlyusedformilitary,aircraft,
maritime,andothercommercialapplications.25LEOcommunicationsatellitesaretypicallyeither
activelydeorbitedorallowedtohavetheirorbitdecaybeforereentryintotheatmosphere.Ifthe
satelliteislargeenoughthatitwouldnotbecompletelyconsumedduringreentry,theoperator
maneuversittoapredeterminedimpactarea.NASAsOrbitalDebrisMitigationStandardPractices
containsguidelinesforthedisposalofsatellitestolimittheamountofdebrisreleased.26

24

CFRTitle47,Part25,SubpartD,Paragraph25.283Endoflifedisposal.
http://www.intelsatgeneral.com/serviceofferings/satellitebandwidth/inclinedorbitcapacity[URLverifiedon
September22,2013]
26
http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/library/USG_OD_Standard_Practices.pdf[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
25

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4 Satellite Uses and Limitations

Withthedeliveryofservicesfromspace,thereareuniquetechnologyconcernsthatmustbeconsidered
whenevaluatingsatelliteasatelecommunicationsplatform.Theseconcernsincludecommunication
channellimitations(suchascapacitylimitations,latency,andjitter),weatherinterference,terrestrial
blockage,andsuninterference.Theindustryhasusedvarioustechniquestominimizetheimpactsof
theseimpairments.Nevertheless,manyoftheseimpairmentscannotbeovercomebecausetheyare
simplytheresultofthesatellitesdistancefromtheearth,thelawsofphysics,andotherfactorsoutside
thecontrolofthesatelliteoperator.Whilesatellitetechnologyplaysanimportantroleforcertain
applications,satellitetechnologycannotapproachthequality,capacityandutilityofterrestrialbased
technologywhenprovidingfixedlocationbroadbandservices.

4.1 Satellite Communication Impairments

4.1.1

Latency

Latencyisameasurementofthedelaythatoccursfromthetimeasignalissenttothetimewhenitis
received.Intwowaycommunicationsystems,roundtriplatencyisconsideredsinceeachendmust
sendandreceiveresponses.
Satellitesignalstravelnearthespeedoflight.Evenatthisspeed,latencyisanimpairmenttosatellite
communicationduetothelargedistancethesignalsmusttravel.Figure41showsthecalculationofthe
timeforthesatellitesignaltotravelfromagroundstationtoageostationarysatellite.Forthisexample,
itisassumedthatthesatelliteisdirectlyovertheequator,whichwouldbetheshortestdistancefroma
satellitetoagroundstation.

35,786

300,000

120

Figure41:SatelliteLatencyCalculation

Giventhatasignalmusttravelfromagroundstationtothesatelliteandback,inadditiontonormally
experiencedcommunicationsprocessingdelays,thetotaldelayforonewaycommunicationbetween
twogroundstationsisbetween250and300ms.Fortwowaycommunications,aswhenonesatellite
customercommunicateswithanothersatellitecustomer,theroundtriptimewouldtypicallybe
between500and600ms.Thisdoublehopscenarioislikelyforpeoplewhohavesatelliteastheironly
communicationsoptionbecausetheyoftenliveincloseproximitywithothersthatareservedby
satellite.Unacceptablecommunicationdelayswouldbeexperiencedwhencallinganeighbor,friend,or
localbusinessthatalsousessatelliteservice,eventhoughthetwocustomersmaybegeographically
close.Sincethislatencyisprimarilycausedbylawsofphysics,thereisnowaytoavoidit.

