Providing IP trunking services to ISPs in a highly competitive

market with razor-thin margins requires constant scrutinizing

of the operation expenses (OPEX). Satellite service providers,

teleports or satellite operators that provide these services

are faced with new and complex challenges to maintain their

competitiveness, while remaining profi table. Implementing

new technical solutions to deal with these challenges is more

essential than ever.

This document explains how the latest DVB-S2 ACM technology,

integrated with a range of smart IP appliances, provide the

perfect answer to these business requirements. Newtec’s

DVB-S2 FlexACM implementation doubles the data throughput

in satellite IP trunking and IP backbone systems, and provides

100% link availability. Getting up to speed with these latest

technologies allows service providers to double their revenue

or reduce their operational costs by half, whichever is their goal.

The following case studies explain how companies are using

this new technology, and what value it brings to their business:

Newtecwww.newtec.eu

R2/06/06.2009

How to keep IP satellite services profi table ? WTA Teleport Technology of the year 2009.

“Double your business with adaptive

IP trunking networks”

Cobranet –

FlexACM & heavy rain fade

A satellite link throughput gain of 70%

without acceleration or compression. During

heavy rain fade of 20dB, the link remains

available, outperforming all competitors.

Horizon Satellite Services -

FlexACM & suboptimal receive conditions

An increase of 43% in IP throughput,

without using acceleration or compression.

SkyVision -

FlexACM & inclined orbit satellites

An average increase of 85% in IP throughput,

with peaks of improvement up to 137%.

What is FlexACM?

FlexACM is a unique end-to-end solution for implementing

ACM technology, IP shaping, compression and acceleration

in a very effi cient way for IP trunking and IP backbone

satellite links. The implementation of FlexACM can result

in a doubling of the data throughput in a given satellite

segment while also guaranteeing a 100% link availability.

Adaptive Coding and Modulation (ACM), part of the DVB-S2

standard, allows modifi cation of the modulation and coding

parameters (modcods) of a satellite signal on the fl y, without

interrupting the transmission and without losing data.

Newtec’s FlexACM solution is more than DVB-S2 ACM: it

is the fi rst commercially available system on the market,

which integrates DVB-S2 ACM with advanced IP optimization

technologies such as traffi c accelerating, compression and

shaping. The FlexACM solution can be used in point-to-point

and point-to-multipoint systems, in one way (with terrestrial

return channel) as well as in two way confi gurations (with

the return channel also over satellite). It is also possible to

implement the FlexACM solution in existing satellite links

without changing the rest of the transmission chain, such

as the antenna and HPA. The FlexACM solution combines

ACM technology with an automatic measurement of the

instantaneous link conditions (signal to noise ratio) every few

seconds and a system that automatically adjusts the modcods

parameters when needed. Under these circumstances, the

satellite link always uses the highest possible modulation

scheme and the lowest possible level of error correction, while

still keeping the signal to noise ratio above the minimum

threshold to guarantee an error free transmission at all times.

By using FlexACM, teleport operators don’t have to take rain

margin into account anymore. When the conditions of the

link become worse because of rain fade or other reasons, the

system will automatically change the parameters to avoid loss

of signal reception. When satellites in inclined orbits are used,

FlexACM allows teleport operators to increase signifi cantly

the data throughput during periods when there is no service

degradation due to the antenna gain reduction caused by the

satellite drift.

Actually, in almost every form of interference or less optimal

transmit or receive conditions, FlexACM proves to be

benefi cial. Some examples where FlexACM is valuable:

– ground noise due to extreme heat

– high attenuation at low elevation angles

– pointing/tracking losses

– satellite gain variations

– interference conditions (cross pol, inter transponder,

between satellites, C-band interference with WiMax &

microwave)

– diff erent locations AND diff erent antenna sizes

– small antennas in the network (1,2m, 1,8m and 2,4m)

– over dimensioning of Link budgets by the Satellite

Operator (eg. change in EIRP & G/T over the life time of

the satellite)

In order to anticipate on degrading link conditions, the

FlexACM system relies on a unique patent pending Noise

and Distortion Estimator (NoDE) capability, on each of the

receiving points, NoDE off ers the most accurate estimation

available on the market. To feed this information back to

the transmission side, the FlexACM system provides an IP

communication channel between each of the receivers and

the transmitter. This IP channel can run over terrestrial lines in

a one way confi guration and can even use the return channel

of the satellite link in a two way confi guration set-up.

The FlexACM system must then decide how the remaining

capacity is distributed among the diff erent services and

receiving points. This requires a dynamic shaping of the IP

services and a QoS management in line with the bandwidth

variations caused by the ACM behaviour. On top of that, the

built-in traffi c shaper also needs to ensure priority for services

with a predefi ned SLA, VoIP, audio and video services.

