The future of narrowband mobile satellite services
Jennifer A. Manner, Senior Vice President, EchoStar
Innovative technology and standards are finally coming together to enable a global ecosystem of satellite-enabled 5G narrowband mobile-satellite services (MSS).
Today, mobile satellite service systems can transmit to and receive from consumer electronic devices, while offering transparency to the user. These devices include Apple and Android, as well as small Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that also support terrestrial-wireless services.
The existing mobile satellite service spectrum can support all those services. As standards are implemented, as devices go to market, and as users recognize the benefits of mobile-satellite service capability, however, demand for it will grow.
This warrants the allocation of additional spectrum for mobile-satellite services.
ITU studies and potential new allocations
Studies by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ahead of the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC‑23) have considered possible new spectrum allocations for mobile-satellite services in several frequency bands between 1695 megahertz (MHz) and 3400 MHz.
At the previous conference four years ago, Resolution 248 (WRC‑19) invited the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU–R) to conduct “studies relating to spectrum needs and potential new allocations to the mobile-satellite service in the frequency bands 1695–1710 MHz, 2010–2025 MHz, 3300–3315 MHz and 3385–3400 MHz for future development of narrowband mobile-satellite systems” while ensuring the protection of existing primary services in those bands and adjacent frequency bands.
Such studies were limited to non-geostationary satellites for mobile-satellite services operating low data rate systems.
Ambiguity leading to inconclusive studies
As the Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) text for WRC‑23 notes, Resolution 248 (WRC‑19) is ambiguous regarding the appropriate technical and operational characteristics of narrowband mobile-satellite services.
With this ambiguity still unresolved, studies were not concluded either on the spectrum needs for those services or on potential sharing and compatibility with existing primary services. Consequently, suitable new allocations were not determined for low data-rate or narrowband applications.
Nor can the key discussion at WRC‑23, under agenda item 1.18, produce new allocations for future development of narrowband mobile-satellite systems.
The preparatory meeting identified three ways to satisfy agenda item 1.18:
- Suppressing Resolution 248
- Revising Resolution 248
- Allocating the 2010–2025 MHz frequency band to mobile-satellite services in ITU–R Region 1 (consisting of Africa, Europe and parts of Asia) despite the lack of studies, either for narrowband mobile-satellite services in Region 1 or for conventional mobile-satellite services — with the latter option also requiring the suppression of Resolution 248.
A future agenda item to meet high demand
Whichever way agenda item 1.18 is addressed, WRC‑23 will likely have to consider an agenda item for the next conference to allocate spectrum for mobile-satellite services.
Demand continues growing, not only for established services like Internet of Things, but also new and innovative ones, such as direct-to-device, that are already proliferating in discussions among standards bodies. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), for example, now allows satellite services to be included in its non‑terrestrial network (NTN) standards.
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Header image credit: Adobe Stock
