[Satellite TODAY Insider 06-14-11] STM Norway, a division of STM Group, completed the first demonstration of DVB-RCS2 — the second generation of the DVB-RCS standard — at a June 7 demonstration attended by representatives of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Norwegian Space Center.
STM announced June 13 that the demonstration showed DVB-RCS2 capable of yielding bandwidth efficiencies up to 2.9 bps/Hz on TDMA carriers and offering “excellent” return link availability with adaptive coding and modulation (ACM). The DVB-RCS2 standard was published by the DVB organization in March. Both the specification and implementation were the culmination of a three-year project in which STM Norway was the key technology contributor under contract to ESA.
“There are significant gains in the average throughput per VSAT with SatLink’s higher symbol rate support and much higher capacity carrier groups with fast dynamic bandwidth sharing via frequency hopping. Total efficiency gains with RCS2 can be as large as 300 percent on TDMA carriers compared with legacy VSAT networks,” STM officials said in a company statement.
DVB- RCS2 is natively developed for IP services and is specified for interactive satellite services in several market segments. The specifications “Second Generation DVB Interactive Satellite Services” will be submitted to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) for formal standardization.
DVB claims that the RCS2 provides the only open multi-vendor platform for interactive services and support for IP version 6 (IPv6). The forward channel for DVB- RCS2 is based on the DVB-S2 specification. The return channel aims to offer both a highly spectrum efficient linear ACM scheme, as well as a continuous-phase modulation alternative that enables the use of lower-cost terminals.
“This new specification is the result of extensive collaborative efforts from key players in TM-RCS. DVB-RCS2 forms the most flexible basis for modern interactive satellite services in these times when the industry increasingly turns to open standards,” DVB Executive Director Peter Siebert said.
The STM demonstration follows Inmarsat and Thrane & Thrane’s completed trials of Inmarsat’s IPv6 services across the BGAN network on June 10. Inmarsat also completed an initial study on the feasibility of supporting IPv6 services across the BGAN network, which delivers mobile broadband services for use on land, at sea and in the air. ESA and the United Kingdom’s Technology Strategy Board supported the study.
“We see an increasing interest in IPv6 from government organizations. These tests illustrate that the Explorer series is already prepared to support our key customers’ future requirements,” Thrane & Thrane Land Mobile Vice President Henrik Noerrelykke said in a statement.
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