By using FlexACM technology teleport operators can turn

the additional link margin that was wasted before, into

increased data throughput resulting in extra revenue.

threshold to guarantee an error free transmission at all tim

To further optimize the effi ciency of the system, FlexACM

includes cross layer optimization by using advanced features

such as traffi c acceleration, to compensate for the transmission

delay inherent for satellite communication, and dynamic “on-

the-fl y” compression of the IP traffi c to achieve a considerable

reduction of the data traffi c that needs to be sent over the

satellite link.

Cross layer optimization enables FlexACM to provide two

major business benefi ts:

• FlexACM always maximizes the throughput of a

satellite link, doubling the capacity on average,

which results in an average increase of the revenue

by 2x !

• FlexACM guarantees 100 percent availability of the

link reception, even when all other systems are down,

which can ultimately result in an “Always On” Service

Level Agreement (SLA).

These advantages are particularly useful for IP transmission

over satellite, where higher throughput is always welcome

and where the end-users never want to lose their connection.

The combination of all these factors makes FlexACM the

unique solution for teleport operators to keep their business

profi table.

The value of FlexACM for Teleport Operators

Today teleport operators are faced with new and complex

challenges to provide competitively priced services while still

remaining profi table. Implementing new solutions to deal

with these challenges is more essential than ever, the Newtec

FlexACM solution is the answer for teleport operators to:

1 Reduce costs

2 Improve customer satisfaction

3 Achieve very high service reliability

1 Reduce costs

Space segment is one of the biggest operational costs for a

teleport operator and is often in scarce supply. The challenge

for teleport operators is in the fact that they are buying space

segment in MHz, but their customers are typically paying

them for Mbit/s throughput. The logical consequence is

that the more data throughput they can achieve per MHz

bandwidth, the more profi table their business becomes. The

Newtec FlexACM solution integrates advanced IP optimization

technologies (such as traffi c

acceleration, compression and

shaping) with the complete

feature set of DVB-S2 (generic

mode, ACM technology) in order

to increase the throughput of the

satellite channel.

Effi ciency gain related to the use of ACM technology can reach

up to 130% compared to DVB-S systems without ACM. On top

of the benefi t of DVB-S2 ACM, the integrated result of cross

layer optimization (dynamic optimization across the physical

and traffi c layers) results in a drastic reduction of the required

satellite bandwidth for a given data throughput. This means

that the cost of the satellite segment per Mbps is reduced from

e.g. 2,500 USD/month/Mbps to 1,250 USD/month/Mbps!

In other words, IP trunking networks based on

Newtec’s FlexACM technology can increase the

revenue for the teleport operator by a factor of 2!

With this kind of reduction on the satellite segment cost, new

markets and business models can be addressed that where

previously not profi table.

The cost of the

satellite segment

is reduced with

50%...

FlexACM with Cross Layer OptimisationFlexACM with Cross Layer Optimisation

2 Improve Customer Satisfaction

The FlexACM solution contributes to improving customer

satisfaction at many levels. FlexACM off ers advantages for the

ISP as well as for the end-user. Because the FlexACM system

recognizes data packets at application level, the FlexACM

system can dynamically assign bandwidth and priority to each

individual service or application. For example, VoIP applications

typically get one of the highest priorities while FTP download

gets a lower priority, and services are diff erentiated according to

the Service Level Agreements (SLA) subscribed by the customers.

This process of dynamically assigning bandwidth and providing

prioritization is called shaping of the IP traffi c and is embedded

as a standard capability in the FlexACM solution.

Shaping allows the ISP to avoid congestion even at

peak times and provides customers with a ‘superior

user experience’.

The ISP can also defi ne diff erent sets of profi les for groups of

customers, determining features such as Maximum Information

Rate (MIR), Committed Information Rate (CIR) and overbooking

ratios. With all these features, the ISP can avoid having a small

part of its customers consume almost all the available bandwidth

and aff ect the satisfaction of the other users.

For the end user, one of the many advantages FlexACM off ers is

the use of HTTP prefetching, which enables fast transmission of

web objects resulting in fast and effi cient websurfi ng. Because

of prefetching, the end-user has the impression of instant access

to websites comparable to DSL or cable connection. The use

of TCP acceleration compensates for the transmission delay

inherent for satellite communication. By using acceleration,

the end user can reach much higher download speeds over the

satellite channel.

3 Achieve very high service reliability

A unique feature of FlexACM is its ability to react very fast to

heavy rain storms, increasing dynamically the level of error

correction so the satellite link is never interrupted. This results in

a reduction of the available throughput, but the shaping function

makes sure the SLA are respected and that critical services are

not aff ected. When the storm is over and the link conditions

improve again, every customer immediately recovers its original

transmission speed. Even in the worst weather conditions,

FlexACM guarantees “Always on” connectivity. Higher SLA’s can

off er and result in higher revenues for the teleport owner.

