Application of mmWave technology in HAPS and LEO constellations

Mike Geen (Filtronic) presenting at Interlligent UK's 2019 RF Design Seminar. High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites, operating in the stratosphere, together with Low Earth Orbit satellite constellations have the potential to provide solutions to the challenge of providing ubiquitous connectivity. While there is great progress in developing ever faster mobile networks to serve major centres of population, to deliver the full promise of 5G and address the digital divide it is essential to provide coverage to low population areas where terrestrial mobile networks are not viable and where many of the IoT sensors will be located.
This presentation gives an overview of the role of HAPS and satellites in forming “networks in the sky” and describes some of the RF challenges in designing the high data rate (10Gbps-plus) communication links needed to backhaul data, both between earth and the satellite/HAPS and between satellites/HAPS.