Quarterly Newsletter

	COVER STORY
	-A Personal Broadcasting Revolution
	-A true ubiquitous broadcasting system
	-Multimedia Delivery using Satellite Digital Radio
	TUTORIAL
	-The Active Phased Array Antenna
	PERISCOPE
	-Conditional Access for Pay-Media Services

	..MMS Opens Up New Possibilities for Broadcasters
	INTERVIEW
	-With Jean-Yves Le Gall, CEO, Arianespace

The year of the monkey started with a flurry of activities in the space industry. There were successes and projects in trouble: NASA's Mars landing vehicle was successful but Britain's Beagle 2 may have been lost. The Japanese Aerospace Exploratory Agency (JAXA) suffered satellite launch setbacks; and Loral S/C satellite Telstar 14/Estrela Do Sul developed a solar array anomaly shortly after launch. Both of those failures are still under investigation, and pressure is mounting on programs due this year: Korea/Japan satellite MBSat, APSTAR V of Hong Kong, and iPSTAR of Thaicom. And following recent space successes, China announced plans to send men to the Moon within ten years.

In the US, News Corp. received approval from regulator, the FCC, for its purchase of Hughes Electronics Corp. With this move, News Corp gained full control of DirecTV, and Hughes Network Systems, and now takes over as majority owner (81%) of PanAmsat. It remains to be seen whether the DTH service providers will continue as two companies, a satellite equipment manufacturer and a global satellite operator, within the News Corp. portfolio.

This year the Asia-Pacific region will be a test ground for Digital Multimedia Broadcasting services (DMB). Already successfully implemented in the US, these services will now be offered via satellite for the first time in Korea. Korea's SK Telecom, in partnership with Japan's Mobile Broadcasting Corporation (MBCO), will be starting up a pilot service after a dedicated satellite, MBSat-1, is launched in early 2004. MBCO's new broadcasting system, authorized by the Japanese government and registered with the ITU, proved its capabilities and performance in successful field demonstrations in Tokyo. However, Korean authorities have given no clear indication of plans to issue license(s) for DMB services via satellite.

In light of these developments, APSCC is organizing a Workshop on Digital Satellite Broadcasting and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting. It will gather experts over two days- March 23-25-on Jeju Island, Korea, a well-known resort drawing tourists from Korea and Japan to its varied sights and good climate.

Eui K. Koh
President, APSCC

Likewise, the satellite DMB service of TU Media Corp. is the world's first mobile broadcasting platform, satisfying audience demand for mobile broadcasting. It will provide a new concept in broadcasting services: "my own broadcasting/mobile broadcasting".

In addition, whereas existing satellite broadcasting services depend on direct reception from satellites, TU Media Corp. will install large "gap fillers" to solve problems in shaded areas. Accordingly, SK Telecom satellite DMB subscribers can receive the benefits of high quality broadcasting services through direct reception in most areas (in line of sight) and through gap fillers for shaded areas and underground places such as subway stations.

The video channels to be offered include terrestrial and Pay TV, covering a range of offerings such as news, sports, music video, and drama. Audio channels include diverse genres of music (K-pop, pop songs, classic, jazz, etc.) and several channels of audio programming (traffic reports, weather information services etc.).

CDM technology is an effective signal transmission technology for the mobile environment and offers the most efficient utilization of frequency spectrum.

In the Mobile Broadcasting system, gap fillers on the ground as well as a satellite in orbit enable service users to receive broadcasting signals in locations where satellite signals are shadowed by obstacles such as buildings. By using CDM technology, the satellite signal and gap filler signals can be allocated to the same frequency so that effective frequency utilization can be achieved. A number of broadcasting signals are spread by their own Walsh codes and a pseudo-random signal, and then multiplexed on the same frequency and transmitted as a broadcasting signal. Broadcasting signals transmitted from gap-fillers are reflected and refracted in diverse directions by various objects such as buildings and relayed to receivers. This type of reception environment is known as a multipath environment.

