ICSSC Colloquium

Colloquium Synopsis

Interest and investment in Megaconstellations (LEO constellations of more than one hundred constituent broadband satellites) have increased exponentially over the past few years. The total numbers of LEO broadband satellites currently planned, approved and under development by SpaceX Starlink (42,000), OneWeb (7,088), Amazon Kuiper (3,236), China GW (12,992), Telesat Lightspeed (298) and Inmarsat Orchestra (150-175) for deployment before the end of this decade alone support this fact.

Hence, the 39th International Communications Satellite Systems Conference (ICSSC-2022) Colloquium will focus on the design, development, deployment, market applications, regulatory challenges and longer term implications of these Megaconstellation systems.  Specific topics to be addressed by the Colloquium’s distinguished panel of experts include:

• State of the NGSO Megaconstellation Industry – technology and market
• Megaconstellations - standalone or integral part of global information highway
• Business models (broadband, aero, enterprise):  system’s financial viability
• Constellation designs - bent-pipe/processing payload Trade-offs
• Launcher Strategies – SpaceX’s Starship may enable massive constellations
• Cost effective user terminals to enable consumer services
• Prominent Megaconstellation funding, development and deployments
• Longer term implications for communications industry – GEO, 5G, fiber
• Regulatory: spectrum and orbital safety

The final half-hour of the program will be reserved for questions from the audience and interaction with the Colloquium panelists in a workshop-like setting. Colloquium registrants will be given access to the presentation slides for their personal use.

Colloquium Opening

The Colloquium Co-Chairs will welcome attendees and open the Colloquium

Session 1 (Keynote): Global Connectivity - Challenges and Opportunities

Keynote Speaker will provide a review of diverse use cases for connecting humans and machines with hybrid networks enabled by terrestrial and space platforms and discuss unique challenges and opportunities that extend existing systems including megaconstellations. This includes truly pervasive approaches that leverage the best of diverse technologies within the integration framework of 3GPP including non-terrestrial network nodes. With global coverage across all oceans and continents being the primary differentiator, the space segment, recharged with megaconstellations, will eventually be indispensable for global connectivity with quality service as part of the global information highway.

• Dr. C. Ravishankar, Hughes, USA- Mega-Constellations and the Future of Global Connectivity
  

Session 2 (Panel): Innovative Use Cases Possible with Megaconstellations 

Leaders representing MNOs, public authorities, satellite service providers, and equipment manufacturers will discuss how new LEO systems satellites, instead of replacing incumbent technologies, can complement terrestrial and legacy space networks to provide ubiquitous coverage, capacity, and broadcast efficiencies. Besides offering important societal and economic benefits, this unification will also support enhancing emergency/disaster management and national security.

• Christoph Kautz, European Commission – EU Secure Connectivity
• Thales Alenia Space, France
• Hughes, USA
  

Session 3 (Panel): Megaconstellation Services - Business and Strategy 

Session 3 will be an interactive panel among major Megaconstellation and GEO satellite industry players including network providers and manufacturers of required new equipment, including hybrid smart edge terminals and technology to accommodate user requirements and multi-use cases. Panelists will debate the advantages of their technology road maps in delivering network and user equipment fulfilling demanding needs in terms of launch, size, flexibility and Capex while covering larger areas. They will address various funding and deployment strategies and share insights with respect to their unique business case priorities.

• Dr. Nav Bains, Oneweb, UK
• Bryon Hargis, SpaceX/Starlink, USA
• Rich Pang, Telesat, Canada
  

Session 4: Technical Insights with Cross Plane/Layer Designs and Future Advances

Session 4: the session will comprise a series of technical presentations from experts involved in Megaconstellation implementation, 5G harmonization, terrestrial equipment design, and satellite payload (bentpipe/processed) trades.  This includes how space (GEO/LEO) and terrestrial 5G systems will interoperate with key enabling technologies for mobility/roaming, security, software defined networks, artificial intelligence, cost effective electronically steered antennas, smart routing and traffic engineering, and dynamic spectrum allocation. Integration could include promising satellite use cases such as for eMBB and mMTC and 5G network rollout efficiencies for unserved and underserved areas.

• Eric Spittle, LinQuest, USA - Integration, Security and Resiliency
• Nader Alagha, ESA, The Netherlands - Technical Status and Road Ahead
• Hughes, USA – Next Generation ESA for Multi-Orbit Hybrid Networks
  

Session 5 (Keynote): Regulatory and Governance Challenges 

Keynote speaker will address challenges and opportunities related to driving governance topics (such as standardization, orbital safety, C band reallocation, mmWave sharing, satellites as cellular base stations, etc.) with a distinguished speaker having government, industry, and international experience. Besides leveraging the confluence of advanced technologies, an innovative regulatory approach will be essential to address the burgeoning spectrum requirements and smart sharing.

• Jennifer Manner, EchoStar, USA
  

Questions and Concluding Remarks 

The Colloquium will close with a summary of the key takeaways from the five sessions.