US Department of Defense picks SpaceCom

Israel-based satellite communications provider SpaceCom announced today that it has been awarded contracts by DRS Technical Services Inc., to deliver satellite communications services to the US Department of Defense. The DoD will be receiving satellite communications capabilities via SpaceCom’s Amos-5 C band capacity, and Amos-3 for ku band capacity.

 

According to the Department of Defense, the satellite communications services will be used by soldiers being trained in Europe for their military operations in the Middle East. DRS will be integrating the camp communications services, including those backhauled to satellites over teleports. DRS has been providing the necessary fixed satellite service bandwidth to on the ground military personnel through its comprehensive platform. The new contract supports a range of communications services - mobile user terminals, telephony, and video applications - used by members of the US Armed Forces.

 

You might also be interested in:

• Adelaide teleport used for mission critical communications in the Middle East

The truth about Ka Band?

Is Ka band really the logical step forward? And is it truly any better than the Ku band frequency?

 

Well, a study by a team from Panasonic Avionics Corporation, revealed that the difference between the two bands isn’t based on the size of the frequence rather in the use of spot beam size. At present, Ku band has been the preferred choice when it comes to Fixed Satellite Service or FSS. Many operators lease satellite bandwidth in Ku. But with the C band and Ku band heading towards saturation, operators are now turning towards Ka band and offering them for its high-throughput qualities.

 

Based on the study, however, Ka band succeeded in offering higher capacity because of its use of spot beams and not because of the frequency of operation. Ka band has delivered more because of custom-designed satellites and its use of multiple spot beams. According to the report from Panasonic, the Ku band can equal and even exceed Ka Band using similarly sized spot beams.

 

The study, however, was a report to correct the wrong notion of the frequency bands used in the satellite industry today rather than pinpoint which frequency is better. Many operators are utilizing Ka, Ku, and C-band altogether, and over the years, its been crucial for the growth of the industry to optimize the use of all frequency bands for continued success.

 

You might also be interested in:

• Satellite Internet
• Yahsat and Cisco team-up for powerful satellite services