Satellite Communications Networks and Applications: Creating Next-Generation Systems in Commercial and Government Environments

January 28-31, 2008

 

This course provides an intensive state-of-the-art review of satellite communications networks and applications from a system development perspective. Intended for technical, operations, and business professionals as well as newcomers to satellite technology, the course details the fundamentals, architecture, and development of modern satellite networks, with emphasis on cutting-edge broadcast, interactive, and mobile applications. Topics include satellite and ground station principles, digital image and full-motion video for broadcast distribution using the MPEG 2 and 4, DVB-S and S2 standards, and IP Video; Internet Protocol (IP)-based data networks using Ku- and Ka-band Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs) applied to fixed networks as well as those having location flexibility; L- and S-band; mobile satellite services and propagation (GEO and non-GEO); mobile broadcasting using Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS) systems; and advanced broadband capabilities of Ka-band satellite systems currently in use and under development. Emphasis is placed on the proper selection of requirements, technologies, and their providers (space and ground), and on the most effective ways to architect the associated satellite networks.

 

Organized and led by satellite industry expert Bruce Elbert, the course provides fundamentals as well as a detailed review of current applications and implementations; and a unique approach to the selection and development of advanced satellite networks for use in commercial and government environments. Optimization of IP data transfer over satellite and the design of state-of-the-art direct to home broadcast networks will be covered by DC Palter and Stephen Dulac, themselves noted innovators in these fields. The course is appropriate for engineers and managers new to the field as well as experienced professionals wishing to update and round out their understanding of current systems and solutions.

 

UCLA Extension has presented this highly successful short course since 1997. It is continuously updated to reflect industry state of the art and innovations in network and application development.

 

Course Materials
The text, The Satellite Communication Applications Handbook, Second Edition, Bruce Elbert (Artech House, 2004); and a complete set of updated lecture notes are distributed on the first day of the course. The notes are for participants only and are not for sale.

 

Coordinator and Lecturer
Bruce R. Elbert, MSEE, MBA, President, Application Technology Strategy, Inc., Thousand Oaks, California; and Adjunct Professor, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Mr. Elbert is a recognized satellite communications expert and has been involved in the satellite and telecommunications industries for over 30 years. He founded ATSI to assist major private and public sector organizations that develop and operate cutting-edge networks using satellite and other wireless technologies and services. During 25 years with Hughes Space and Communications (now Boeing Satellite Systems), he directed communications engineering of several major satellite projects, including Palapa A, Indonesia's original satellite system; the Galaxy follow-on system (one of the most successful satellite TV system in the world); and the development of the first GEO mobile satellite system capable of serving handheld user terminals. Mr. Elbert also worked as a communications engineer for the INTELSAT system and developed link analysis tools while a radio officer in the U.S. Army. He has written seven books on telecommunications and IT, including The Satellite Communication Applications Handbook, Second Edition (Artech House, 2004); The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth Station Handbook (Artech House, 2001); and Introduction to Satellite Communication, Second Edition (Artech House, 1999).

 

LECTURERS

 

DC Palter, MBA, BS, President, Apposite Technologies, Inc. Apposite Technologies is a leading manufacturer of satellite and wide area network test and performance assessment equipment. Prior to co-founding Apposite in 2005, DC spent ten years as Vice President at Mentat (acquired by Packeteer in 2004), a leading supplier of satellite IP networking optimization products. This experience base gives him a unique understanding of the issues and practical solutions involved with using IP over satellite. Mr. Palter previously held various positions in marketing and engineering at Hughes Electronics, Honeywell, and Kobe Steel.

 

Mr. Palter is a frequent contributor of articles on network emulation, network optimization, and IPv6 to leading networking, satellite, military, and telecommunications publications. He has lectured on computer networking at UCLA, the Pentagon, and a variety of industry conferences and seminars. Mr. Palter is the author of the textbook, “Satellites and the Internet: Challenges and Solutions” (Satnews Publishers, 2003) as well as “Colloquial Kansai Japanese” (Tuttle, 2006). He is co-author of three U.S. patents in computer network acceleration and a Japanese patent in combustion technology. Mr. Palter holds an MBA from UCLA and a BS degree from Northwestern University.

 

 

Stephen P. Dulac, MSEE, MSEE, Senior Member of the IEEE, Director of Engineering, DIRECTV, Inc., Senior Member, IEEE). Since 1997, Mr. Dulac has been with DirecTV Inc., El Segundo, CA, in system engineering roles supporting U.S. service launches including HDTV, local channel rebroadcasts, DVR, interactive services, and home networking. He is currently Director, Standards and Regulatory, in DirecTV’s Set-Top Box Engineering organization. During 1994–1997, he held the position of Director, Conditional Access, supporting the development and launch of the DirecTV Latin America service. Joining Hughes Aircraft Company in 1986 as a Masters Fellow, he contributed to many company projects as it evolved into Hughes Electronics and most recently into the DirecTV Group. At subsidiary Hughes Communications from 1986–1991, his responsibilities included the first digital satellite link budget analyses applicable to the DirecTV network. At Hughes Space and Communications in 1992–1994, he was Lead Payload Engineer for the Solidaridad system of communications satellites for Mexico. Mr. Dulac co-authored a chapter on DTH Satellite Systems published in the National Association of Broadcasters Engineering Handbook, 10th Edition 2007. He holds four patents and has written many articles on satellite technology. Mr. Dulac led the authoring and adoption in 2000 of the CEA/EIA-805 standard for delivering data services across HD analog component interfaces

 

 

UCLA Faculty Representative
Kung Yao, PhD, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science

 

Daily Schedule


Monday

 

Principles of Communications Satellites and Networks (Bruce Elbert0

·         Architecture of the space segment: GEO and non-GEO satellites and constellations, impact on coverage and quality of service

