[SatNews] OmniAccess® S.L. has entered into a strategic partnership with Phasor Inc®. and will present the world’s first maritime Ku-band digital phased array antenna at the coming Monaco Yacht Show.
The antenna on display represents a true breakthrough offering some very significant advantages in typical high-end yachting applications. The antenna’s incredibly low 1-inch profile allows for a seamless and nearly invisible integration into the yacht’s superstructure, without the aesthetic downside associated with the current classic reflector-antenna designs. Being fully electronic with no moving parts, the antenna can track satellites much more accurately and therefore is significantly more reliable than a traditional mechanically steered antenna.
Phasor’s patented phase-shifting topology allows for multiple antenna modules to be combined into a single logical antenna. These modules can be configured as a single conformal antenna or a distributed array, placed on multiple locations aboard the yacht. Because the system has the ability to intelligently manage modules with line-of-sight blockages, the combined array is able to achieve a completely blockage-free performance. The unique scalability of the Phasor solution allows clients to create a very high gain antenna array with an RF performance comparable to very large traditional 2.4m reflector antennas, resulting in dramatically lower operational link-costs without the enormous size and weight penalties associated with a large classical reflector antennas.
Although the technology can be applied to multiple bands (C-, X-, Ku-, K-/Ka-), the initial release of the Phasor antenna has been designed from the ground up to operate in Ku-band (with both linear and circular polarizations), allowing users to directly tap into the vast amount of TV and VSAT services offered in this dominant band. From their R&D centre in London, Phasor engineers are currently in the final testing phases of the technology. Successful live tests have already been conducted on a commercial Ku-band GEO satellite. The commercial introduction of the first products is targeted for release within the next 18 months.
Phasor has developed relationships with leading satellite operators and channel integrators. OmniAccess® has been selected as the exclusive channel and development-partner for the super- and mega-yacht markets. Given Phasor’s unique intellectual assets and positioning, OmniAccess® has expanded this important relationship by becoming a direct financial investor in the company.
OmniAccess and Phasor will jointly be showing the first prototype of the product on booth QS9 at the Darse Sud tent at the Monaco Yacht Show from September 24 to 27, 2014.
For additional information, please visit the OmniAccess infosite at https://www.omniaccess.com/
The Phasor infosite may be reached at https://www.phasorsolutions.com/
For details regarding the Monaco Yacht Show, head over to https://monacoyachtshow.com/
