intelsat’s interference management initiative ( ) review the beaconseek course specifically...
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Intelsat’s Interference Management Initiative ( )
supporting customers around the world
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Intelsat General Corporation +1 301-571-1210 [email protected]
14/03/5851-Interference
To review the GVF course specifically designed to train VSAT installers and operators, visit:www.gvf.coursehost.com
To review the BeaconSeek course specifically designed to train SNG uplinkers, visit: www.slingpath.com
About Intelsat Intelsat S.A. is the world’s leading provider of satellite
services, delivering high performance connectivity
solutions for media, fixed and mobile broadband
infrastructure, enterprise and government and
military applications.
Intelsat’s satellite, teleport and fiber infrastructure is
unmatched in the industry, setting the standard for
transmissions of video and broadband services.
Envision… Connect… Transform… with Intelsat,
celebrating 50 years of space leadership in 2014.
www.intelsat.com
Intelsat customers wishing to gain access to Intelsat’s free, online training program should contact their Regional Sales Director, or go to MyIntelsat.
I3 Industry Initiatives – Improving Quality of Service Across the Industry
As part of the I3 industry-wide activities, Intelsat is working with satellite operators, industry groups, customers and equipment manufacturers to make RFI reduction a top priority.
Planning & Processes Intelsat continually evaluates its satellite and transponder-loading, troubleshooting and escalation processes across its network. As a result, Intelsat is developing guidelines for satellite access on its system. These guidelines will detail each customer’s responsibility when accessing the system and subsequent operations of services on the network.
Interference Metrics The information gathered from RFI events provides trending data that alerts Intelsat to RFI events and/or types of RFI that needs to be reviewed for a targeted mitigation strategy. As part of the I3 activities, data gathered will be shared with other satellite operators through the Data Sharing initiative.
MyIntelsatIntelsat has dedicated a section within its customer portal, MyIntelsat, to provide a single reference point for the latest developments and information gathered throughout the I3 initiative. Information posted includes white papers, methods for reporting an RFI issue, and information on Intelsat’s monitoring tools and applications, such as its geolocation system.
Incidents of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) are on the rise, stemming from improper earth station equipment installations; VSAT and SNG operator errors; and equipment malfunctions. The many RFI incidents reported each year create obstacles for day-to-day operations. Ultimately, RFI disrupts television signals, data transmissions and other customer services, hindering business growth.
To combat RFI, Intelsat launched the Intelsat Interference Management Initiative, or I3. Intelsat’s I3 team is driving an effort to ensure technicians obtain proper training, increase the quality of data and communications regarding RFI events within the satellite community and guarantee proper alerts are implemented to reduce reaction times when RFI occurs. This initiative includes industry-wide activities targeted toward reducing RFI on a global level, as well as Intelsat-driven activities focused on enhancing customer and operation center expertise.
managed by the SUIRG, is designed to help operators identify interfering signals from sources outside their own network– signals either intended for an adjacent satellite, or signals with an unusual signature. The goal of the Satellite Operator RFI Alert Network is to reduce the duration of customer-impacting RFI events.
Satellite operators will have a unique RFI alert address and be contacted when an RFI issue arises. Each operator receiving an alert will evaluate whether or not the source originated from its network. If so, that operator will be responsible for “clearing” its network and communicating back to the alert originator.
Training & CertificationProper training is critical for reducing RFI incidents. A majority of incidents are attributed to faulty installation practices, uplink errors and poor equipment maintenance regimes. Intelsat is endorsing a training and certification program with two industry-leading vendors: The Global VSAT Forum (GVF) and BeaconSeek. These courses will educate technicians on proper equipment installation and operational parameters.
Industry-wide Cooperation is NeededIntelsat is committed to protecting the FSS spectrum. Satellite operators, manufacturers, organizations and end users must prioritize RFI mitigation within their respective technical operations. Intelsat urges everyone to train their operations and installation staff and when outsourcing, use certified integrators.
Training conducted at GVF’s Asian Training Center
I3 Intelsat Initiatives – Continuing Operational Excellence
Free Training for Customers Intelsat’s goal is to provide free training
to 400 customers each year for the next three years. Furthermore,
to encourage customers to train all of their
technicians, Intelsat negotiated discounted
rates from its training service providers, to minimize customer training costs.
In partnership with GVF, Intelsat will designate in-house technicians to become credentialed certified trainers of
the GVF program. These trainers will
administer the GVF hands-on skills course
and will be authorized to test and certify Intelsat
customers worldwide.
Monitoring Tool ImprovementsGeolocation tools are used to isolate RFI sources. Intelsat is making investments to expand its monitoring capabilities to reach 100% by 2011. Currently, Intelsat has RF monitoring capabilities on nearly 95% of its satellite bandwidth. Intelsat also has geolocation capabilities on the majority of its satellite bandwidth with approximately 70% of the Intelsat capacity having access to geolocation tools.
Carrier IDCarrier ID is the transmission of uplink GPS location data, along with other important information such as originator and equipment details. This information is embedded in the modem transmit header as part of the current encoder METADATA standards. However, for Carrier ID to be a successful tool in the battle against RFI, equipment vendors and manufacturers must implement the technology as a standard feature by including this requirement within their equipment purchase specifications.
Intelsat and other satellite operators, in conjunction with the Satellite User Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG), are working with hardware manufacturers to ensure that the technology embedded accurately detects, analyzes and locates incidents of RFI. This will allow satellite operators to communicate directly with the RFI source to resolve the incident.
Data Sharing The open exchange of operational data is imperative for critical satellite operator procedures, including RFI identification, analysis and RFI geolocation. The Data Sharing initiative will create a central depository where satellite operators can standardize, formalize and automate data collection. Information shared initially will include ephemeris data and satellite beam coverage information. In the future, satellite operators may look to the data center as a means of communicating and sharing lessons learned related to RFI events.
Satellite Operator RFI Alert NetworkIntelsat and other satellite operators are jointly developing a Satellite Operator RFI Alert Network. This network,