Satellite Communications

A80452-
Satellite Communication
Unit-III: Propagation Effects
& Multiple Access
Overview

 Capacity Allocation

 Multiple Access

Techniques
(FDMA,TDMA, DAMA,CDMA)
Capacity Allocation
 FDMA
 FAMA-FDMA
 DAMA-FDMA
 TDMA
 Advantages over FDMA
FDMA
 Satellite frequency is broken into bands, and is further broken into
smaller channels in Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA).
 Overall bandwidth within a frequency band is increased due to
frequency reuse (a frequency is used by two carriers with
orthogonal polarization).
 The number of sub-channels is limited by three factors:
 Thermal noise (too weak a signal will be effected by
background noise).
 Intermodulation noise (too strong a signal will cause noise).
 Crosstalk (cause by excessive frequency reusing).
FDMA (cont.)
FDMA can be performed in two ways:
 Fixed-assignment multiple access (FAMA):
The sub-channel assignments are of a fixed
allotment. Ideal for broadcast satellite
communication.
 Demand-assignment multiple access
(DAMA): The sub-channel allotment
changes based on demand. Ideal for point to
point communication.
TDMA
 TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) breaks a transmission into
multiple time slots, each one dedicated to a different transmitter.
 TDMA is increasingly becoming more widespread in satellite
communication.
 TDMA uses the same techniques (FAMA and DAMA) as FDMA
does.
Advantages of TDMA over FDMA:
 Digital equipment used in time division multiplexing is
increasingly becoming cheaper.
 There are advantages in digital transmission techniques.
Ex: error correction.
 Lack of intermodulation noise means increased efficiency.
Multiple Access System
 Applications employ multiple-access systems to allow two or more
Earth stations to simultaneously share the resources of the same
transponder or frequency channel.
 These include the three familiar methods:
 FDMA,
 TDMA, and
 CDMA.
 Another multiple access system called space division multiple access
(SDMA) has been suggested in the past. In practice, SDMA is not
really a multiple access method but rather a technique to reuse
frequency spectrum through multiple spot beams on the satellite.
 Because every satellite provides some form of frequency reuse
(cross-polarization being included), SDMA is an inherent feature in all
applications.
Multiple Access System

 TDMA and FDMA require a degree of coordination among users:

 FDMA users cannot transmit on the same frequency and
 TDMA users can transmit on the same frequency but not at the
same time.
 Capacity in either case can be calculated based on the total
bandwidth and power available within the transponder or slice of a
transponder.
 CDMA is unique in that multiple users transmit on the same
frequency at the same time (and in the same beam or polarization).
 This is allowed because the transmissions use a different code
either in terms of high-speed spreading sequence or frequency
hopping sequence.
Multiple Access System
 The capacity of a CDMA network is not unlimited, however,
because at some point the channel becomes overloaded by self-
interference from the multiple users who occupy it.
 Furthermore, power level control is critical because a given CDMA
carrier that is elevated in power will raise the noise level for all
others carriers by a like amount.
 Multiple access is always required in networks that involve two-way
communications among multiple Earth stations.
 The selection of the particular method depends heavily on the
specific communication requirements, the types of Earth stations
employed, and the experience base of the provider of the
technology.
 All three methods are now used for digital communications because
this is the basis of a majority of satellite networks.
Multiple Access System

 The digital form of a signal is easier to transmit and is less

susceptible to the degrading effects of the noise, distortion from
amplifiers and filters, and interference.
 Once in digital form, the information can be compressed to reduce
the bit rate, and FEC is usually provided to reduce the required
carrier power even further.
 The specific details of multiple access, modulation, and coding are
often preselected as part of the application system and the
equipment available on a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) basis.
 The only significant analog application at this time is the transmission
of cable TV and broadcast TV.
 These networks are undergoing a slow conversion to digital as well,
which may in fact be complete within a few years.
FDMA