As a broadcasting platform operator, TU Media Corp. will establish and run a broadcasting center and gap filler system, carry out marketing activities, and operate other areas of the business. The new satellite DMB platform will give content providers a new outlet for their offerings, and on the other hand increase broadcasting consumers' access to this content.

Partnering with MBCo, the Japanese Satellite DMB business operator, we can save on related costs by co-purchasing a satellite, establish firm management infrastructure by means of cross investment, and take advantage of IPR (intellectual property rights) co-use.

Major shareholders include not only handset makers (Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics), broadcasters (SBS, CJ Media), and banks (Hana Bank, KTB), but also many entities important on the value chain of the Satellite DMB business, such as equipment manufacturers, telecommunication equipment makers, etc.

The second capital increase is scheduled for February 2004, and will enable us to reach KRW 130 billion in capital, which coincides with the planned amount. These investors are comprised of more than ten companies such as MBCo, Pantech & Curitel, and CJ, and handset makers, local terrestrial broadcasters, and program providers.

This brand-new mobile multimedia broadcasting service is expected to be a large, growing market in broadcasting both in Japan and Korea. The most significant characteristics of the system are as follows:
- Mobile users, whether on cars or trains, or in the home, office or outdoors can enjoy nationwide multimedia broadcasting services offering up to 10 channels of TV and data programs, and up to 60 channels of audio programs using a small omni-directional receiving antenna.
- A high Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) GEO satellite and ground repeater system, the so called "gap fillers," will enable seamless reception even in shaded areas, such as in urban areas where the satellite signal would be blocked by tall buildings.

The feeder-link signal is converted to 2.6425GHz on the satellite and emitted to Japan with 67dBW of EIRP. Subscribers can receive the satellite broadcasting signal using portable receivers equipped with small and low directivity antennas. To generate enough EIRP for mobile reception, the satellite is equipped with a large unfurlable transmit antenna and high?power transponders. Gap fillers are used to mitigate the blockage by
re-transmitting the same S-band signal as the satellite down link to cover areas where the satellite down link signal would be blocked by obstacles.

In the Mobile Broadcasting system, Code Division Multiplex (CDM) technology is employed for modulation, interleaving to minimize interruption and utilizes error correction systems, like Convolution Coding and RS Coding.

The capabilities and benefits of S-DSB for delivering affordable multimedia applications in Asia-Pacific will be illustrated by discussing the applications and capabilities of the WorldSpace digital satellite sound broadcast system including:

In the WorldSpace system receivers have a data output port for the N-PAD data which can be connected to a Personal Computer (PC) through an adapter to transfer data files to the PC, as shown in Figure 1. With the volume production from a range of manufacturers the retail prices have decreased significantly, with low-cost models now available at a retail price of under USD 100. Prices are expected to continue to decrease significantly, making them widely affordable in the Asia-Pacific. Other low-cost receivers are available that provide a direct USB connection to a PC, as shown in Figure 2.

To subscribe to the multimedia service the customer selects and pays for the services required and is provided with software to install on the PC. One part of the software manages the reception and storage of the data files from the receiver on the hard disk drive of the PC. It also includes an electronic Programme Guide, which is used to select the programmes required. The other part of the software is used to view the files on the PC display, similar to using a web browser.

Multimedia content providers can develop content to reach new large audiences who want entertainment and infotainment, and also for Government and Aid Agencies for rapid and economical information dissemination [4,6,7]. The Government information could include distance education and information to support agriculture, environment, health, disaster warning and social welfare projects to remote areas, to bring information affluence to developing countries.

The datacasting capabilities can be used for secure and specialised business applications at 128 kb/s, like delivering news and advertising to stores, branch offices, public transport buses, shopping centres, and weather and emergency warnings to vehicles on the land, sea and air. Datacasting offers a reliable method for businesses and organisations to transfer large quantities of data quickly and economically.

