Space communications research gets major boost from CSA and CITR

Canadian researchers have been given a $1-million boost to help bring affordable broadband access to rural and remote areas in the next three-to-five years. Five new projects aimed at decreasing the cost of satellite systems and end-user terminals have been funded under the new Space Communications research program launched by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Canadian Institute for Telecommunications Research (CITR). The projects range from transforming bulky and expensive antennas into low-cost customer premise equipment to more efficient satellite modems for end-user gear. The $1.9 million program awarded $1 million this funding round to 13 researchers from seven universities and the Communications Research Centre (see box for complete list). CITR president Birendra Prasada says the commercial potential of each of the technologies was an important criterion in the selection process. "Will it bring broadband satellite or the wireless Internet to the fore (and) will it reduce the cost of antenna which are bulky and expensive," he asks. Not all of the research projects funded are expected to make it out of the laboratory. The new program has been divided into two groups: Research Awards for pre-competitive research, and the Collaborative Research Initiative for near-term projects that have a good chance of making it to market. Prasada says the Research Awards program provides limited funding over two years to a researcher or a group of researchers where there is a high risk that nothing commercial will come out of the work. But "if they are successful, there is a large pay off," he adds. The Collaborative Research Initiative calls for industry participation and the research is conducted with the goal of producing a product that can be sold commercially. The funding is over three years and the partner company is required to contribute a certain level of cash and in-kind contributions to the project. In this round, NSI Communications is partnering with Concordia University to produce more efficient satellite modems that will enable the transmission of multimedia content using less bandwidth. Anticipated results of the project are for end-user terminals and direct integration on application specific integrated circuits. Prasada explains that with the majority of the funding coming from the CSA, there obviously has to be some space component to the research, but the applicability can also relate to terrestrial wireless systems and applications. One of the projects will focus on optimizing the use of the 28 GHz band in space applications. With fixed terrestrial wireless operating in the same band, there could be some cross over resulting from the development.

Space communications research gets major boost from CSA and CITR

News | April 30, 2001

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us