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10

Voiceandmanydataservicesaretimesensitive,orisochronous,innature.Becauseofthis
characteristic,interactivevoiceanddatacommunicationsaredegradedwhenutilizinggeostationary
satellites.Specifically,latencylimitssubscribersfromusingsomerealtimeapplications,VirtualPrivate
Networking(VPN)andonlineapplications(suchasGoogleDocs).27IntheFCCs2013Measuring
BroadbandinAmericareport,28performancecharacteristicswerecompared.Regardinglatencytests,
theFCCstatedthatViaSathadameasuredlatencyof638msforthisreport,approximately20times
thatfortheterrestrialaverage.29HansKruseexplainsthereasonforhighlatencyinhisreport,Satellite
ServicesforInternetAccessinRuralAreas:
atransmissionoverasatelliterequiresaboutofasecondtotravelfromthesendertothe
receiver,duetothephysicaldistancebetweenthesatelliteandearth.TCP/IPreliesona
complexsystemofqueriesandresponsestodetermineanappropriaterateatwhichtosend
data.Toofastandthetransmissionoverloadsoneormorelinksinsidethenetwork.Tooslow,
andthelinkisnotusedefficiently.Thetransmissiondelayoverasatellitelinkslowsthis
convergenceprocessdown.30

Whilethephysicsthatlimitsignalspeedcannotbealtered,technicalimprovements,suchasprotocol
accelerationandinformationcaching,reducethenumberoftimescommunicationmustoccurbetween
theearthbasedsystemsandthesatellitethusminimizingtheeffectsoflatency.Regardingthese
techniques,theFCCstated:

ViaSatandothersatelliteindustryoperatorshaveloweredoveralllatencybymaking
improvementstootherelementsoftheirarchitecture,suchasbydispensingwiththeneedto
requestcommunicationchannelassignments,adoptingadvancesinconsumersatelliteterminal
equipment,incorporatingprotocolaccelerationtechnology,anddevelopingnewerror
correctiontechnologytoprovideresiliencytorainfade.Despitethesemanyimprovements,
latencyforthisnewgeneration[of]satellitedeliveredbroadbandremainshigh.31
Asdiscussedpreviously,LEOsatelliteshavebeendeployedtohelpminimizelatencyproblems,butthis
technologyrequiresasophisticatedconstellationofsatellitesandcomplexcustomerequipment.Thus,
thistechnologyisevenmoreexpensivethangeostationarysatellites.
4.1.2

Terrestrial Blockage

Sincegeostationarysatellitesorbittheearthovertheequator,subscribersattheequatorpointtheir
satellitedishesnearlystraightuptocommunicatewiththesatellite.Asasubscribersdistancefromthe
equatorincreases,theelevationofthedishrelativetothehorizondecreases.32Therefore,the

27

http://www.rumbausa.net/downloads/rumbasatellitewppress.pdf[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
http://www.fcc.gov/measuringbroadbandamerica/2013/February
29
ViaSatprimarilyofferstheirsatelliteservicestoconsumers.
30
http://www.its.ohiou.edu/kruse/publications/Satellite%20Internet.pdf[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
31
MeasuringBroadbandinAmerica,pg.14.
32
Theangleofthedishrelativetothehorizonisreferredtoasthedishelevation.
28

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11

likelihoodofanobjectobscuringthedirectviewofasatellitealsoincreasesasthesubscribersdistance
fromtheequatorincreases,asshowninFigure42.Thus,terrestrialblockageisamoresignificantissue
inthenorthernstatesthaninthesouthernstates.

Figure42:SatelliteDishElevation

4.1.3

Weather Interference

Weathercanalsoaffectthereliabilityofsatellitecommunications.Thefrequenciesusedbysatellite
systemsaresusceptibletoweatherdegradation.Transmissionerrorscanbecausedbyheavyrainand
theaccumulationoficeorsnowondishes.33Weatherinterferenceoccursmoreseverelyinnorthern
areasoftheUnitedStateswheretherearelowerdishelevations,sincethesignalsmusttravelagreater
distancethroughtheatmospherebeforereachingthesatellite.

