1. Inmarsat - Products and Strategy
Workshop on Satellite in IP and Multimedia
Gene Jilg, Chief Technology Officer

2. Overview of Inmarsat Today
Leading global mobile satellite communications service provider
Data and voice to maritime, land and aeronautical users
23 years of market, technical and regulatory experience
Established in 1979 as an international co-operative
Service on leased satellites beginning in 1982
Satellite operator since 1990
Privatised as a United Kingdom entity in April 1999
9 successful satellite launches (Inmarsat-2 and Inmarsat-3 fleets); all satellites still fully operational
More than 260,000 registered terminals

3. Current Portfolio of Services
Circuit switched:
Inmarsat-A: tel, fax, 64 kbit/s data
Inmarsat-B (digital replacement to A)
Inmarsat-M/mini-M: tel., fax, 2.4 kbit/s data
Inmarsat Aero miniM
Inmarsat Aero I / H: tel., fax, 2.4 / 4.8 kbit/s data
Inmarsat GAN ISDN: tel, fax, ISDN (64 kb/s 1B+S)
Fleet 77/Swift 64 : tel, fax, ISDN
Messaging/ Packet based, data services:
Inmarsat-C: low bit rate S/F messaging
Inmarsat Aero C
Inmarsat-D/D+: two way paging system
Inmarsat Aero L / H: 0.6 / 10.5 kbit/s packet data (X.25)
Inmarsat E: distress alert service for maritime
Inmarsat GAN MPDS: 64kb/s packet data over shared bearer
Fleet 77 (MPDS)

4. Regional BGAN 144 kbps data services
Via leased capacity on Thuraya satellite
Anchored at a SAS facility in Fucino (Italy)
Air interface based on GSM adapted to satellite usage
Standardised as GMR-1 by ETSI and TIA enhancing future interoperability
Migration path to GPRS or UMTS PS service
Strong resemblance to GSM in upper protocol layers allows integration of standard GSM services (SMS)
R-BGAN has just completed acceptance testing, and is currently undergoing pre-operational trials and operator training. It is operated out of the Fucino earth station facility in Italy.
The air interface has been developed and standardised with both ETSI and TIA, and draws heavily from GSM but with specific enhancements for operation over a satellite channel. This optimisation affects the lower protocol layers, with the upper protocol layers being extremely similar to GSM allowing the integration of current and future GSM services (such as SMS for example).
This is a real R-BGAN user terminal, not a demonstration mock up, to give you an idea of the terminal size required to support up to 144 kbps operation. If anyone would like to see a live demonstration of the R-BGAN service, please see me at the end and I can arrange for this at Inmarsat HQ in the next couple of weeks.

5. Regional BGAN Coverage Map

6. Regional BGAN Terminal
User terminal looks and feels like a laptop, costs about $1100, receives and transmits at 144 kbps with end-user airtime charge around $11/MByte

7. BGAN Improves upon performance of Regional BGAN
Full ground segment diversity (Holland and Italian SASs)
Voice and data services supported
Higher data rates (up to 432 kbps)
Increased coverage (US, Europe, Far East)
Two Inmarsat 4 satellites
53 °W and 64 °E
9 m L-band satellite antenna – generates 1° spot beams
Flexible DSP based payload, 630 dynamically assigned channels, digital beam forming
200 kHz channels
The BGAN service will improve on the performance of R-BGAN when it comes into service in 2004.
This will add ground segment diversity, voice services, wider coverage and higher data rates. Additional user terminals will also be introduced (smaller and larger than the laptop size used by R-BGAN).
Key to the performance of the system is a 9 metre deployed reflector antenna on the satellite capable of generating 1 degree spot beams at L-band, and the advanced DSP based payload and digital beam forming. Channels are switched between beams in multiples of 200 kHz, giving extremely high flexibility to focus resources in specific regions. Extensive frequency re-use is deployed to maximise capacity.

8. Inmarsat-4 User Link : L Band Feeder Link : C Band
Processed Band : 2 x 126 MHz
Spacecraft Power : 12 kW
Launch Mass : 6 Tons
Solar Array Span : 48 m
Prime Contractor : Astrium
Major Subcontractors
TRW Astro, L Band Reflector
EMS, L Band Feed
Launchers
Atlas V
Ariane 5

9. L-band Beam Patterns
These bean plots should give you an idea of the type of coverage offered by BGAN.
The map on the left shows an example deployment of the 1 degree Personal Mobile Cell (PMC) beams used to service the small BGAN terminals. Each beam is serviced by an integer number of 200 kHz channels, which are shared by the users present in the beam. As loading increases in a beam, additional channels are allocated to it dynamically.
Not all beams are active at any time: some have no channels allocated at all. Procedures for ‘dark beam activation’ are supported by the system, to cover the first user to request service in any specific beam.
The map on the right shows larger beams which are used to support Inmarsat’s Existing and Evolved services.

10. 53 W Expanded Coverage

11. BGAN Ground Network Overview
L-Band
User
Links
L-Band
User
Links
I4 Satellite
I4 Satellite
I4 Satellite
I4 Satellite
(F2 ~ 54W)
(F2 ~ 54W)
(F1 ~ 65E)
(F1 ~ 65E)
RF/IF CN
RAN 1
RAN 2
RF/IF CN
RAN 1
RAN 2
BGAN SAS 1
BGAN SAS 2
BGAN DCN
BGAN DCN
Satellite Orbital
Data; TT&C
Resource &
Network
Management
Billing Data, Fault Management,
Customer care
Inmarsat
SCC
Inmarsat
BOC
Inmarsat
NOC
PoP
Other PLMNs
PDN
PSTN
ISDN

12. BGAN Services Basic Services – Inherently IP-based
Regular PSTN, ISDN and IP services
Internet access (including web browsing)
Intranet access (including virtual private networks)
Video Conferencing
Internet streaming (audio/video)
Data file transfer
and messaging (including GPRS/UMTS 2.5/3G SMS)
IP Facsimile

13. BGAN Terminals A wide range of terminal types is under development:
Handheld 72 kbps/16 kbps
Pocket 216 kbps/72 kbps
Notebook 432 kbps/144 kbps
Briefcase 432 kbps/432 kbps
Transportable 1 Mbps/1 Mbps

14. Pocket User Terminal
800 grams 22 x 14 x 3 cm

15. Notebook User Terminal with detachable Remote Antenna

16. UT Product Matrix –Future Development
Lite
Professional
Vehicular
Maritime
Aero
Briefcase
HNS
Laptop
Thrane
HNS
Nera
Addvalue
Pocket
Further UT developments