 Nearly every terrestrial or satellite radio communications system employs

some form of FDMA to divide up the available spectrum.
 The areas where it has the strongest hold are in single channel per carrier
(SCPC), intermediate data rate (IDR) links, voice telephone systems, VSAT
data networks, and some video networking schemes.
 Any of these networks can operate alongside other networks within the
same transponder.
 Users need only acquire the amount of bandwidth and power that they
require to provide the needed connectivity and throughput.
 Also, equipment operation is simplified since no coordination is needed
other than assuring that each Earth station remains on its assigned
frequency and that power levels are properly regulated.
 However, inter-modulation distortion (IMD) present with multiple carriers in
the same amplifier must be assessed and managed as well.
FDMA
 The satellite operator divides up the power and bandwidth of the transponder
and sells off the capacity in attractively priced segments.
 Users pay for only the amount that they need. If the requirements increase,
additional FDMA channels can be purchased.
 The IMD that FDMA produces within a transponder must be accounted for in the
link budget; otherwise, service quality and capacity will degrade rapidly as users
attempt to compensate by increasing uplink power further.
 The big advantage, however, is that each Earth station has its own independent
frequency on which to operate.
 A bandwidth segment can be assigned to a particular network of users, who
subdivide the spectrum further based on individual needs.
 Another feature, is to assign carrier frequencies when they are needed to satisfy
a traffic requirement. This is the general class of demand assigned networks,
also called demand-assigned multiple access (DAMA).
 In general, DAMA can be applied to all three multiple access schemes
previously described; however, the term is most often associated with FDMA.
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 TDMA is a truly digital technology, requiring that all information be

converted into bit streams or data packets before transmission to the
satellite. (An analog form of TDMA is technically feasible but never
reached the market due to the rapid acceptance of the digital form.)
 Contrary to most other communication technologies, TDMA started
out as a high-speed system for large Earth stations.
 Systems that provided a total throughput of 60 to 250 Mbps were
developed and fielded over the past 25 years.
 However, it is the low-rate TDMA systems, operating at less than 10
Mbps, which provide the foundation of most VSAT networks.
 As the cost and size of digital electronics came down, it became
practical to build a TDMA Earth station into a compact package.
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 Lower speed means that less power and bandwidth need to be acquired (e.g., a
fraction of a transponder will suffice) with the following benefits:
 The uplink power from small terminals is reduced, saving on the cost of
transmitters.
 The network capacity and quantity of equipment can grow incrementally, as
demand grows.
 TDMA signals are restricted to assigned time slots and therefore must be transmitted
in bursts.
 The time frame is periodic, allowing stations to transfer a continuous stream of
information on average.
 Reference timing for start-of-frame is needed to synchronize the network and provide
control and coordination information.
 This can be provided either as an initial burst transmitted by a reference Earth
station, or on a continuous basis from a central hub.
 The Earth station equipment takes one or more continuous streams of data, stores
them in a buffer memory, and then transfers the output toward the satellite in a burst
at a higher compression speed.
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 At the receiving Earth station, bursts from Earth stations

are received in sequence, selected for recovery if
addressed for this station, and then spread back out in
time in an output expansion buffer.
 It is vital that all bursts be synchronized to prevent
overlap at the satellite; this is accomplished either with
the synchronization burst (as shown) or externally using
a separate carrier.
 Individual time slots may be pre-assigned to particular
stations or provided as a reservation, with both actions
under control by a master station.
 For traffic that requires consistent or constant timing
(e.g., voice and TV), the time slots repeat at a constant
rate.
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 Computer data and other forms of packetized

information can use dynamic assignment of bursts in
a scheme much like a DAMA network.
 There is an adaptation for data, called ALOHA, that
uses burst transmission but eliminates the
assignment function of a master control.
 ALOHA is a powerful technique for low cost data
networks that need minimum response time.
Throughput must be less than 20% if the bursts
come from stations that are completely
uncoordinated because there is the potential for time
overlap (called a collision).
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 The most common implementation of ALOHA employs a

hub station that receives all of these bursts and provides
a positive acknowledgement to the sender if the
particular burst is good.
 If the sending station does not receive acknowledgment
within a set “time window,” the packet is re-sent after a
randomly selected period is added to prevent another
collision.
 This combined process of the window plus added
random wait introduces time delay, but only in the case
of a collision.
 Throughput greater than 20% brings a high percentage
of collisions and resulting retransmissions, introducing
delay that is unacceptable to the application.
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 An optimally and fully loaded TDMA network can achieve

