BT Invention Will Compress High Bandwidth Data to Boost Satellite Capacity
Citing a predicted doubling of global demand for satellite-based Internet circuits the next 5 years, British Telecom (BT) said recently it was developing new technology aimed at tripling the capacity of existing satellite communication links. The system is designed for use over large-scale satellite links which carry high bandwidth data, including ISP backbone connections, videolinks and corporate use, and military satellite communications. BT is looking for a satellite modem manufacturer to collaborate with, a spokesman said.
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The technology, which BT said it came up with, relies on a modulation scheme with principles akin to those used in signals transmitted by GSM phones, officials said. Its innovation lies in the design of the detection mechanism in the demodulator, which is based on symbol pattern recognition, BT said. It’s similar to technologies that require only part of the data to be sent because the receiver fills in the rest -- or, in videoconferencing, where only the parts of a picture that move are transmitted, while the static parts are refreshed only every 15 sec. or so, the BT spokesman said.
No launch date has been set. If the technology is a genuine breakthrough, “it could improve satellite competitiveness globally overnight” by effectively tripling the value of a satellite aloft, said an analyst at Rethink Research, a London-based publishing and consulting firm. The key, he said, will be the price at which ground stations can be made to harness the technology. Moreover, he said, with all the satellite capacity in existence, “the reality is that no satellite builder expects any new orders to be placed in the next 5 years.” The only thing that could spur the technology is a breakthrough such as BT claims, he said.
BT is also working on technology to deliver data to “small dish” services such as home-based satellite TV, it said.