[SatNews] "Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a serious problem today. It greatly impacts the quality of service that a satellite operator is able to provide, leading to dissatisfied customers and potential loss of revenue."
WORK Microwave, a leading European manufacturer of advanced satellite communications, today announced that its DVB-S2 modulators and modems now feature Carrier Identification (CID) technology, according to ETSI TS 103 129, enabling satellite operators to comply with the new DVB-CID standard ahead of the mandatory deadlines. WORK Microwave's DVB-S2 modulators and modems with DVB-CID technology allow operators to easily identify and eliminate the sources for interfering signals on satellites, provide a higher quality of service (QoS) to customers, and reduce operating expenses.
WORK Microwave will demonstrate its DVB-S2 modulators and modems with the DVB-CID technology during the Satellite Interference Reduction Group's (IRG) CID Tour at CommunicAsia2014, June 17-18, in Singapore. The tour will highlight all aspects of the Carrier ID process, from transmission to detection and resolution.
DVB-CID is the first international standard to define a digital satellite transmission system for CID, using a spread spectrum carrier transmitted together with the host carrier, but with reduced power spectral density. Developed by the DVB Project, the standard describes the modulation, channel coding, and signaling protocol intended for the identification of the host carrier it belongs to. The standard was published in May 2013 as ETSI TS 103 129 "framing structure, channel coding and modulation of a carrier identification system (DVB-CID) for satellite transmission," and is becoming mandatory through the FCC Requirement 25.281 (revision May 28, 2014 — for Satellite News Gathering vehicles or temporary-fixed earth stations) by June 1, 2016.
"Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a serious problem today. It greatly impacts the quality of service that a satellite operator is able to provide, leading to dissatisfied customers and potential loss of revenue," said Dr. Gerhard Mocker, director for Satcom Technologies, WORK Microwave. "At WORK Microwave, we're committed to helping our customers identify the source of RFI. Thus, we're proud to announce we're one of the first satellite communications technology companies to support the new DVB-CID standard, which is an important tool for mitigating carrier interference."
The DVB-CID signal is a narrowband signal underneath the main transmission, at a level of -17.5 to -27.5 dB, and does not affect the quality of the transmission itself. It uses a BPSK spread spectrum modulation, differential encoding, scrambling, and a concatenated error protection strategy based on repetition, CRC, and BCH. The CID repeatedly contains the Global Unique Identifier of the modulator, together with user-definable parameters like GPS coordinates or a phone number, allowing satellite operators to quickly identify interfering carriers and respond to RFI, reducing the duration of the event.
As a result, broadcasters and other organizations can improve QoS and reduce operating costs. Over the long term, CID technology lowers the number of RFI events and releases bandwidth being used to overcome current and ongoing RFI events.
DVB-CID technology is a standard feature on all WORK Microwave DVB-S/S2 broadcast modulators and DVB-S2 modems. As a continuation of the superior customer service that WORK Microwave provides, the company will be offering a free firmware upgrade to existing customers with compatible hardware.
More information about WORK Microwave is available here.
