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Working the Tongas

Members of the ISP-Tech list explore the strange world of satellite Internet service. Although many prime positions in orbit have been taken, money can be made from less optimal slots.

[January 29, 2002]

On the ISP-Satellites list in January, ES inquired,

"How do you evaluate the economic and strategic values of a satellite slot orbit? Why are some slot orbits highly valued and some not?"

RB suggested that the answer should be obvious:

"Highly valued slots are highly valued because they cover key territory. Who cares about a slot which allows you to broadcast to the Pacific Ocean? It's mostly water."

MP observed that there's actually quite a bit to value in the Pacific Ocean:

"The operative word in that sentence is 'mostly.' Read this article on how useful Tonga can be: www.mendosa.com/tongasat.html."

Others explained that there's a complex combination of factors involved:

[MB offered] "A satellite needs a gateway to terrestrial connectivity, someone to fly it (TT&C), and it also needs customers. If you put a satellite in an orbital slot within twenty degrees of a population mass, a TT&C station, and a gateway, then it's easy to control, it's well connected, and it has a large and hungry consumer base. If, on the other hand, the TT&C has a six-degree elevation and the gateway is on the end of a 1300-mile microwave link and most of the coverage area consists of ocean, jungle and desert…well, I know which I'd pay more for!"

[JM noted] "One of the key issues is look angle. SATMEX 5, which is out over the Pacific, covers all of North and South America except the eastern part of Brazil: that's where the look angle to the satellite falls below about five degrees, the minimum useful look angle. Below five degrees, you get all sorts of nasty effects from the atmosphere."

[PM added] "For GEO slots it depends on how much frequency spectrum is 'available' at the slot in C, Ku, Ka or other bands, and how constrained the slot is by the transmissions of the neighboring satellite operators. The coordination of slots is a highly complex business: even for a relatively small satellite operator like us, we need two people full time to deal with all the issues."

—End