Effective and affordable distance education can be delivered using the multimedia/datacasting capabilities. With this service, lectures and accompanying PowerPoint presentations can be broadcast directly to a remote Campus, or to an individual student's Personal Computer.

Some applications for S-DSB are described below, and section 4 provides some example case studies of particular applications using the WorldSpace S-DSB system.

The student can be an individual listening in the convenience of his home, or a group of students listening in the convenience of a classroom or a listening centre. The receivers allow the audio line-out to be connected to ampli-speakers for larger audiences without affecting the quality of the audio.

The audio bandwidth required for this application could be as small as 16 Kbps. This combined with the low audio production cost makes this mode of distance education very cost effective.

The quality of service is independent of the location of the receiver and there is no dependence on terrestrial connectivity i.e. data can be downloaded even to those locations where either telecom and Internet infrastructure is poor, costly, or non-existent.

In the school environment, the chosen web sites could be those offering curriculum similar to that offered in premier institutions. In higher level learning environments the websites could correspond to research papers and journals of relevance. There are tremendous savings in recurring costs as this scheme dispenses with the need for telephone lines, ISPs and repetitive human efforts to download.

In parts of Asia and Africa the slow download rates coupled with the toll-rates for dial up prohibits the access to the Internet with all its information content. Webcasting provides a solution by pushing byte-intensive contents directly to the PC.

For Governments, the capability to affordably disseminate government information such as agricultural, health, taxation and electoral information to urban and rural populations can make a remarkable change in the quality of data dissemination, with accurate and reliable data being available simultaneously to all locations without the need to go through hierarchical chains. Also, the capability to deliver reliable meteorological and geographical (GIS) data (weather, fire, flood, cyclone etc) data is a significant benefit, especially for agrarian economies.

Another application is training of rural development functionaries such as those in agriculture extension, women and child development, health, and poverty alleviation programmes, to achieve better implementation of rural development programmes.

For large businesses, such as banks and retail stores, product and training information can be delivered to branch offices and stores anywhere in the large DSB satellite coverage area. For smaller businesses and professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and stockbrokers, the benefit is getting timely, specific and high value data at their doorstep.

The course ran for two weeks using audio lectures prepared by renowned lecturers in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. A very active, live question and answer session was also conducted towards the end of the Course.

The Kenyan Institute of Education (KIE) conducted a pilot distance education project in 170 schools, and followed it up by an extensive survey (covering more than 1500 students) and analysis of the efficacy of this approach. KIE found the system was easy to install, is highly scalable, and is financially sustainable using a subscription model.

UNESCO in November 2001, in collaboration with the Indian Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), conducted a Pilot Project to demonstrate the feasibility of using the S-DSB technology for distance education. The study covered five receive locations in urban and rural areas in different States in India, with over 300 participants. It used the audio and data capabilities for broadcasting audio lectures supported by multimedia courseware downloads.

This strategy is a direct result of First Voice's policy of "one receiver reaching many ears," which involves placement of satellite radio receivers in central locations such as community radio stations, ensuring that the largest number of people can hear the information. The programs are translated by local broadcasters into at least 10 major local languages including Lingala, Arabic, Madi, Peuhl, Swahili, and Bambara. The objective of this initiative is to build the capacity of community radio stations throughout Africa by providing them with reliable access to information that is relevant and of practical use to the communities they serve. For many community broadcasters, the radio receiver is their only means of accessing news and information from outside their immediate vicinity.

In Nepal Equal Access a non-government- organization, with funding from UNDP, is using S-DSB to broadcast daily 4 hours of audio programmes to 400 receivers located in different rural communities in Nepal. The content has focus on HIV/AIDS Prevention, Women and Girls Empowerment, Childcare, Water and Sanitation, Nutrition, Sustainable livelihoods and Micro-enterprise. A coalition of NGOs, government agencies, community leaders and people living with AIDS are producing culturally appropriate and entertaining content in a variety of formats including soap operas, facts of the day, interviews and music/song - produced in local languages.