Tomitigateweathereffects,satelliteprovidershaveimplementedadaptivepowercontrolandmore
robustmodulationtechniques;however,weatherinterferenceproblemspersist.34Suchproblemshave
causedsomeapplicationproviderstoissuewarningstotheircustomerswhoutilizesatellitebased
broadband.Forexample,LetsGoLearn,astudentassessmentcompany,warns:35

33

http://www.its.ohiou.edu/kruse/publications/Satellite%20Internet.pdf[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
MitigatingtheEffectofWeatheronKabandHighCapacitySatellites,JimPetravonivich,March,2012pg.8.
35
http://www.letsgolearn.com/lglsite/support_read/known_issues_with_satellite_internet/[URLverifiedon
34

September22,2013]

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12

Figure43:CustomerSupportWarning

4.1.4

Sun Interference

Twiceayearthesuncrossesbehindeachgeostationarysatelliteasitisviewedfromthegroundstation.
Duringtheseperiodsinthespringandfall,thealignmentofthermalnoisefromthesunwiththesatellite
signalscausesatemporarylossofsignal.Thedurationoftheoutagedependsonthesatelliteground
stationlocation,satelliteorbitallocation,sizeoftheantenna,andthesignalfrequency.36Manypublicly
availablecalculatorspredictsolaroutages.Figure44showsanexamplesolaroutagepredictionfor
Minneapolis,MinnesotawiththeViaSat1satellite,Kufrequencyband,anda30inchdishforaweek
duringOctober.37

36

http://www.intelsat.com/tools-resources/satellite-basics/satellite-sun-interference/[URLverifiedonSeptember22,
2013]

37

Predictionwasperformedwiththiscalculator:http://www.satellitecalculations.com/Satellite/suninterference.php[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]

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13

Figure44:ExampleSunOutagePrediction

Thecalculatorpredictsthatseveraldayswillhaveoutagesexceedingtenminutesinduration.Asuser
antennasbecomesmaller,outagesnormallybecomelonger.Outageslasting15minutesorlongerina
singledayarecommon.Thesesolaroutagesmakegeostationarysatellitesapoorchoiceformostdata
thatrequiresextremelyhighavailabilityandreliability.Theseoutagesalsoareproblematicfor
subscriberswhoneedtodial911orotheremergencyservices.

4.2 Voice over Satellite Concerns

TheuseofsatellitecommunicationsforvoiceservicescreatesQualityofService(QoS)challenges.There
arebothquantitativeandqualitativeparametersthatcanbeevaluatedforsatellitebasedvoice
services.
4.2.1

Quantitative QoS Metrics

Packetloss,trafficprioritization,compressiontechnologiesandbandwidthallcontributetotheoverall
qualityofasatelliteInternetProtocol(IP)call.TheprimaryQoSmeasurementsarelatencyandjitter,of

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whichlatencyistheprimarybarriertoqualitysatellitebasedvoicecommunications.Regardingthe
impactlatencyhasonusersexperience,theFCCstatedinOBITechnicalPaperNo.1(OBINo.1):38

latencyassociatedwithsatellitewouldaffecttheperceivedperformanceofapplications
requiringrealtimeuserinput,suchasVoIPandinteractivegaming.Notonlydoesthisdelay
haveapotentiallynoticeableeffectonapplicationslikeVoIP,butitwouldalsobedoubledin
caseswherebothuserswereusingsatellitebroadband(e.g.,iftwoneighbors,bothservedby
satelliteVOIP,talkedonthetelephone).Giventhatmostvoicecallsarelocal,thiscouldbecome
asignificantissueforruralareasifallcallsmustbecompletedoversatellitebroadband.

ITUTRecommendationG.114specifiesamaximumroundtriplatencythresholdof300msfor
acceptablevoiceservices.AsshowninSection4.1.1,theroundtriplatencyforsatellitesignalsis
between500and600mstwicetheallowablethreshold.Withthisleveloflatency,thequalityof
serviceleadstoapooruserexperience,asdiscussedbelow.
Packetlossorpacketcorruptionalsocausesdegradationofvoicequality.Therefore,ifpacketsarelost
duetocongestion,weatherinterference,orotherissues,thevoicequalitywillsuffergreatly.Becauseof
satellitesusceptibilitytotheseissues,theuseofsatelliteasareplacementfortraditionallandline
service(orterrestrialwireless)forvoicecommunicationsisnotdesirable,especiallywhentheservice
involves911andothercriticalservices.
4.2.2

