Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

by Mark Dankberg

This paper presents a fundamentally new technique for two-way

satellite communications called Paired Carrier Multiple Access
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

(PCMA). PCMA is a novel method for frequency re-use with

existing and planned satellites which allows two different earth
stations to use the same frequency, time slots, and/or CDMA code
at the same time. The benefit of PCMA is that it may effectively
double the throughput of satellite systems in terms of
bits/sec/Hz, with a minimal impact on the Eb/No required to
achieve a desired Bit Error Rate. We describe how this technique
can be applied with any of the commonly used multiple access
techniques such as FDMA, TDMA, or CDMA. PCMA may also be
applied independently of the modulation and coding technique
for the link. PCMA is used in addition to — not instead of— other
bandwidth and power efficient modulation, coding and multiple
access techniques. The paper describes how PCMA works and
illustrates the benefits achieved. Properly applied, PCMA can be
a powerful tool to double the capacity of emerging satellite
systems offering fixed site services ranging from basic telephony
to high speed Internet access. The technology underlying PCMA
has been granted a US patent.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new concept in multiple access

techniques for two-way satellite communications called "Paired Carrier Multiple
Access" (PCMA). PCMA is a frequency "re-use" technique that takes advantages of the
"loopback" broadcast nature of satellite communications. The paper is organized as
follows:

• Basic concept of PCMA operation

• PCMA applications
• Extension to asymmetric satellite links
• PCMA implementation concepts
• A DAMA voice application example
• Conclusions

The foundation for PCMA is captured in Figure 1 -,PCMA Concept. Two satellite
terminals are engaged in 2-way communication. For PCMA, we require the

ViaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

following assumptions for the satellite links' (which are valid for most existing and
planned fixed site systems):

• The satellite operates in a "loopback" mode. That is, signals transmitted by

each terminal can also be received by each terminal (with some, as yet
undefined, signal to noise ratio).
• The satellite uses a "bent-pipe" transponder. That is, the satellite does not
digitally demodulate the uplink signals and remodulate them on the
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

downlink. Functionally, the operations performed by the satellite

transponder are bandpass filtering, frequency translation and
amplification.

Each terminal transmits an uplink signal and receives a downlink signal from the other
terminal. To date, all satellite links have separated the two uplink signals in one or
more dimensions using one or more of the common multiple access techniques (e.g.,
TDMA, FDMA, and/or CDMA).

Uplink
Terminal
Terminal 2
* > JJfjJink

__ A' Downlink = _
Rx Terminal 2 Terminal j + Rx Terminal
Terminal 2
Figure 1 - PCMA. Concept

For instance, with FDMA, the two uplink signals use nominally non-overlapping
frequencies. In TDMA, the two uplink signals operate at the same nominal frequency,
but in different time slots. With CDMA, the signals may use the same bandwidth at the
same time, but they are discriminated via distinct CDMA codes. Hybrid systems
combine multiple access techniques (e.g., multi-carrier TDMA), but still rely on
uniqueness in one or more dimensions to allow a receiver to distinguish and detect a
signal from other terminals.

With PCMA we intentionally allocate the exact same multiple access dimensions to a
pair of satellite terminals. That is, they simultaneously use the same frequency, time
slots (if applicable), and CDMA code (if applicable). We take advantage of the bent-

1
Subsequently we identify types of satellite communications systems that do not fit these assumptions and
can not use PCMA.

VlaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

pipe, loopback nature of satellite transmission to allow each terminal to reliably

separate its own transmission from that of the other terminal in the pair.

This fundamental concept is very powerful. Each terminal knows exactly what
information it sent, and knows the processing that its signal undergoes when it is
transmitted through its own uplink, the satellite itself, and its own receiver. Therefore
each terminal can estimate the contribution of its own component to the composite
downlink consisting of itself plus the desired signal from the other terminal in the
pair. The own portion of the signal can be subtracted, leaving only the desired signal.
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

The benefit of this new method is that it collapses two separate satellite transmissions
into exactly the same overlapping dimensions of frequency, time and code space. For
symmetric links this doubles the apparent bandwidth of the system. Note that we
have not required any assumptions regarding the nature of the modulation waveform,
or coding technique. PCMA does not affect the end-to-end E,/No required.

