Grainswest Tech 2021

Tech 2021 grainswest.com 13 BY IAN DOIG • PHOTO COURTESY OF TELESAT “The big question is, how is this satellite constellation that the Canadian taxpayers are investing in going to benefit us?” she said. She grants it will give the nation’s fixed and mobile network operators an opportunity to improve service and connectivity. The system may also benefit farmers through its use by enterprise operations such as meteorological and emergency services and precision agricul- ture platforms. As a possible limitation of satellite systems, Hambly cited a U.S. study that suggests Starlink’s service quality may be compromised as more users sign on. “There’s not yet a constellation of satel- lite service that is immune from quali- ty-of-service issues.” Affordability may also prove problematic for rural customers, though Starlink appears to be competitive with fixed wireless, she said. Service risks are also simply inherent with satellite networks, she added, given their complex data systems and the real danger of being hit by space debris. As rural internet users are painfully aware, there is no magic wand for better service. Hambly believes satellite ser- vice will not replace land-based options, which will continue to be built out. “With regional and rural broadband, service has to be very regionally focused in terms of what works for that particular geography,” she said. How satellite service will shape the offerings of telecom service providers, including satellite companies themselves, will not be known for some time. “We still have to see what’s going to be on offer.” Hambly said the public money being invested in Lightspeed is being used to refine the technology and develop propri- etary technologies that Canada can sell to the rest of the world. “That’s a good use of taxpayer dollars, to make sure we keep our foothold as a satellite nation, as an early in- novator and early market player in satcom.” Such technological innovation has been necessary to remedy the difficulties service providers have experienced while incorporating satellite service into their networks. Such problems have included lag time, slow speeds and poor signal quality. Beck explained geostationary satellites operate 35,000 kilometres from Earth, which creates a half-second time lag as signals travel to and from. The net- working problems this causes vanish when multi-satellite LEO systems that orbit at 1,000 to 1,300 km are employed. Also, an inherent strength, these constellations are resilient when failures occur, rerout- ing signals within the array. “It’s a game changer,” said Beck. Telesat bills Lightspeed as “the most innovative, cutting-edge broadband sat- ellite network ever conceived.” Its tech- nical advances include space-based data processing that routes traffic with the aid of optical intersatellite links. The system’s digital antennae identify fluctuations in demand as they occur across the globe. “And then we combine all of that with arti- ficial intelligence, which allows us to learn where the demand is, and then adapt to it to ensure the capacity gets delivered where it’s needed,” said Beck. The system will be a “plug-and-play” option service providers can incorporate in their networks, she said. “In Canada, approximately two million households don’t have access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet,” said Beck. “Businesses operate in rural and remote regions of Canada as well. We see Lightspeed as being a key service and solu- tion for connecting and driving economic growth across Canada, but also around the world.” With an initial infusion of $600 million from the federal government, the Lightspeed constellation now in development will be comprised of 298 next-generation satellites supported by an advanced control network on the ground.