Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/476674
Expanding Ku-band Satellite Capacity in Canada with a new Satellite Launch www.huntercomm.net Brent Perrott brent.perrott@huntercomm.net 914-723-3595 Roland Renner roland.renner@huntercomm.net 613-612-0501 Special RepoRt Hunter Communications Canada formally began operations in 2012, providing Ca- nadian firms with new Ku-band spectrum using a satellite beam on the E115WA (formerly known as Satmex 5) to cover the entirety of the Canadian landmass and surrounding waters. For many years, the vast majority of the Ku-spectrum in Canada has been provided by one firm and has been dedicated to DTH (direct- to-home) television service. While DTH service in Canada is important for mil- lions, it dominates the use of most of the Canadian Ku-spectrum, and has led to a severe lack of availability for all other commercial and government us- ers. With Hunter providing the E115WA satellite in 2012, this provided some much needed relief and the satellite is now being used to connect cruise and commercial vessels off the coast of B.C., expanding data needs for the oil patch in Alberta, and providing internet access to Canada's commercial airlines, such as WestJet and Air Canada. At the end of February, Hunter will be launching an expansion phase with the new E115WB satellite on a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This satellite will host Hunter's new Ku- beam – and using the latest in satellite technology, this new beam promises even stronger power and better tailored coverage over Canada and Alaska. The new capacity is expected to be in service by October of this year, when the transfer to geostationary orbit and testing will be completed. This brings badly needed Ku-band ca- pacity to the Canadian market including the north and surrounding waters. The Hunter beam is high-powered, with Hunt- er quoting 53dBw at beam center and 50 dBw coverage in the Northwest Passage - ultimately that means the signal strength will on average be 4 to 6 times more powerful than all other satellite options. Being so much more powerful translates into lower costs per Mbps, which is the ultimate desire for any customer using satellite. For those who have not looked at Ku- band options in Canada for some time due to high cost and low availability, the Hunter beam's strength and coverage will likely surprise potential clients. And with advancements in ground technol- ogy such as Advanced Code Modulation (ACM) techniques, rain fade is no longer an issue, making the Ku-band spectrum as reliable as C-band, while at the same time allowing the use of much smaller antennas. It is when using these small antennas that the benefits of the Hunter beam is particularly noteworthy. Because the sat- ellite, located at 114.9 degrees west in the geostationary orbital arc, is 4 degrees away from its nearest Ku-band neigh- bours in Canada, it allows for the use of much smaller antennas transmitting at higher power than the vast majority of other satellites. While a very small an- tenna may not be so critical for station- ary sites, it is vital for any service that does move – airplanes use antennas as small as 30cm, coast guard and naval vessels where deck space and weight are always at a premium, "man-pack" anten- nas for our Canadian forces, and fold-up antennas that can fit into a small carry-on suitcase that can be easily transported on helicopters or pick-up trucks. Hunter has been servicing satellite re- quirements for government and private sector clients around the world for fif- teen years. In this role within Canada, it fulfills a long-held desire to expand service offerings at home. "As a Cana- dian-owned firm," says Alberta born and raised Brent Perrott, President of Hunt- er, "I was particularly pleased to find this unique opportunity to participate in the Canadian satellite communications mar- ket. We started this project three years ago, and with this new satellite, we are fully committed for the next twenty years to bringing new capabilities and cost op- tions to the Canadian market." www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 23