Signal Suppression
Each terminal transmits a coded and modulated waveform. Modern satellite links
primarily use digital modulation, typically Phase Shift Keying (PSK), but any
combination of analog and/or digital Amplitude, Phase and Frequency modulation can
be used. Each terminal receives a composite downlink signal which includes the
nominal sum of the two uplinks. The two signals overlap in time, frequency and/or
code space.

In order to subtract its own signal from the composite downlink the terminal must
accurately estimate each of its own downlink parameters from the composite signal.
The uplink and downlink parameters are shown in Figure 2 - Own Signal Loopback
Parameter Estimation. The round trip to the satellite results in an own downlink signal
with an unknown amplitude; a frequency offset from the nominal downlink due to
reference and/or translation error, and/or Doppler shift; unknown relative carrier
phase; unknown relative symbol timing; and a time offset due to the round trip
propagation delay.

Gain, Gu
Frequency, fu
Carrier Phase, (j>u
Gain G
Symbol Phase, TU/ / . d
Frequency, fd
Carrier Phase, (])d
Symbol Phase, xd
Propagation delay, Trt

Figure 2 - Own Signal Loopback Parameter Estimation

VlaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

Of course, a terminal's own signal parameters cannot be perfectly estimated so the

onm signal is not perfectly cancelled by subtracting the estimate, but is attenuated, or
suppressed by some amount (say X dB). This is shown in Figure 3 - Signal
Suppression.
D wn|
s~r*\^t^ °
XdBl
Unprocessed
Downlink "Own"
S 9nd
'
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

Suppressed
Oww" Signal
Frequency
Figure 3 - Signal Suppression

Suppressing the own signal results in some Carrier to Interference ratio (C/T) between
the desired signal and the own interfering one. This is analogous to the C/I resulting
from other sources of satellite interference, e.g., intermodulation products, imperfect
cross-polarization isolation, imperfect adjacent satellite discrimination, or imperfect
spot beam isolation. The suppressed own signal adds "noise" to the nominal thermal
noise, and other interference factors, to degrade the Bit Error Rate (BER) performance
of the desired signal receiver. We can roughly estimate the amount of degradation by
simply adding it to the noise floor. This means that the amount of BER degradation is a
function of the C/I suppression factor, the desired E,/No operating point, and the
occupied signal bandwidth (which depends on the FEC code rate, and modulation
type).

OQPSK, 1

C/I = 24 dB

4 5 8 9 1 0
(dB)

Figure 4 - BER Degradation

Figure 4 - BER Degradation, shows that a C/I ratio of 20 to 25 dB between the desired
signal and the interfering own signal degrades end-to-end BER by about Vt dB or less
for a useful range of E,/No (for this waveform). More complex coding schemes such as

VlaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

sequential, concatenated or turbo codes would operate at the lowest E/No levels.
Voice applications with convolutional encoding and Viterbi decoding would operate
in the middle range. Data networks, or newer high order "M-ary" waveforms would
require the higher Eb/No levels to achieve their target BER's. Initial tests indicate the 20
to 25 dB signal suppression levels are attainable with transponders in linear regions.
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

There are many applications that benefit from PCMA. These include networks ranging
from dedicated point-to-point links to DAMA voice and TDMA VSAT data networks.

Multiple access
PCMA can be applied to the three common satellite multiple access techniques
(FDMA, TDMA, and CDMA). The figures below show the basic approach for each
technique for symmetric full duplex links. The concepts can be extended to allow for
asymmetries in each multiple access component.

The upper half of Figure 5 - FDMA Example, shows "normal" FDMA. The uplink
originating at Terminal 1 would be at fl Hz and the uplink originating from Terminal 2
would be at f2 Hz. The carrier center frequencies would be far enough apart so that
the two signals, each of bandwidth W Hz, would not overlap.