Qualitative QoS Measurements

Ultimately,subscribersperceptionoftheservicewillbelargelydrivenbytheirexperiences.For
example,wasthecallprompt,clear,andhasslefree?Theperceptionofqualitycanbemeasuredusinga
subjectiveratingcalledtheMeanOpinionScore(MOS).Likemoststandards,thisstandardis
interpreteddifferentlywithinthevendorcommunity.39Nevertheless,MOSscoresaregenerally
categorizedanddefinedinITUTRecommendationP.800asdepictedinTable41.
MOS
5
4
3
2
1

Quality
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Bad

Impairment
Imperceptible
Perceptible,butnotAnnoying
SlightlyAnnoying
Annoying
VeryAnnoying

Table41:MOSScoreDefinition

38

http://download.broadband.gov/plan/thebroadbandavailabilitygapobitechnicalpaperno1chapter4
networkeconomics.pdf[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
39
ITUTRecommendationP.800definestheenvironmentthatapersonwouldusetolistenandscoreavoicecall.
Sinceitisdifficulttoactuallymeasure(andscore)asubjectivemeasureofquality,theITUTreleasedanew
specificationPESQP.862asthestandardtocalculateandscorevoicequality.

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ThestandardforcomparisonisthetraditionalwiredlandlineTDMvoicecircuit.Generally,aMOSscore
forTDMvoicecallsaverageabove4.0,40whilesatellitecallshavemuchlowerscores.PhonePower,a
VoIPserviceprovider,hasperformedananalysisofMOSandotherparametersthataffectvoicequality
overvariousnetworks.41PhonePowersanalysisshowssatelliteVoIPprovidershaveMOSscoresbelow
1.5.Regardingthisresult,PhonePowerstatesthatthisreinforceswhatmostofusknew;whichis
satelliteandindirectwirelessconnectionsarelesscapableofproducingusableVoIPquality.Asshown
inFigure45,satelliteproviders,suchasHughesNetworkSystemsandWildBlueCommunications,have
VoIPserviceclassifiedasVeryAnnoyingusingtheMOSscale.42
4.2.3

Satellite Voice Customer Premises Equipment

SatellitevoiceCustomerPremisesEquipment(CPE)hasmadegreatstridesoverthelastdecade.Earlier
satellitephonemodelswerelarge,briefcasesizedconsoles,whilenewermodelsaremuchsmaller.
Evenso,atypicalsatellitephoneinusetodayisapproximatelytwicetheweightandfivetimesasthick
asaniPhone.Unlikesmartphones,satellitephonestodaydonotsupportInternetAccessorotherdata
plans.Moreover,thecostofasatellitephonetypicallyrangesfrom$499to$899dependingupon
batterylife,sizeandotherfactors.

40
41

MostTDMscoresareintherangeof4.1to4.3.
http://www.phonepower.com/blog/2011/11/01/theinternetthroughphonepowercoloredglasses/[URL
verifiedonSeptember22,2013]

42

WildBlueCommunicationsandHughesNetworkSystemshaveMOSscoresof1.

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Analysis of Satellite-Based Telecommunications and Broadband Services

Figure45:MOSScoresforVariousServiceProviders43

43

http://www.phonepower.com/blog/2011/11/01/the-internet-through-phone-power-colored-glasses/ [URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]Note:Tomakethe
informationmoreviewable,onlyaportionoftheoverallgraphisshowninthefigure.

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Analysis of Satellite-Based Telecommunications and Broadband Services

4.3 Broadband over Satellite Concerns

Satellitecapacitylimitationsremainaconstraintonbroadbanddeployment.Sincebothorbitalslotsand
additionalspectrumarescarcecommodities,satellitemanufacturershavestartedtousespotbeamsas
aformofspatialdiversity.RatherthanonelargeCONUSbeam,coveringthecontinentalUnitedStates,
spotbeamsaretargetedtospecificcoverageareas.Spotbeamsenablelargescalefrequencyreuse,44
whichallowssubscriberstobeservedmoreefficientlyanddirectscapacitytowhereitisneededmost.
Figure46comparesCONUSbeamcoveragewithspotbeamcoverage.45