Active phased array antennas with electronic beam steering can be considered for mobile applications to solve those problems. These technologies have been around for decades, used by radio astronomers and the military since the 1950s. Active phased array antennas are divided into two categories: electronically steerable arrays in one, or two dimensions. The two-dimensional array antenna requires many active elements for their full scan area in the tracking range. This antenna requires a large number of phase shifters to scan every azimuth direction and limited elevation angles on a moving vehicle. Many of the uses of this technology may be found in the military, such as Aegis-class warships fitted with massive, $1 billion PAVE PAWs radar using phased array technology.

One attractive modification in this conventional phased array antenna will be introduced in this article. We will call this a hybrid tracking antenna that has a one-dimensional electronic beam scanning function in elevation direction and mechanical tracking function in azimuth direction. This antenna's objective is to create an array that can communicate signals to and from satellites with as few active components as possible in order to provide a low cost commercial product.

From a commercial point of view, an antenna featuring mechanical turning in azimuth direction, and electronic beam scanning in elevation direction, is technically competitive. The combination of mechanical and electronic scanning is the key requirement for creating these advantages.

In mobile terminal antennas for satellite communications, it is important to synthesize the antenna beam pattern with a low side lobe level. It is the reason to protect interferences from other geostationary satellites. For example, international bodies such as ITU (International Telecommunication Union) strictly regulates the maximum permissible level of off-axis EIRP density from terminals. The position perturbation technique of array elements, one of techniques, is able to provide a reduced side lobe level of antenna beam pattern.
This is based on genetic algorithm. It is well known that the search technique, the genetic algorithm, is a parallel, robust, and probabilistic search technique that is simple and easily implemented without gradient calculation, compared to the conventional gradient-based search procedure. Most important of all, the genetic algorithm also provides a mechanism for global search that is not easily trapped in local optima. From this technique, the characteristics of the optimized array beam pattern are investigated according to the number of array elements. These are helpful to design the practical array antenna, considering the antenna size, beam width, side lobe level and so on.

In particular, an antenna system prototype is presented here. The antenna is a hybrid phased array antenna with stair-planar configuration, which is designed to act as a mobile terminal antenna for satellite communications. This is designed with the position perturbation technique of array elements to meet strict ITU regulations.

The hybrid tracking antenna for mobile satellite communications can be attached to almost any kind of vehicle, such as buses, cars, trains or airplanes, and also receives DBS signals with exceptional clarity. It features:

. Restricted two-dimensional phased array beam control available for high-speed motion.
. High gain and wide-angle radio wave scan capability by its two-beam synthesis for high quality reception and transmission.
. Very effective antenna structure with a minimized number of active phase control elements

The hybrid tracking antenna system for communications consists of several key parts, such as active channel blocks with radiators, high power amplifier modules, up and down converters, one satellite tracking module including antenna control processing functions, and as well as its mechanical structure.

. Radiator and active channel blocks for radio-wave propagation with two-beam forming and steering
. Up and down converters to interface terminal modem
. Satellite tracking module for processing to track its target satellite
. Mechanical structures, like the antenna frame and motor driving parts, as well as radome

The antenna can be installed on any place visible to the satellite. The terminal and power supplying parts are installed inside the vehicle.

The hybrid tracking antenna prototype is designed to steer its beam pattern electronically within ±10° wide in the beam peak. The dynamic property of azimuth control in the system is also more important than in other systems' parameters. However, it is not more critical than in the mechanical only antenna. More accurate tracking performance is performed by its electronically steering beam pattern synthesis.

During prototype antenna tests on cars, the antenna's performance in terms of tracking and DBS reception on the highway with car rotation to over 45 degrees/second, proved to very stable and highly satisfactory even when in downtown areas, provided that there was no blockage by buildings etc. There was no loss of satellite reception and no serious distortion of satellite signals immediately after passing through very small areas blocked from receiving satellite signals.

This hybrid tracking antenna is predicted to be one of the answers for providing exceptionally clean and clear satellite communications on cars, trains, ships, airplanes and other vehicles. Mobile DBS and satellite Internet access in your vehicle will become a reality through the adoption of this type of active phased array antenna technology.

