By Andrew Aroh

Moral, Welfare and Recreation [MWR] programs are a key part of Government and Emergency Response Operation. MWR networks are designed to support remotely deployed emergency response personnel, civilian employees, etc.

Satellite communication plays an important role in MWR programs. due to the fact that emergency response personnel may be deployed in areas suffering from manmade or natural disaster with no terrestrial connectivity.

The amount of data, voice and video exchanged in MWR networks. has grown substantially, along with the wide number of support service that are being offered.

Government and emergency response officials continuously seek new technologies to drive down bandwidth requirements and are working for ways to lower satellite bandwidth cost.

These objectives can be achieved through efficient satellite communication technology solution such as;

• Adaptive code modulation
• Cross-layer optimization
• Data casting
• Global Reach and Fast Deployment:
• Humanitarian missions into man-made or natural disaster areas, and peace keeping /relief operations take government and emergency response personnel to remote locations where often terrestrial communication infrastructure is unavailable, or has been destroyed.
• Scalable Multi-Service Hub:
• Through the Multi-Service Hub both large setup camps small sites and trucks can be connected with a common forward satellite carrier in order to establish access to MWR video, voice or data services[internet, intranet, TV broadcasting entertainment, telecom]
• The return technology can be SCPC or MF-TDMA [or a combination] depending on the return data, Size of the remote, Configuration of the network [point-to-point, point-to-multipoint]
• The Multi-Service hub provides reliable 2-way IP connectivity through a versatile and scalable hub as well as cost-effective and low power consumption remote terminals.
• The network contains management functions for:

Monitoring and control, SLA Management, QoS, Fair user policy.

• Double Throughput is some Bandwidth:
• Both the amount of voice, data and video traffic and the number of MWR networks over satellite have increased substantially.
• The boost in rates needs to be balanced with the lack of satellite capacity over some areas of operation.
• Dedicated technologies are being used in a large number of MWR networks to achieve maximum throughput independent of the selected satellite.

At the same time important OPEX reductions can be accomplished.

The used technologies include: Adaptive code modulation, Bandwidth cancellation, Clean channel technology, Equalink.

• Optimal Service Availability over variable conditions;
• Even in the most hatsh and hostile conditions it is important to have MWR networks over satellite available for crew and emergency response personnel at all times.
• However, Fading conditions could seriously disturbed the satellite transmission and lead to temporary link losses.
• Fading conditions could be due to different circumstances;

The choice of satellite [inclined orbit, ku,-ka-and x-band]

Environmental [tain, dust]

Interference [between two adjacent satellites]

• Therefore with the auto-adaptive technology these fading conditions will no longer interrupt the transmission between the hub and remote sites nor result in the loss of data.
• Moreover, service priorities [e.g, voice, data, video] and Quality-of service policies can be auto-adapted on-the-fly depending on the bandwidth availability through Cross-Layer Optimization technology.
• Support of Voice Data and Video
• Moral Welfare and Recreation services are a combination of:
• Voice [calling the home front]
• Data [social media, email, browsing]
• Video [news, sports, entertainment, TV and broadcast, training movies]
• Most of these streaming and file-transfer based services have converged towards IP.
• Through a multi-service platform the different MWR services over IP can be combined either in the hub or the remote into a single carrier for efficient over satellite at optimal service availability.
• For the broadband experience over satellite moderns and terminals the MWR network implement the most efficient technologies:
• Adaptive Code Modulation in the forward link
• Adaptive return technologies
• Embedded IP traffic enhancement

Software [aka Cross-Layer-Optimization]:

• Shaping
• TCP acceleration
• Pre-fetching
• Compression
• Next to an improved end-user experience, considetable cost gains can be achieved:
• Reduction of Webpage word. Time up to 60%
• Reduction of file Download up to 90%
• Up to 35% Bandwidth Reduction
• Reliable and Efficient Data Casting:
• Multicasting MWR content towards remote sites and total areas with Data casting software will immediately result in important efficiency and OPEX gains.
• The transmission towards remotes are aggregated in a common efficient DVB-S2 ACM forward over satellite.
• The content is stored on the server located at the remote.
• The reliability of the data casting [digital cinema, news, shows, etc.] is enhanced by the software’s partial retransmission capabilities.

Only the detected missing fragments are retransmitted which provides important OPEX gains for services on- the-move or those suffering from fading or interference conditions.

• Data casting software also has the following possibilities:
• Dynamic scheduling & prioritization
• Authentication, Authorization & Accounting
• Automated content Distribution via ‘’hot folders’’
• Monitoring & Control.

Andrew Aroh is President of SSPI Nigeria