Normal FDMA
WHz

Both carriers
on same frequency

Figure 5 - FDMA Example

With PCMA, both signals are placed at the exact same uplink frequency fo. Each
receiver demodulates the desired signal by suppressing its cnvn signal.

Figure 6 - "Normal" TDMA, shows how PCMA applies to TDMA. In normal TDMA
each terminal would transmit in a different TDMA time slot.

ViaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

• TDMA Frame ——»

«—TDMA Slot
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

Figure 6 - "Normal" TDMA

With PCMA, a pair of terminals would both transmit in the exact same time slot, as
shown in Figure 7 - PCMA TDMA. This cuts the total number of time slots needed for
a 2-way circuit in half, reducing the total effective bandwidth used.

. TDMA Frame ——».

4—TDMA Slot

Figure 7-PCMATDMA

PCMA can be applied to CDMA in a similar manner. In normal CDMA, each

transmitting terminal uses a unique CDMA code to distinguish its signal. In some
situations, the CDMA code space may be the limiting factor. The available code space
is a function of the transponder bandwidth and the information rate.

Transponder Bandwidth Tranvondar Bandwidth

Transponder J
Powur T

Figure 8 - "Normal" CDMA Figure 9-PCMACDMA

ViaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

With PCMA, each terminal in the pair transmits using a single CDMA code, as shown
in Figure 9 - PCMA CDMA. This effectively doubles the code space, which may be
equivalent to doubling the bandwidth.

Network types
PCMA can be effectively applied to an array of 2-way satellite links, including
dedicated point-to-point and networked applications. Example applications include:
• Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC) and Multiple Channel Per Carrier
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

(MCPC) links, including Intelsat IBS/IDR

• Single or multi-carrier TDMA networks
• VSAT networks
• Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) circuits
• Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) voice and data networks.

Inappropriate uses
PCMA requires a satellite loopback transponder and 2-way communication. So, it
would not be appropriate for applications such as:
• 1-way TV, audio or data broadcast
• Crossbanded applications such as Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) using L-
band from the satellite to a mobile terminal and C or Ku band from the
satellite to a fixed gateway earth station
• Systems where the uplink is sent from one satellite to another via a space-
based cross link before being downlinked
• Non-loopback spot beam transponders, which are sometimes used for
trans-oceanic coverage
• Satellites with on-board digital demodulators.
Note that while cross-banding and non-loopback spot beam transponders are
inappropriate for PCMA, they are simply different types of frequency re-use
techniques. Those two techniques have the disadvantage of preventing terminals
under a satellite footprint from communicating directly with each other with a single
satellite hop (e.g., in the MSS case, cross-banded mobile-to-mobile links require two
satellite hops, or else a self-loopback non-cross-banded transponder connection). By
planning for PCMA, satellite systems can often obtain the same bandwidth gains,
without the disadvantages of these other re-use techniques, for certain applications.

PCMA is simplest with symmetric 2-way satellite links. Symmetric links are the same
in each direction. But, many satellite links are asymmetric in one or more ways. PCMA
can still be applied to asymmetric links, with bandwidth savings depending on the
asymmetry. Loopback satellite links may be asymmetric due to a number of reasons,
including:

VlaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

• Asymmetric satellite link characteristics due to differences in ground

equipment (e.g., antenna size) or terminal location or propagation
conditions
• Different channel coding or information rates in each direction
• Different modulation techniques in each direction.

The best application of PCMA depends on the circumstances. The figure shows an
example of a "hub-spoke" link where the antenna at one end is bigger than the other.
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

Desired

Figure 10 -Asymmetric Full Duplex Circuit

In Figure 10 - Asymmetric Full Duplex Circuit, the gain of the 6 meter antenna is
about 8 dB greater than the 2.4 meter terminal. So the carrier power at the satellite
needed to close a link in the direction toward the larger earth station is about 8 dB
lower. Therefore, the 2.4 meter terminal already starts with a C/l of +8 dB for the
desired signal relative to its own interfering signal. But, the 6 meter dish starts with an
8 dB handicap. That is, with the C/l, prior to suppression is -8 dB. However, there is a
counter balancing factor, which is that when the own signal is larger than the desired
it can be more accurately estimated. That allows a greater suppression level.
Conversely, in the other direction, the weaker own signal is more difficult to
suppress. The net effect is that the resulting C/l, after suppression, tends to be
comparable in each direction.