Figure46:SpotBeam

ViaSatstatesthatitslatestgenerationsatellite,ViaSat1,hasathroughputcapacityof134Gbps.46The
ViaSat2satellite,scheduledforlaunchin2016,isthoughttoutilizegroundbasedbeamforming(GBBF)
technology.47ViaSatclaimsthataGBBFsystemcancoordinateandprocessupto500beamsatonce.
ViaSatidentifiesthefollowingbenefitsofaGBBFsystem:

Fasterandlowercostsatellitedeploymentbecausetheprocessingisontheground,ratherthan
partofthesatellitebus;
Abilitytocoordinatefrequencyuseandremoveinterferenceformassnumbersofsubscribers;
and

44

MitigatingtheEffectofWeatheronKabandHighCapacitySatellites,JimPetravonivich,March,2012pg.1.
http://www.satelliteone.com/supportfiles/Spot_Beam_Short.pdf[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
46
ViaSatclaimsthatViaSat1isthehighestcapacitysatelliteintheworld.
47
http://www.satellitetoday.com/telecom/2013/05/17/boeingsurprisewinnerofviasat2deal/[URLverifiedon
September22,2013]
45

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Refocusingofsatellitecapacitytotheareasofgreatestneed.48

TheseadvancementsarereportedtoallowViaSat2todoublethethroughputcapacityofViaSat1,but
theseadvancementsareexpensive.TheViaSat2satelliteisanticipatedtocostapproximately$625
million,approximately25percentmorethanViaSat1.49

WithitsnewViaSat1satellite,ViaSatbelievesitwillbeabletooffer12Mbpsdownloadserviceto
approximatelyonemillionsubscribers.50Iftheonemillionsubscribersattemptedtoaccessthesatellite
atthesametime,eachsubscribercouldreceiveonly134Kbps.Sinceonly134Gbpsisavailableonthe
entiresatellite,offering12Mbpstoonemillionsubscribersresultsinanoversubscriptionratioof
approximately90:1.51Inotherwords,thetotalcapacitysoldtothecustomersis90timesmorethan
whatisavailableonthesatellite.Unlesssatellitecustomersbroadbandconsumptionissignificantly
restricted,anoversubscriptionratioof90:1wouldcauseperformanceissues.Forexample,lessthan
threepercentoftheonemillionhouseholdscouldwatchasingleNetflixHDmoviebeforetheentire
satellitecapacityisexhausted.52

Tomaximizethenumberofservedsubscribers,mostsatellitebroadbandpackageshavemonthly
bandwidthcapacitylimits.53Dataintensiveapplications,suchasstreamingcontent,onlinebackups,
videoconferencinganddownloadingoflargefiles,cancausesubscriberstoquicklyexceedthese
monthlycapacitylimits.Otherapplicationsthatareextremelydataintensive,suchastelepresenceand
somemedicalandeducationalapplicationsarenotevenpractical.TheFCCinOBINo.1analyzedthe
satelliteindustryscapacitytoprovidebroadbandservices.TheFCCevaluatedthebusyhouroffered
load(BHOL)ofthenetworkandestimatedthatwithamediumusagecasethesatelliteindustry
couldsupportapproximatelyonemillionsubscribersby2015.Concerningthisresult,theFCCstated:

GiventhatthesatelliteindustryintheUnitedStatescurrentlysupportsroughly900,000
subscribers,thispresentsapotentialdifficultyinmeetingtheneedsoftheindustryscurrent
subscriberbase,plusnewnetadditions.Ifsatellitebroadbandisofferedatalevelofservice
comparabletothatofterrestrialbroadbandunderthemediumusagecaseandBHOLgrowth
continues,satelliteproviderswillneedtodevotesignificantincrementalcapacitytotheir
existingcustomerbase.

