Satellite's Role in Connected Vehicles Seen Depending Largely on Antenna Developments

Antenna technology and capabilities will be the big enabler of connected vehicle applications, said Intelsat Senior Counsel Cynthia Grady at an FCBA event Thursday. Changes in antennas' form factors -- their compactness and design -- will in turn have a big impact on the ubiquity of satellite in the connected vehicle space, she said. Driverless vehicles will rely on terrestrial data networks for their connectivity, but satellite can play a role in such things as vehicular software updates, speakers said. "You're never going to drive a car with satellite" due to latency issues, said Grady. "It's not the right choice." Grady said software updates via terrestrial networks would be cost prohibitive, plus terrestrial networks don't have satellites' universal connectivity. But satellite could play a part in passenger connectivity for uses like buses and trains, particularly in conjunction with cellular service, said lawyer Robert Koppel of Lukas LaFuria, who represents flat-panel company Kymeta. All automotive original equipment manufacturers are moving to over-the-air software updates, said Brian Daugherty, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association chief technology officer. Citing the FCC's unified earth station/satellite licensing proposal, Koppel said as more non-geostationary orbit satellites come online, that gets flat-panel antennas into the market faster, which in turn will expand the customer base and applications for those NGSOs. But antenna pricing is such that they won't be ubiquitous on individual cars anytime soon, Koppel said. Grady said increased satellite activity in the connected vehicle marketplace will exacerbate tension between satellite and terrestrial interests over spectrum access. The satellite industry is "already tight on spectrum," she said, noting increased industry interest in higher-frequency bands like Ka even though it's more vulnerable than C band to issues like rain scatter. She said as mobile terminals shrink in size they'll need higher power, which strains the 2-degree geostationary orbit separation rules for satellites.