Now, that the first multimedia messaging (MMS) iTV (Interactive TV) services have seen the daylight in the Nordic countries, it is pretty safe to say that MMS will be the next big thing in TV chatting environments - and for broadcasters in general. The number of MMS devices has been relatively low up until the present, but it is now increasing quite rapidly. In Asia MMS services and camera phones hit it big in 2003. This is especially true in Japan, where equipment manufacturers have already sold over ten million camera phones in the past two years - and sales are expected to rise even further.

According to the research firm Gartner, camera phones are also emerging in Western Europe, estimating sales of 14.8 million in 2003. By 2006, camera phones will probably represent two-thirds of all mobile terminal sales. That is when MMS services and solutions will become a mass-market hit, similar to SMS now. In the future, broadcasters will be able to provide additional content for MMS-enabled phone owners, and may be able to push premium content to viewers and offer more personalised services in order to drive revenues and loyalty.

Along with the frequency of the camera (or MMS capable) phones in the market, the other main factor in the booming growth of MMS is the ease of the evolution from SMS services to MMS-capable services. To make this evolution as smooth and seamless as possible, all MMS applications and solutions should provide full short messaging features. This is important when broadcasters want to add MMS features to their existing SMS service platform, and enable users to access both SMS and MMS services easily.

The MMS Chat format developed by Mermit and its partner Sofia Digital is a ready-to-run application with virtually zero time-to-market. The system consists of a back-end developed by Mermit and front-end developed by Sofia Digital. The tasks of the back-end consist of handling the message traffic from mobile operator systems (both SMS and MMS are supported) and the editing of the message flow. The front end consists of generating the video-stream to be broadcast.

The message traffic to and from operators is handled by the Mermit MMS Broker platform, which can handle hundreds of operators simultaneously, making it possible to have pan-European, or worldwide services. The MMS Broker handles both SMS and MMS traffic and it can support multiple services or chats at the same time.

From the Mermit MMS Broker the messages are routed to the Mermit MMS Chat moderator tool, which is used by the chat moderator to insert his own comments to the chat show and to moderate or censor inappropriate content from the message stream before it is broadcast. Pictures can now be discarded and texts modified. The MMS Chat moderator tool can also rearrange the messages based on priority (for example higher-cost messages are always shown before regular price ones) and show the moderator useful statistics about how many messages are pending in the moderation queue and what is the average rate at which the messages are published.

From the MMS Chat moderator tool the messages go to the Sofia-Digital MMS Chat broadcasting system, which generates the actual video stream that is then broadcast. The broadcasting system can be configured to provide a show-specific look to the chat show.

The MMS Broker is a provider platform offering a full installation of value added services. The MMS Broker's functionality is not limited to MMS Chat. Therefore broadcasters can take full benefit of other SMS or MMS associated services with the MMS Broker Platform. It can also be accessed and integrated to other services or program production environments to maximize the broadcaster's mobile service revenues.

"…since becoming CEO I have put Arianespace back at the heart of international co-operation..."

I feel that since becoming CEO I have put Arianespace back at the heart of international co-operation, with Soyuz and with the Alliance between Boeing Launch Services, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Arianespace for mutual launch assurance.

On the technical side there was a great need for rationalization of the Ariane 5 family of launch vehicles. This year we will see Ariane 5 vehicles capable of launching 6.5 tonnes up to 10 tonnes using basically the same components except for the introduction of the Ariane 4 cryogenic engine into the upper stage for the higher performance launches. This rationalization will be a major element in ensuring the expected high reliability for an Ariane launch.

On the business side Arianespace was severely handicapped in the commercial market by having to cover very significant costs for the use of its launch site, much more than any of its competitors. The EGAS, European Guaranteed Access to Space will correct this problem and assure the commercial viability of Arianespace for the long term, despite the difficult market conditions we have recently seen.