Satellite at 'Diminishing Returns' on Coding, Spectral Efficiency, EchoStar/Hughes Say

To bolster the case for additional satellite spectrum, EchoStar and its Hughes Network Systems submitted a white paper posted Monday in FCC docket 14-177 laying out the history of Hughes' broadband satellite services. The point is to give more context as the FCC looks at spectrum rules above 24 GHz to help ensure "a technology neutral regulatory regime," it said. EchoStar/Hughes said it has seen in the past decade rapid growth in satellite capacity, from its 1 Gbps being its highest capacity satellite in 2006-2007 to today's offerings of 220 Gbps, and huge growth in the maximum number of spot beams per satellite. They said improvements in coding and spectral efficiency are "reaching a point of diminishing returns." The companies said the Ka-band is largely maxed out, requiring migration to the Q and V bands.