China Puts Beidou Navigation Satellite System in Motion

Xinhua News Agency recently reported that China has launched the state-run global positioning services Beidou Satellite GPS system (BDS) from its Beidou satellite network on Thursday.

BDS is specifically built to deliver navigation, positioning, short-message services and timing in China as well as the Asia-Pacific region. The objective of Beidou is to supply both open and authorized global navigation services internationally come year 2020 and will eventually utilize a total of 35 satellites. The GPS system is managed by the U.S Department of Defense and is offered free of charge to businesses around the world, while the Galileo system of EU plans on charging users.

In a statement, Beidou Spokesman and China Satellite Navigation Office Head Ran Chengqi noted that the Beidou system, also known as Compass, is compatible with other global positioning systems and is designed to deliver a positioning accuracy of ten meters, velocity accuracy of 0.2 meters per second and one-way timing accuracy of 50 nanoseconds.

"We hope industries based on the Beidou Navigation Satellite System will hold 15 to 20 percent of the market share by 2015,” Chengqi told Xinhua News Agency.

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Emcore launches Optiva SatCom

California-based semiconductor materials developer Emcore announced that its has launched a new Optiva Satcom Band RF Fiber Optic Transport System. The development marks the expansion of the existing Optiva Platform by supplementing the technology in adding C, X, Ku, and the newer Ka band transmitter and receiver modules.

The new product is part of the SNMP managed fibre optics transmitter and receivers. According to Emcore, the Optive Satcom used for satellite communications and other microwave applications can support up to 40 GHz of broadband microwave transport, alongside audio, video, data, and ethernet.

FAA says mobile devices usage may boost in-flight entertainment services

The FAA is taking a good new look at how the increasing use of mobile devices during flights may catalyze the spread of wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) services among airline companies.

IMS Report possessed an optimistic opinion of IFE. It claimed that by 2012, almost 9,000 aircraft will be able to provide IFE services.

According to the FAA, the major U.S-based carriers will continue adding connectivity services to their fleets. In-flight Wi-Fi and cellular communication services are expected to grow more common despite the myriad challenges they face.

The FAA expects 2013 will witness companies like Boeing rolling out their aircraft with the necessary equipment for Wi-Fi connectivity and use of cell phones during flight. Boeing, in particular, is predicted to make wireless media streaming a standard feature for its 2014 production run.

In related news, JetBlue Airways recently announced that it will be launching in-flight Wi-Fi aboard its flights with the help of ViaSat. The airline company claims its in-flight satellite Internet service offers the most bandwidth in the commercial aviation today. Other airlines turned to Gogo for in-flight Internet connectivity.

ViaSat finishes installing integrated waveform control station for UK MOD

ViaSat recently announced its completion of the Integrated Waveform Network Control Station (IW NCS) it deployed on behalf of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) of the United Kingdom.

The IW NCS makes the most efficient use of its assets in UHF satellite communications. It delivers voice and data assignments across the 5 and 25 kHz UHF channels, and it will also enhance voice quality interoperability with US military forces in theater.

Viasat included its RT-18xx based terminal hardware in the turnkey Initial Operational Capability (IOC) installation that it built for the UK MOD. Another company, Spirit River, supplied the IW NCS with UHF satcom antennas.

Mext up for ViaSat is to implement Final Operational Capability (FOC) in the UK MOD’s advanced UHF satcom networking. This will allow the UK MOD to simulaneously plan and control two IW master channels. Built-in failover redundancy will be included to ensure the reliability and robustness of the network.

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