The Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) was initially established as the Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) after broadcasters pushed the satellite operators to resolve interference. Since then we have had several important initiatives that have collectively brought the discussion to the table and ultimately enabled operators to identify and resolve RFI much more quickly than was possible before.
Over the years, RFI has moved from being the industry’s primary challenge to being one that was largely managed. However, the industry has changed dramatically since then. While we have a range of tools and processes available to monitor and identify interference, the RF environment itself has become much more complex, potentially making RFI more prevalent and perhaps even more difficult to resolve.
New industry challenges
The spectrum has become increasingly congested as the number of active satellites in orbit has surged. This increased density creates a greater risk of errors that could potentially result in RF interference and also demands better spectrum management and coordination. However, this creates a further challenge because the existing regulatory framework for managing the spectrum was not designed to meet the demands of today’s users.
At the same time as orbits have become more congested, both the ground and space layer has moved from being largely static and easy to predict, to being both operationally and technically complex, as well as highly dynamic. With so many moving parts, there’s naturally greater potential for errors. Poor quality equipment and a lack of standardisation around new style antennas further exacerbates this problem.
The industry is also in the process of moving to a multi-orbit environment, with ground equipment needing to move between satellites operating in LEO, MEO and GEO, as well as different frequency bands. This creates a number of complexities, from the additional capabilities that ground equipment supporting multi-orbit networks needs to provide, to the unknowns about the impact of RFI between orbits.
Although satellite operators have become adept at collaborating between themselves to resolve interference, the commercialisation of space has made this more challenging because the number of players in satcom has moved from just a handful of satellite operators to a large number of commercial companies and startups operating from every part of the globe. This creates a challenge because if lines of communication aren’t already open and established with nominated contacts, it’s difficult to resolve interference quickly.
Managing RFI in the current environment
Given all of these new complexities, what can we do to ensure we stay on top of RFI, and what new innovations are needed to handle interference as the space environment continues to evolve?
From spectrum analysers to software and algorithms that enable detection, characterisation and geolocation of interference, the tools available to operators that allow interference to be monitored and identified have improved significantly in recent years. That said, given all of the forementioned complexities now facing satcom, there’s little doubt that existing tools will need to improve further. In an ideal world, operators will be able to detect potential interference before it even happens, and then in the event that it does occur, they will need even more advanced tools that can identify the source and resolve it faster than is currently possible.
There are signs that AI may well be part of the solution, enabling more accurate and rapid detection, classification and cancellation of interference. This is a major growth area as is evident from the number of new technology announcements and demonstrations seen over the last year.
Even with the best tools in the world, cross-operator cooperation remains essential. Traditional operators are well practised at collaborating between themselves to resolve interference quickly and efficiently, and there are tried and tested processes in to facilitate this. There is however, still a need to improve cooperation and collaboration between all active space users.
Staying ahead of the curve
What better place to bring the industry together to discuss these issues than at the forthcoming Space Tech Expo in Bremen, Germany.
SIG is holding a workshop on day 2 of the event (Wednesday 18th November) about how we as an industry can continue to effectively manage radio frequency interference in this evolving environment.
This session will gather experts at the front end of dealing with RFI to share experiences, as well as discussing what new innovations are needed to handle RFI as the space environment continues to evolve. This session is open to all but will be especially relevant to both operators dealing with RFI and vendors creating solutions to solve it.
The workshop will take place at 15:30 at Salon LONDON, Congress Center Bremen (CCB). The room is located upstairs, adjoining Hall 4.1. Seating will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, in order of arrival.
If you’re not a member of SIG, but interested in what SIG members have to say on RFI, come along to find out more. You can also find out more about SIG and become a member here: https://satig.space/membership/