C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. (TSX-V: CMI), the leading global provider of mobile auto-deploying satellite antenna systems, announced today that it has successfully tested its 16×16 subarray phased array antenna using 4×4 Transmit and Receive building block modules. The panels were developed and tested at the Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems at the University of Waterloo.

The primary goal of the research project is to focus on the development of a new modular, low-cost, intelligent and conformal Ka-band antenna for the next generation mobile satellite communications. The now proven modular approach allows antenna designers to develop any size and shape of phased array panels using the smallest intelligent active 4×4 subarray.

4×4 Modules

“We are pleased to have reached this important milestone in our development of a fully electronically steered Phased Array Mobile Satellite Antenna operating in Ka-band,” said Bilal Awada, CTO of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. “The antenna will be able to track multiple satellites simultaneously and operate on the latest LEO, MEO and GEO constellations,” added Awada.

Professor Ali Safavi-Naeini, Director of CIARS, is in charge of the research team at the University of Waterloo responsible for this project. “Measured lab results have demonstrated the high performance of the small modular scalable intelligent Transmit and Receive antenna modules and validated our simulation model for larger panels,” said  Safavi-Naeini. “We also achieved good beam steering up to 70 degrees from boresight, a significant achievement,”  Safavi-Naeini continued.

16×16 TX Subarray

The developed antenna system uses a unique technique to adaptively control the antenna polarization in such a way that a prescribed quality of polarization can be guaranteed over the entire scan range. Furthermore, the beam-processing unit and the antenna intelligent module can generate more than one radiation beam simultaneously and support multi-beam-tracking, a highly desired functionality in emerging LEO mobile networks. 

By utilizing a unique blend of low-cost but flexible/reconfigurable hardware and highly intelligent software, the modular technology platform developed at CIARS provides the most cost-effective evolution path towards any antenna system configuration with prescribed performance for a wide range of low-end to high-end applications. The developed technology platform can be easily extended to the rapidly emerging millimeter-wave 5G and complex radar systems. 

“Today we are a step closer to achieving our objective of developing and manufacturing an affordable intelligent antenna system capable of supporting the latest constellation of satellites, which will play a significant role in delivering high speed broadband solutions to mobile satellite communication markets,” said Dr. Leslie Klein, President & CEO of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

About C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is a pioneer and world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of mobile satellite-based antenna systems for the delivery of Broadband Internet to any location via Satellite. C-COM has developed a proprietary, one-button, auto-acquisition controller technology for rapid antenna pointing to a geostationary satellite with just the press of a button, enabling high-speed Internet connectivity where terrestrial markets are overloaded or simply don’t exist. The company has sold approximately 8,000 systems to customers in over 100 countries providing service to a wide range of vertical markets such as Oil & Gas Exploration, Military Communications, Disaster Management, SNG, Emergency Communications, Cellular Backhaul, Telemedicine, Mobile Banking, and others. The Company’s iNetVu^® brand is synonymous with high quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness.

In partnership with a renowned research team at the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS), C-COM has been developing a next generation Ka-band flat panel antenna based on advanced phased array technology for enabling high-throughput mobility applications over satellite: land, airborne and maritime. More information is available at: www.c-comsat.com. iNetVu^® is a registered trademark of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc.