In space, all telecommunications are wireless
The human conquest of space started in the late 1940s with the development of rocket technology. By the 1960s at the latest, all major powers had clear goals of space exploration, and the international space administration was assigned methods for agreeing on the use of radio frequencies. All countries that could make the attempt were eager to follow – after all, space offered new opportunities not only for science, but also telecommunications and the military. Important space research was also carried out in Finland, and Finnish organisations participated in multinational space projects. In the 21st century, Finland also joined the number of spacefaring nations by launching its first satellite, Aalto-1, into orbit around the Earth in 2017.
Traficom as a space authority
At Traficom, we make global agreements on the frequencies used by Finnish satellites, carry out frequency planning and grant licences for radio broadcasting to earth stations of satellites located in Finland in addition to Finnish satellites. We also act as the licensing and supervisory authority for earth station operations.
In addition, we enable global satellite services for the aircraft and seagoing vessels operating under the Finnish flag in our role as the national licensing authority for licences for radio broadcasting. Furthermore, we monitor and ensure the interference-free operation of critical services, such as satellite navigation, in Finland.
In addition to its duties as the national spectrum management authority, the National Cyber Security Centre Finland (NCSC-FI) of Traficom also acts as the National Security Authority for the Galileo satellite navigation system of the European Union (EU).
In Finland’s decentralised space administration, Traficom operates for its part in cooperation with the other authorities through the Finnish Space Committee and its secretariat in particular.
Maritime transport and aviation are the most traditional users of space-based communications networks and services
Ships and aircraft are the most traditional users of satellite services: in addition to navigation, their telecommunications needs are typically global, and the distances to terrestrial networks are too great to implement direct connections.
In the open sea, a satellite connection is the only broadband data connection available, because terrestrial connections, with the exception of narrow band HF (High Frequency), do not carry far into the international open seas.
Typically, the internet connections of ocean-going vessels and oil rigs are fully satellite-operated, and their cost is described as so high as to be unsustainable. The automation of future maritime transport will require constant data connections both in the open sea and on sea routes as well as at ports. This is also true for autonomous vessels that need a reliable and unbreakable connection from the port to the open sea.
In aviation, satellite data transfer is correspondingly important over the ocean, for example, and satellite positioning is also widely used. The need for data connections in aircraft throughout the whole flight is increasing for both aviation and the passengers. In fact, the investigation into possibilities of offering internet on aircraft by taking advantage of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that are quickly becoming more common has started. Such systems will be deployed in the near future.
In addition to these, satellite communications services have been used for a long time e.g. in disaster areas and the activities of the authorities and as backup connections for services critical to the security of supply.
Space-based communications networks and services are developing quickly with new innovations
New Space refers to a change in which space activities are no longer necessarily guided by state interests, but instead increasingly by private funding and commercial services provided with the help of low Earth orbit (300–2,000 km) satellites.
Space-related business is growing globally. There has been a revolution in the field that has enabled smaller and smaller operators to launch satellites and carry out business with related services. Space can be reached both faster and much more affordably than before. Satellites use radio frequencies to carry out their tasks, at least by using a radio to transmit control commands. The use of frequencies by a satellite travelling in space must be agreed upon with the spectrum authorities of several different countries. The rapid cycles of New Space challenge the operating methods of traditional international frequency coordination.
Several frequency bands have been allocated for the use of satellite systems internationally; out of them, the necessary and applicable ones are also used in Finland for the needs of satellite systems. In addition to a satellite, an earth station is typically also needed; control and other commands are sent to the satellite via the station, and it can be used to transfer informative data from the satellite to the ground. If the aim is to maintain a constant connection with the satellite, these earth stations must be located all around the globe.
The international frequency coordination procedure is based on a long-term, predictive operating model, in which the specific details of frequency needs for the frequency bands used by both satellites and the earth stations can be agreed upon years before launch. Traficom promotes the efficient use of frequencies and takes care of predictive frequency planning. We promote the national Finnish interest on the international forums, in which decisions are made on the use of frequencies on the global level.
Innovations in radio technology speed up development and also enable new operators in the space sector
Completely new markets are emerging in the space sector, and Finnish operators themselves, such as the small satellite projects by students of Aalto University, have also been involved in creating them. These parties are now among the forefront of those entering the emerging markets. Many companies have also received a lift from the business accelerators of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the financing programmes administered by Business Finland.
As an example of creating new kinds of business, a Finnish company has implemented a service in which data transmitted by radar satellites can also be generated in the dark or in poor weather conditions. Based on this kind of remote sensing based on radio technology, it is possible to gain data independent of the weather or time of day on things such as the movement of ice floes, floods or oil damage areas, the growth of crops or forests, illegal fishing – as well as the movements of groups of people or military equipment. Artificial intelligence will play a major role in assisting with the interpretation of radar images. More and more business opportunities are found for small low Earth orbit radar satellites.
The use of radio frequency radar from space makes it possible to generate accurate images on a global scale. This also poses a challenge for agreements on the use of radio frequencies: some countries may be very resistant against the use of radar.
Finnish technological expertise is also visible in other satellites through assignments completed via subcontracting. Different kinds of space-related software innovations have been successfully commercialised in addition to the construction of own satellite fleets mentioned above.
The growth and development of space activities are also visible in the congestion of satellite orbits
As the use of space becomes more active, it also brings along challenges related to controlling the movement of flocks of satellites and preventing collisions in particular. The lifetime of satellites is limited, after which they should be either directed to a graveyard of geosynchronous orbits in a controlled manner or burned in the atmosphere. The growing amount of uncontrolled space debris that remains in orbit has been identified as a global problem. Finland has taken the threat of space debris into account in its space legislation from the start, and satellite operators are required to take care of their objects in space throughout their lifecycle.
Even though the aim is to avoid the risks caused by space debris through global conventions and cooperation, more extensive monitoring and warning systems are also needed. Finland is a partner in the EU-wide group that monitors the situation picture in inner space.
Space research outside Earth’s inner space
Spaceships are also sent to space to study celestial bodies other than the Earth, such as asteroids. A small hyperspectral camera developed in Finland can be used for different space research applications and studies, among other things. Based on the results, it may be possible to estimate if starting mining in space would be economically viable, for example.
Probes sent to other celestial bodies in particular require a data connection based on very weak radio signals to operate due to the extremely long distances. In order to ensure this, agreements must be made on the use of frequencies so that terrestrial receivers can be protected from signals from both satellites as well as other terrestrial radio transmitters or networks that may cause interference.
Satellites must not cause interference for radio frequencies
For its part, Traficom enables Finnish satellites to reach space by making international agreements on the use of frequencies and granting licences for radio broadcasting to the radio transmitters of satellites.
Due to the nature of their operation, satellites may be “visible” anywhere on Earth, meaning that they may also cause radio interference anywhere. Therefore, the frequencies they use must be agreed in advance with the other telecommunications administrations in the world to avoid radio interference. In Finland, Traficom as the responsible authority ensures in international negotiations that Finnish satellite systems receive usable frequencies. Similarly in our continuing satellite coordination processes, we also ensure that our own terrestrial radio systems are protected from radio interference by the satellite systems deployed by other countries. With frequency planning on the national level, we aim to ensure that the radio systems operating within our country will not interfere with each other.
Our continuing work also includes developing the global rules for the use and terms of radio frequencies, so that different radio systems can operate without causing radio interference to each other. In fact, the number of new applications operating on radio frequencies is constantly growing, but the amount of spectrum they use does not increase – which is why making global agreements on the terms of use of different applications is important. Decisions on updating these rules are made in the world radio communications conferences of the UN and the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), held every 3–4 years. Traficom participates in these conferences and their preparations, influencing matters in our national interest.
By the end of the summer of 2023, we have granted licences for radio broadcasting to 34 Finnish satellites and several earth stations that control them. We also grant earth stations their earth station operating licences and monitor their activities.
The development of satellite broadband enables connections everywhere
In commercial satellite operations, the largest traditional business consists of satellite television broadcasts. The consumption of moving pictures is moving over to broadband, meaning internet services. However, this has reduced this business sector and caused a need for the established satellite operators to renew their business. Currently the satellite communications sector is growing and changing along with the developing technological solutions.
The traditional satellite communications providers have already been able to provide voice and data services to nearly all parts of the world for decades by using satellites on a geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometres above the equator. The challenges posed by these services have included the large antennas and transmission power required, slow data transfer speed and large data transfer delays. In addition, the availability of these services poses a challenge in the northern and southern latitudes, because the satellites are at a shallow angle in the sky, which means that obstacles in the terrain and the atmosphere affect the transmission of the signal.
Megaconstellations enable efficient satellite broadband
New Space is also revolutionising telecommunications. The infrastructure built in space – megaconstellations, or flocks of as many as tens of thousands of satellites – makes the internet available to the roughly three billion people who are not yet able to access it. The last of the blind spots on land and sea and in the air will be covered from space. Satellite connections can offer an option independent of the terrestrial infrastructure, and with certain boundary conditions, a cost-effective and resilient solution for implementing large coverage telecommunications networks.
The benefits of low Earth orbit (LEO) telecommunications satellites are shorter delays in telecommunications and a better signal strength thanks to the shorter distances. A shorter communications distance means that less transmission power and smaller antenna solutions are needed. At the same time, using these satellites is more complicated, because an individual satellite offering a service is constantly moving in the sky. This means that the earth station must be able to follow it with its antenna. In addition, satellites on a low Earth orbit need a denser network of earth stations than satellites on a higher orbit in order to function; the aim is to avoid this with data connections between satellites, in which the signal moves from one satellite to another either on a radio frequency or by using a laser link before it ends up in the terrestrial network.
At the moment, the satellite communications providers operate using their own technical solutions that work only in their own network. This means that users cannot easily change service providers; instead, all equipment must typically be replaced in connection with a change.
Taking advantage of mobile communication technologies in space
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an alliance of several telecommunications companies, is a party determining the interoperability of mobile communication technologies that also studies the cooperation of satellites and the terrestrial network with 5G technology. 3GPP has published various standards that enable the cooperation of satellites and the terrestrial network. The standardisation of these non-terrestrial networks (NTN) is still developing. In the coming years, an ability to implement a 5G service with base stations located in space or the stratosphere is expected.
The operating environment of the technology changes fundamentally in space compared to the terrestrial 5G networks, because the coverage of satellites may extend over several countries at a time, meaning that an agreement on the practices must be reached on a global level. In addition, the business models must be agreed with terrestrial service providers.
In the beginning, satellite 5G will be used in applications for the Internet of Things (IoT), transport and critical data transfer, because the terminal devices are large and the transmission power is high. This is usually not a problem in vehicles and fixed installations. The first satellite services offered directly to a mobile phone are already on the market, and they apply to sending emergency messages in areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable. However, there is still a long way to go from here to a mobile satellite data transfer service offering a reasonable speed and solutions with a better battery life.
IRIS2 is the future satellite communications system of the EU
The changed security situation and global development have created a need to ensure that Europe is able to operate using reliable and safe communications connections of its own. As a result, the EU has created the Secure Connectivity Programme, which is used to establish IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite). The aim of the programme is to establish safe connections on different levels aimed at official use with new and existing satellite constellations. The development and start-up phases are planned for 2023–2027, after which the services and capabilities will be updated to meet the developing needs, including future quantum data transfer needs.
Various Finnish authorities are involved in the specification of services and planning the operations. For its part, Traficom participates in the planning and acts as the spectrum management authority for the frequencies needed by the system.
It is evident that in the coming years security, which also includes national security, will be an element that will remain very important and that will also be taken into account in the development of space activities with regard to both national and international strategy work.
Traficom participates in promoting satellite communications services
Traficom acts as the spectrum management authority in Finland; its duties include enabling the use of telecommunications services with satellite technology, regardless of whether the satellite communications are privately operated or take place at the EU level. Typically, we exempt the frequency areas used by terrestrial terminal devices for satellite communications, and therefore also the terminal devices themselves, from a separate licence for radio broadcasting, which allows users to purchase the equipment and draw up a service agreement with an operator without obtaining a separate licence for radio broadcasting for the equipment.
Some telecommunications services targeted at professional use utilise frequencies that require more specific frequency planning to ensure freedom from interference, which means that they also require a licence for radio broadcasting for terrestrial stations. The licence procedure for radio broadcasting and the case-by-case frequency planning related to it ensure well-functioning telecommunications connections that are as free from interference as possible for the users of radio systems, i.e. earth stations, satellite terminals or satellites.
Traficom is also closely involved in the development of 6G mobile communications technology. Satellite and other non-terrestrial uses are also an integral part of the planning for this next generation of mobile communications technology. In addition, an agreement must be made in international frequency cooperation on methods that enable the interference-free use of frequencies even when the base station is located in space. We also act as Finland’s representative in the telecommunications programmes of ESA, which are used to develop technology that will enable 5G/6G telecommunications satellites in the future, too.
The monitoring of space phenomena is developing and awareness of their impact is increasing
Technological development has created new opportunities for researching space phenomena, planets – including the Earth – and monitoring changes. Space activities play their own important role in promoting sustainable development.
Great leaps forward are being taken in remote sensing, or monitoring the status of the planet from space, when a large number of new sensors are launched on a low Earth orbit in remote sensing satellites in addition to the traditional remote sensing satellites for monitoring and surveying land, sea and the atmosphere. They can provide valuable information for purposes such as mitigating climate change and solving food production issues. In remote sensing activities, replacing satellites with terrestrial research is not easy, because studying the planet and the condition of the atmosphere comprehensively on the ground is difficult. The best way to see the forest from the trees is to look at it from space.
A Finnish company has developed remote sensing with its own satellites; their hyperspectral imagining makes it possible to obtain new kinds of information on the Earth with a short response time. This may have a major impact on issues such as promoting food production. Even though transmissions on a radio frequency like in radar are not needed to generate the images, a sufficient number of frequencies must nevertheless be reserved for transferring large amounts of data to the ground in order to enable the transfer of informative data and communication with earth stations around the world.
Space weather may also affect communications networks – research and monitoring enable the forecasting of space weather phenomena
Research of space weather, or magnetic phenomena in the stratosphere, provides important information on matters such as solar storms that may affect the functioning of satellite-based communications and positioning systems in particular. Solar storms may cause radio interference especially in the HF frequencies used by aviation and maritime transport, and they may also interfere with the operation of satellites and terrestrial power and telecommunications networks. On Earth’s surface, strong solar storms are visible as Aurora Borealis and Australis.
Finnish scientific operators, especially the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the University of Helsinki and the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory of the University of Oulu, have studied space weather and its impact. In order to enable research, it has been necessary to reserve certain frequency bands in the radio frequency spectrum for scientific research. The role of Traficom is to ensure that the bands required for research are recorded in international conventions, so that the space weather systems important to Finland as well as the wider scientific community are taken into account.
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