Ka-band Satellite System for Public Protection and Disaster Relief Operations

Communications during and after a disaster are essential for mitigation and relief. But terrestrial communication resources are limited due to damaged infrastructures or excessive traffic. Moreover public communication services provide only a first level of immediate response, additional capabilities are essential to continue and strengthen disaster relief operations. Often, a regional, national or even international network must be set up to provide an efficient decision-making process. Communications must be effective, mobile and immediate. Providing broadband communications during emergency or crisis times will be soon a necessary but difficult challenge. Users want emergency communications working perfectly all time everywhere in any circumstances. User’s basic needs are voice and data communications on short and long range, but more often large volumes of data are exchanged (medical data, digital map, blueprints or intelligence data...) and so require broadband systems. Emergency systems must be easy to use, reliable, resistant and worldwide. Satellite based systems have several advantages. Based on radio links, they are robust, reliable, available, accessible from any locations with little hardware and quickly re-deployable. At last, they offer local, regional and international connectivity. Satellite systems such as Inmarsat, Globalstar or Iridium already meet most of the needs except large capacity and high data rates. Ka-band system is the next logical step in developing satellite systems for emergency. Ka-band is large, little occupied and allows very small terminals. This paper proposes a system based on a dedicated small payload as piggyback on a geostationary satellite and on a fleet of ultra-small aperture terminals compatible with DVB-RCS/S standards. The system procures broadband multimedia services (Internet access, LAN interconnection, video broadcast...) and is also able to back haul signals of emergency local wireless networks such as GSM, TETRA, Wi-Fi, DVB-T... The satellite payload calls on innovative technologies: Ka-band, smart antenna, digital OBP...and so offers high performances.