PCMA requires several additional processing elements as shown in reverse type in

Figure 11 - PCMA Modem Block Diagram, below. The new elements consist of:

• An own signal estimation block which derives the parameters of the own
signal from the composite downlink.
• Delay, frequency, phase and gain adjustment blocks which are used to
align the locally generated cancellation signal with the own component of
the downlink signal.
• Modulator & filter blocks which compensate for uplink and downlink
filtering effects.

ViaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR S A T E L L I T E C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

The physical implementation of these functional blocks depends, of course, on the

type of satellite modem involved. For modern Digital Signal Processor (DSP) based
modems, the PCMA functions may be achieved completely in firmware.
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

Figure 11 - PCMA Modem Block Diagram

There is a broad array of satellite networking scenarios where PCMA offers substantial
benefits. PCMA allows an improvement in bits/sec/Hz by effectively making more
bandwidth available through frequency re-use. In general there are several different
strategies that can be applied:

• Apply PCMA to achieve a higher data rate on each link using the same
bandwidth. This can allow higher throughput for the same number of
subscribers per network.
• Apply PCMA to achieve the same data rate on each link, but with less
bandwidth. This can support more subscribers per network, when the
throughput per user is already adequate.
• Apply PCMA to achieve the same data rate on each link, in the same
aggregate bandwidth, but at a lower channel coding rate. This converts
the bandwidth gain to a coding gain, which can improve link margin, or
reduce the power needed to achieve the same link quality.

Each strategy results in higher network-wide aggregate throughput, or reduced power

requirements. The choice depends on the user requirements, as well as the physics
and economics of the satellite networks. It is important to preserve a balance
between power and bandwidth consumption. In some cases, PCMA would best be
used with other techniques that save power commensurate with the bandwidth
savings. For example, by applying lower rate FEC codes with more coding gain, voice
activation, or by using more powerful codes (e.g., concatenated or turbo codes).

One of the most promising applications for PCMA is in thin route DAMA voice and
data networks. Many of these terminals use low data rate digital voice compression,
and use more bandwidth than power. Plus, voice communication naturally uses full

VlaSal
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

duplex links that are symmetric in data rate (if not power). Figure 12 - PCMA Voice
Bandwidth Gains, compares the bandwidth needed per full duplex voice circuit for
the common low and medium data rate "toll quality" ITU vocoders, assuming OQPSK
modulation, R = % EEC coding, and Square Root Raised Cosine (SRRQ pulse shaping
for carriers spaced at 1.4 times the symbol rate. In each case, the PCMA bandwidth
needed is only half the "normal" FDMA bandwidth.
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

Full Voice
Circuit (kHz) PPCMA
• No PCMA

G.728 G.729 G.723.1

Vocoder Standard

Figure 12 - PCMA Voice Bandwidth Gains

For 8 kbps ITU G.729 vocoders, for instance, PCMA allows less than 8 kHz per full
circuit, compared to almost 16 kHz with normal FDMA. Given sufficient avaikble
power, this doubles the capacity of the satellite.

Figure 13 - PCMA Bandwidth Savings, depicts a frequency domain representation of

the G.729, R = %, OQPSK, 1.4x spacing case with and without PCMA.

© With PCMA: 3 full circuits = 24 kHz, half the bandwidth

+ 8kHz *<«. 8KHZ *<«• 8KHZ »>

Figure 13-PCMA Bandwidth Savings

10
ViaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

As an example, we considered a representative current generation C band DAMA

satellite "trunking" network for thin-route voice with these characteristics.

