In a petition to the FCC to dismiss Swarm’s constellation application, Orbcomm wrote that the startup “attempts to simply ignore Orbcomm’s clearly vested … spectrum rights.” However, longtime satellite operator Orbcomm has laid claim to those frequencies for decades, and it operates one of the very messaging systems that Swarm aims to disrupt. All it needs is a few slivers of VHF radio spectrum. Because its satellites are so small, and thus cheap to launch, Swarm reckons its messaging services will cost an order of magnitude less than existing satellite systems. The company now wants to launch a 150-strong constellation to communicate with the growing number of internet-connected devices on Earth. The FCC found out and slapped the company with a $900,000 penalty. When this small Silicon Valley startup launched four tiny experimental satellites in 2018, it neglected to obtain the necessary authorization from the US Federal Communications Commission, one of the agencies whose approval needs to be granted before launch can take place. Swarm Technologies is no stranger to regulatory tussles. Paperwork can stretch out for years, even as enthusiastic startups attempt to disrupt a conservative industry. Regulators are being asked to deal with more companies, more spacecraft, and more disputes than ever before. Now, as the heavens fill with more satellites, the scramble for radio frequency slots is growing ever more fractious.
LASER TRANSMISSION AGAINS RADIO SCRAMBLER TV
Many of the most desirable frequencies for orbital links were allocated to traditional radio and TV broadcasts long before the first satellites were launched. But bands of frequency still need to be assigned to particular users, to avoid interference that would make radio spectrum unusable. Multiplexing systems allow operators to share spectrum by finely slicing time slots and frequency channels as well as by encoding signals so that many different messages can be transmitted simultaneously.
Like people shouting at a party, competing signals at the same radio frequency can interfere and make communication difficult, so the spectrum needs to be parceled out in bite-size chunks for different uses. High-frequency x-rays would be dangerous microwave signals are absorbed by the atmosphere low-frequency radio waves are less effective at transmitting information and require large, ungainly antennas. Hardware development and artificial intelligence inside HENSOLDT electronics (æ) are core parts of our future-oriented technologies at Spectrum Dominance.Electromagnetic radiation spans a wide range of frequencies and energies, but only specific bands are useful for communication to and from space. Spectrum Dominance offers solutions not only for conventional and advanced electronic warfare but also for signal intelligence and cyber operations. Current networks are becoming more wireless so the boundaries between cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum are going to disappear. With a competence centre in Germany and in South Africa, HENSOLDT is using its global presence to meet specific customer requirements.ĭigitalization, big data and cyber technologies are inherent to the cyberspace as well as the electromagnetic spectrum. Information is not just collected but is also processed in such a way that it guarantees the customer's information superiority - using modular, scalable and tailor-made solutions. In response to this development HENSOLDT has created the Spectrum Dominance field of competence, in which the existing capabilities and disciplines of electronic warfare are combined through new solutions. Such systems based on artificial intelligence create completely new capabilities for the early detection of threats and for the protection of one's own forces in complex scenarios.
LASER TRANSMISSION AGAINS RADIO SCRAMBLER SOFTWARE
Rather, information about the situation in the area of operations, about one's own and the enemy forces plays an increasingly decisive role.The main prerequisites for this are highly specialised sensors and intelligent software that processes the collected raw data. Spectrum Dominance activities reflect the fact that military superiority can no longer be solely achieved with a physical presence, e.g.