48

http://www.viasat.com/advancedtechnology/comsatlabstechnologyandproductdevelopment[URLverifiedon
September22,2013]
49
http://www.spacenews.com/article/satellitetelecom/35369viasat2sfirstofitskinddesignwillenablebroad
geographicreach[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]
50
http://www.viasat.com/broadbandsatellitenetworks/highcapacitysatellitesystem[URLverifiedonSeptember
22,2013]
51
Selling12MbpstoonemillionsubscribersmeansthatViaSatwouldbesellingatotalof12Tbps.
52

53

Netflixrecommends5MbpsbroadbandforanHDmovieasshowontheirsupportwebsiteat:
https://support.netflix.com/en/node/306[URLverifiedonSeptember26,2013]
Forexample,WildBluesbandwidthcapacitypolicy:http://www.wildblue.com/customers/dataallowancepolicy
[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]

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EventhoughtheFCCrecognizedthedifficultyofsatellitesmeetingsubscriberbroadbandneeds,this
difficultyisunderestimated.WhiletheauthorsoftheOBINo.1notethatanaverageBHOLof444Kbps
wouldberequiredforuserstoachieveburstspeedsof4Mbps.54Insteadofdesigninganetwork
capableofaccommodating444kbps,theFCCassumedaBHOLof160kbpsbecauseserviceproviders
canusemanagementtechniquestomitigatetheimpactofheavyusers.55Tomakethisassumption,the
usageoftheheaviesttenpercentofuserswasdisregarded,eventhoughtheseheavyusersusage
represents65percentofthenetworkload.56Whilemanagementtechniquescanmitigatetheimpactof
heavyusers,reducingtheassumedBHOLpercentto160kbpswouldsignificantlyreducetheprobability
ofacustomerachieving4/1Mbpsbroadband.Removingtheheaviestusersundertheassumptionthat
theirtrafficwillbethrottledrunscountertothegoalofprovidingquality,ubiquitousbroadbandservice.

EventhoughaBHOLof160Kbpsisinsufficienttoprovide4/1Mbpsbroadband,satelliteproviders
typicallydeliveramuchlowerservicestandard.TheOBINo.1notesthatoldersatellitesofferaBHOLof
betweenfiveandtenKbpsandnewerhighcapacitysatellitesareprovisionedforaBHOLofbetween30
and50Kbps.57ABHOLof50KbpsisthreetimeslessthantheFCCsBHOLestimateof160Kbpsandnine
timeslessthanthe444KbpsBHOLrequiredfor4/1Mbpsserviceiftheheaviestusersarenotomittedor
severelythrottled.

InadditiontounderestimatingtheassumedBHOL,theOBINo.1didnotappeartoconsidertheimpact
ofthecommunicationscontentionalgorithmsutilizedbymostsatelliteproviders.Contention
algorithmsdefinehowthesatellitetransmittersrespondwhentwouserstransmitatthesametime.
ManysatellitesystemsutilizeALOHAorSlottedALOHAtohandlecontention.Thebasicpremiseof
ALOHAisthatifadatacollisionoccurs,senderswillwaitarandomamountoftimebeforeresending.
Butasmoreusersareaddedtothenetwork,theprocessbecomeslessefficientandthroughput
decreases.SlottedALOHAimprovedtheprocessbydefiningspecifictimeslotsthatdataretransmission
canbeattempted.Figure47showshowthenetworkthroughputdecreasesasthenumberof
subscribersincreases.58Thecontentionalgorithmsandprotocolsusedbythenewersatellitesarenot
readilyavailable.Sincetheseprotocolscouldresultinasatellitesactualcapacitybeingsignificantly
lowerthanthesatellitesadvertisedcapacity,theFCCshouldinvestigatetheactualsatellitecapacity
whenthecontentionalgorithmsandprotocoloverheadsareconsidered.