90% throughput, the only reductions required for guard
time between bursts and other burst overhead for
synchronization and network management.
 The corresponding time delay is approximately equal to
one-half of the frame time, which is proportional to the
number of stations sharing the same channel.
 This is because each station must wait its turn to use the
shared channel.
 ALOHA, on the other hand, allows stations to transmit
immediately upon need. Time delay is minimum, except
when you consider the effect of collisions and the
resulting retransmission times.
Time Division Multiple Access and
ALOHA

 TDMA is a good fit for all forms of digital communications

and should be considered as one option during the
design of a satellite application.
 The complexity of maintaining synchronization and
control has been overcome through miniaturization of the
electronics and by way of improvements in network
management systems.
 With the rapid introduction of TDMA in terrestrial radio
networks like the GSM standard, we will see greater
economies of scale and corresponding price reductions
in satellite TDMA equipment.
Code Division Multiple Access

 CDMA, also called spread spectrum communication,

differs from FDMA and TDMA because it allows users to
literally transmit on top of each other.
 This feature has allowed CDMA to gain attention in
commercial satellite communication.
 It was originally developed for use in military satellite
communication where its inherent anti-jam and security
features are highly desirable.
 CDMA was adopted in cellular mobile telephone as an
interference-tolerant communication technology that
increases capacity above analog systems.
Code Division Multiple Access

 It has not been proven that CDMA is universally superior as

this depends on the specific requirements.
 For example, an effective CDMA system requires contiguous
bandwidth equal to at least the spread bandwidth.
 Two forms of CDMA are applied in practice:
 (1) direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) and
 (2) frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS).
 FHSS has been used by the Omni-Tracs and Eutel-Tracs
mobile messaging systems for more than 10 years now, and
only recently has it been applied in the consumer’s
commercial world in the form of the Bluetooth wireless LAN
standard. However, most CDMA applications over commercial
satellites employ DSSS (as do the cellular networks
developed by Qualcomm).
Code Division Multiple Access

 Consider the following summary of the features of

spread spectrum technology (whether DSSS or FHSS):
– Simplified multiple access: no requirement for coordination
among users;
– Selective addressing capability if each station has a unique chip
code sequence—provides authentication: alternatively, a
common code may still perform the CDMA function adequately
since the probability of stations happening to be in synch is
approximately 1/n;
– Relative security from eavesdroppers: the low spread power and
relatively fast direct sequence modulation by the pseudorandom
code make detection difficult;
– Interference rejection: the spread-spectrum receiver treats the
other DSSS signals as thermal noise and suppresses
narrowband interference.
Code Division Multiple Access

 A typical CDMA receiver must carry out the following

functions in order to acquire the signal, maintain
synchronization, and reliably recover the data:
 Synchronization with the incoming code through the
technique of correlation detection;
 De-spreading of the carrier;
 Tracking the spreading signal to maintain
synchronization;
 Demodulation of the basic data stream;
 Timing and bit detection;
 Forward error correction to reduce the effective error
rate
Code Division Multiple Access

 The first three functions are needed to extract

the signal from the clutter of noise and other
signals.
 The processes of demodulation, bit timing and
detection, and FEC are standard for a digital
receiver, regardless of the multiple access
method.
Multiple Access Summary

 The bottom line in multiple access is that there is

no single system that provides a universal
answer.
 FDMA, TDMA, and CDMA will each continue to
have a place in building the applications of the
future.
 They can all be applied to digital
communications and satellite links.
 When a specific application is considered, it is
recommended to perform the comparison to
make the most intelligent selection.