·         Developing requirements for applications and services using systems engineering principles; commercial requirements for business use; government and military requirements for mission success

·         Network architecture: broadcast, interactive star and mesh topologies and their application

·         Information formats: speech, video, and image; the many forms of data and the associated protocols

·         Introduction to satellite system design: the communications payload (antenna and repeater) and the spacecraft bus; satellite program planning (spacecraft and ground)

 

Engineering of Satellite Links

·         Frequency spectrum and bandwidth: L and S band mobile links; C band, telecommunications services; X band, government applications; Ku and Ka band, telecommunications and broadcasting; millimeter wave and optical applications

·         Introduction to line-of-sight propagation at microwave frequencies (1 to 30 GHz) on the space-earth path; atmospheric and ionospheric impairments; rain attenuation

·         Design of the satellite link: introduction to assessing microwave link performance using link budgets

·         Comparison of digital modulation and encoding techniques: QPSK, OQPSK, and MSK, bandwidth-efficient modulation--16QAM and 32 APSK; forward error correction (FEC) using block, convolutional, concatenated, and turbo codes

 

Principles of Multiple Access Systems

·         Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) and Single Channel per Carrier (SCPC)

·         Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and ALOHA

·         Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) using spread spectrum; hybrid modulation and multiple access techniques

·         Comparison and application of multiple access systems

 

Tuesday

 

IP over Satellite (DC Palter)

 

·         Principles of TCP/IP design: Windowing; Packet loss and retransmissions; Slow Start and Congestion, TCP Extensions

·         Operation and issues of TCP/IP over satellite: Bandwidth-delay product; Acknowledgement and retransmissions; Congestions control

·         TCP/IP acceleration and optimization techniques for satellite networks: TCP acceleration; HTTP acceleration; CIFS acceleration; Compression and caching; QoS

·         Survey of available standards-based and proprietary optimization solutions: SCPS; XTP; Commercial WAN optimization products; Satellite specific optimization products; Application specific optimization products; Solution section criteria

·         IP multicast versus broadcast of video and multimedia traffic: IP Mulitcast fundamentals; Multicast deployment issues; Solutions for reliable multicast

 

Digital Video Systems, MPEG 2 and 4, and the DVB-S and S2 Standards (Stephen Dulac)

·         Requirements for video transmission networks (broadcast and cable)

·         Overview of digital DTH developments: comparison of systems (DIRECTV, DISH, etc.); evolving features and services (local channels, DVRs, interactivity); reference DTH system architecture

·         Compression and multiplexing technologies: Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) family of standards

·         Digital Video Broadcasting standards: DVB-S concatenated Reed-Solomon and Viterbi convolutional coding, DVB-S2 BCH and LDPC concatenated block codes

·         DTH architecture, high-power and medium-power satellites to serve small receivers and digital set-top boxes; microelectronics evolution

·         Security, conditional access and service management systems; options for achieving interactivity

·         IPTV standards, architecture and rollout

 

Wednesday (Bruce Elbert)


Ground Station Basics

·         Introduction to ground stations and user terminals

·         Fixed, transportable, and mobile (on-the-move) terminals

·         Integration with space segment

·         Interfacing the ground segment with terrestrial networks

 

Interactive VSAT Data Networks

·         Network topology and implications: the star network versus full mesh architectures, “Forward” and “Return” traffic patterns, and degrees of asymmetry

·         Star networks: ALOHA, TDMA, SCPC, and CDMA variants

·         Interactive two-way satellite service using the DVB Return Channel via Satellite (DVB-RCS) standard

·         Central ground station (hub) implementations: baseband equipment and interfaces to terrestrial networks

·         Capacity planning and sizing: collecting requirements for the VSAT network; protocol support; estimating delay and response time

·         Discussion and comparison of suppliers and technologies for VSATs

 

Thursday (Bruce Elbert0

 

Satellite Mobile Communications

·         Historical progression of mobile radio, cellular, and satellite mobile systems

·         “Big LEO” mobile satellite systems: Iridium and GlobalStar

·         GEO systems for satellite phone and data services: ACeS, Thruaya, Inmarsat 4, MSV (Ancillary Terrestrial Component – ATC)

·         Review of digital voice compression technology and performance

·         Modeling the L and S band propagation environment

·         Foliage and building penetration

·         Shadowing (blockage), multipath, noise, and interference

 

Broadband and Multimedia Systems

·         Broadband and multimedia for consumer, business-to-business services and government use: characteristics, requirements for interactivity

·         Ka-band spectrum suitability and availability; propagation considerations, rain attenuation, system noise temperature increase and de-polarization; typical link budgets

·         Broadband satellite design: on-board processing for data regeneration and traffic switching; application of multibeam antenna systems and inter-satellite links (millimeter wave and optical/laser)

 

Application and Business Planning Considerations

·         Selecting the most appropriate satellite and transponder capacity; risk mitigation and avoidance as related to the space segment; source selection tactics and strategies

·         Case study of a complete satellite network, based on requirements to be developed in class


For more information call the UCLA Extension Engineering Short Course Program Office at (310) 825-3344; fax (310) 206-2815.

 

Dates                January 28-31 (Monday through Thursday)

Time                 8 am-5 pm (subject to adjustment after the first class meeting)

Location            Room G-33 West, UCLA Extension Building, 10995 Le Conte Avenue (adjacent to the UCLA campus), Los Angeles, California

Reg#

Course No.        Engineering 881.237

Units                 2.4 CEU (24 hours of instruction)

Fee                   $1,995, includes course materials
$100 nonrefundable; no refund after January 17, 2008; however, course fee (less $100) may be applied toward another short course enrollment.