• Satellite EIRP: 38 dBW

• Satellite output backoff: 3 dB
• Satellite receive G/T: 0 dB/K
• Satellite SFD: -93 dBW/m2
• Transponder bandwidth: 36 MHz
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

• VSAT aperture: 3.8 meters

• VSAT G/T: 22.6 dB/K

For this combination of parameters, we can compute the percentage of satellite

bandwidth and power used for each 8 kbps (G.729) full voice circuit with and
without PCMA. The results are shown in Figure 14 - Power & Bandwidth Balancing.

Bandwidth

Power
Par Full
Circuit

No P C M A PCMA

Figure 14 - Power & Bandwidth Balancing

For these parameters, in the case without PCMA, each voice circuit uses only about
.024% of the transponder downlink power, but consumes about .05% of the
transponder bandwidth. This configuration is very bandwidth limited. The maximum
number of full circuits per transponder is about 1 ^-.05% or 2,000 full circuits. But,
there is enough power available to support 1 -*-.024% or about 4,000 full circuits.

Using PCMA cuts the bandwidth per full circuit in half. Now, each full circuit uses
about the same amount of bandwidth as power (about .024% each). This allows the
capacity per transponder to double to 4,000 full circuits.

We anticipate that PCMA would have the greatest benefits for new satellite systems
that are designed to take advantage of it. There are several emerging applications for
2-way fixed site satellite services for homes and businesses ranging from basic
telephony to high speed Internet access. Total aggregate throughput will be a

11
ViaSat
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

powerful competitive discriminator among those systems. Satellite networks with

greater capacity will be able to support more subscribers per spacecraft, have
flexibility to offer a broader range of services, and/or offer more competitive pricing.

PCMA, by allowing both directions in a 2-way link to overlap in frequency, effectively

increases the bandwidth available to the system. It changes the power-bandwidth
balancing point for satellite transponder loading.
Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

Satellite networks may be either bandwidth or power limited. Obviously, if a network

is power limited, adding bandwidth (e.g., by PCMA) is not very useful. But, modern
satellite systems have increased satellite link power budgets by:
• adding advanced error correction and coding schemes (e.g., sequential,
concatenated, or turbo codes),
• using more efficient payload power amplifiers,
• building higher power spacecraft bus systems
• using better satellite antennas,
• more effective source coding algorithms (e.g., lossless LZH, better video
MPEG 2, and lower-rate voice G.729 or G.723.1),
as well as other means. As effective power increases, bandwidth consistently
becomes more of a bottleneck.
It is also important to consider PCMA in the context of two other major trends in
satellite communications. First, fiber optics is obviously displacing satellite in "thick
route" long haul transmission. For the past decade or more there has been a clear
trend towards 2-way satellite terminals as "customer premises" equipment. This began
with data VSATs, and has extended to the emerging mobile satellite services (MSS)
such as Globalstar and Iridium. Contemplated fixed site systems offering metered
services ranging from basic telephony to high speed Internet access (e.g., Cyberstar,
Spaceway, or M2A) continue this trend. Economically, these systems depend on
"retail" revenues derived from fixed monthly access, transaction, and "per minute"
fees. Clearly, the number of retail subscribers supported per satellite becomes a
powerful economic and competitive discriminator. In almost all cases, subscriber
capacity is limited by the available bandwidth.
Secondly, while most fixed site networks now operate on "off-the-shelf' general
purpose satellites, there is a clear trend towards "mission specific" payloads for
customer premises networks. A "generic" satellite is intentionally a compromise to
support a broad range of customers such as TV broadcast, data VSATs, SCPC trunks,
DAMA voice and other services. Such satellites are not optimal (or competitive) for
highly focused markets such as 2-way Internet access. It's no surprise, then, that
generic systems may be either bandwidth or power limited depending on the
circumstances. But, the newer "mission specific" systems are tailored to fit their
market. In virtually all these networks, bandwidth becomes the most precious
"natural resource".
Therefore, we anticipate that PCMA will be a powerful tool in increasing the capacity
of emerging "mission specific" customer premises two-way satellite networks.

12
1/feSaf
 Copyright© 1998, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

PCMA FOR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

Downloaded by UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 13, 2015 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/6.1998-1398

ViaSat

ViaSat 13