54

OBINo.1,Exhibit4BS,p.113.
Id.,p.111.
56
Id.,p.111.
57
Id.,p.91.
58
WildBlueplacedamoratoriumonnewserviceinstallations.Thismoratoriumwaslikelytheresultofcapacity
issues.
55

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Figure47:ALOHAProtocolCapacityversusTrafficLoad59

4.4 Terrestrial and Celestial Broadband Comparison

Asdescribedinprevioussectionsofthisreport,satellitebasedcommunicationnetworkshave
significantlimitationsascomparedtowirelinecommunicationsnetworks.SinceFTTPnetworksdonot
sufferfrommanyoftheimpairmentsexperiencedbysatellitenetworks,suchasweathereffects,solar
outages,andhighlatency,themixoffeaturesandservicesavailableonaFTTPnetwork(voice,video,
andbroadbanddata)ismorerobust.Table42comparesthesetechnologies.
Technology

Latency

Satellite

FTTP

WeatherInterference

Veryhigh,makingmanyreal
timeapplicationsunusable

Negligible

BandwidthCapacity
Limitations

Susceptibletoweather
interference,especially
higherfrequencybands
(whicharebeingusedby
newhighercapacity
satellites)

Sharedbandwidthonthe
satelliteplatform.Limitson
thenumberofsatellitesthat
canbeplacedinorbitalslots.

ServiceUnaffected

VirtuallyNone

Table42:ServiceOfferingLimitationsComparison

59

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aloha_PureVsSlotted.svg[URLverifiedonSeptember22,2013]

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FTTPnetworkarchitecturesprovidemuchgreaterbandwidthpercustomerthansatellitetechnology.
Forexample,GigabitCapablePassiveOpticalNetwork(GPON)isacommonlydeployedFTTP
technology.GPONcanprovide2.5Gbpsofcapacitytoeachgroupingofupto32customers,ormore
than70Mbpspercustomer.Thus,GPONcanprovide500timesmorecapacitythanthe134Kbpsper
customercalculatedearlierfortheViaSat1satellite.ThenextgenerationofFTTPelectronics,being
standardizedasNGPON2willhaveacapacityof40Gbps,or1.25Gbpspercustomerassumingall
customerssharethecapacityequally.60Additionally,ActiveEthernettechnologyhasincreasingly
becomeaneconomicalsolutionandisbecomingmorewidelydeployedinfibernetworks.WithActive
Ethernetsolutions,1Gbpssymmetricalserviceispossiblepercustomer.Eventhoughrecentadvances
haveincreasedsatellitecapacity,thecapacityavailabletoacustomerusingsatellitebroadband
technologiesismuchsmallerthanwhatisavailableoverasinglefiber.Regardless,sharedcapacity
systems,suchassatellites,arenotwellsuitedforconstantbitratetraffic,suchasvideo,thatis
prevalentontodaysnetworks.

60

NGPON2isexpectedtobegenerallyavailablein2015.

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AbouttheAuthors
LarryThompsonisalicensedProfessionalEngineerandCEOofVantagePointSolutions.Larryhasa
PhysicsdegreefromWilliamJewellCollegeandaBachelorsandMastersdegreeinElectrical
EngineeringfromtheUniversityofKansas.Hehasbeenworkinginthetelecommunicationsindustryfor
morethan25years,whichhasincludedbothsatelliteandgroundstationdesignandengineeringinthe
1to30GHzrange.LarrywasontheengineeringteamfortheTrackingandDataRelaySatelliteSystem
(TDRSS),GeostationaryEnvironmentalOrbitalSatellite(GOES)groundstation,TStar,andothersatellite
systems.Larryhashelpedhundredsofruraltelecommunicationcompaniesbesuccessfulinthisrapidly
changingtechnicalandregulatoryenvironment.Hehasdesignedmanywirelessandwirelinenetworks
asheasassistedhisclientsintheirtransitionfromlegacyTDMnetworkstobroadbandIPnetworks.
BrianEngaisalicensedProfessionalEngineerandpartoftheSeniorEngineeringteamatVantagePoint
Solutions.BrianhasaBachelorsofSciencedegreesinElectricalEngineeringandEngineeringPhysics
fromSouthDakotaStateUniversity.Hehasbeenworkinginthetelecommunicationsindustryformore
than15years.Brianhasengineeredavarietyoflandlineandwirelessnetworksandhasbeenapioneer
indeployingIPvideonetworks.

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