The FlexACM solution can do even more in the worst

weather conditions: FlexACM delivers reduced, but

guaranteed data throughput, “Always on” SLA become

possible which is translated in higher revenues for the

teleport owner.

Another big advantage of FlexACM when high service reliability

are demanded, is the fact that FlexACM overcomes uncertainties

when calculating link budgets : in general when assumptions

on rain margin, interference levels, satellite quality, receive

& transmit conditions, … have to be made, these can only be

proven when going into operation. When these assumptions

turn out to be diff erent in real life, the risk for serious issues on

quality and reliability exists. With FlexACM, wrong assumptions

do not result in decreased quality or reliability of the link: the

link will always perform to what is maximum achievable in the

envisaged conditions.

Case studiesFlexACM Case studies

Cobranet (Nigeria, Africa) –FlexACM & heavy rain fade

Nigeria-based CobraNet is a leading provider of Broadband

Internet Services. Since 2003, the Company has provided the

Nigerian Market with a highly reliable Internet service and

plans further expansion in this region as well as to West Africa.

In order to continue its pattern of growth, CobraNet needed to

improve the bandwidth effi ciency of its satellite link between

the Intelsat Teleport in Fuchsstadt, Germany, and its own

teleport in Lagos, Nigeria. The satellite link used 18 MHz of

satellite capacity on the forward link (towards Nigeria) and 9

MHz on the return, and was dimensioned to take into account

rain, back-off , and interference.

This meant that due to heavy rainfall, which occurs only a

few days each year, the service needed to use the minimum

threshold that guaranteed an error-free transmission at all

times. Instead of using the highest possible modulation

scheme and the lowest possible level of error correction,

CobraNet needed to dimension its link for heavy rainfall. A less

effi cient transmission method (8PSK) had to be used, limiting

the throughput to 38 Mbps in forward and 14 Mbs in return. In

some cases of very heavy rainfall, this would cause the link to

degrade completely, which was not acceptable to CobraNet’s

customers.

The challenge for CobraNet was to fi nd a solution that would be

stable, fl exible, and reliable and would increase the effi ciency

of the link. Newtec’s FlexACM was the perfect solution to this

problem: for point-to-point applications, the ACM solution

Newtec off ers is particularly simple.

CobraNet upgraded its network from DVB-S to DVB-S2

modems and implemented the ACM solution from Newtec.

Newtec’s technology was incorporated into both ends of

the link introducing 16APSK and 32APSK capabilities for

the modulators and demodulators coupled with Newtec’s

FlexACM technology. Following the upgrade, CobraNet tested

the link for diff erences to the effi ciency readings and found

that, after implementation, the satellite link gained 70 percent

in throughput for an average of 300 days a year (without

acceleration or compression). Plus, the link was able to achieve,

in clear skies, a forward effi ciency of 65Mbps with 32APSK

and a return effi ciency of 32 Mbps with 32APSK. The satellite

transmission is now much more robust, guaranteeing 100 %

service availability. The system is able to sustain very heavy

rain fades by dynamically changing the modulation parameters

and progressively adding more error correction when needed.

During severe thunderstorms with rain fades as deep as 20dB,

the modulation parameters are changed gradually to QPSK 2/3

and the data throughput drops momentarily to 20Mbps in the

forward, but the system does not lose synchronization. This is

the only satellite system in the region to maintain its service in

presence of such heavy rain.

This confi guration turned out to be particularly simple

to operate — all the functionalities are integrated in the

modems which talk to each other and automatically confi gure

themselves, negating the need for link budgets or transmission

tests. As Nigeria’s leading internet provider, it was important to

continue to stay ahead of the competition, especially in terms

of connection speed and technology. That is exactly what

was achieved by using FlexACM, according to Karim Boulos,

Chairman of CobraNet: “Newtec has given us the chance to

experience the signifi cant enhancements of the DVB-S2 standard

providing major gains in performance and throughput and,

with the addition of Newtec’s adaptive coding and modulation

technology, our customers can be sure that they will receive a

stable, fl exible and highly reliable connection during all weather

conditions.”

This brochure is provided for information purposes only. The details contained in this document, including product and feature specifi cations, are subject to change without notice and shall not bind Newtec in any way.

Europe North-America South-America Asia-Pacifi c China MENA Africa

Tel: +32 3 780 65 00 Tel: +1 (203) 323-0042 Tel: +55 (11) 2092 6220 Tel: +65 6777 22 08 Tel: +86 10-823 18 730 Tel: +971 4 390 18 78 Tel: +27 11 640 2745

Fax: +32 3 780 65 49 Fax: +1 (203) 323-8406 Fax: +55 (11) 2093 3756 Fax: +65 6777 08 87 Fax: +86 10-823 18 731 Fax: +971 4 368 67 68 mbr@newtec.eu

Severe Thunderstorm in Nigeria

Duration: 10 minutes

ratio

actual

gnal

tono

ise

required

32APSK 9/10

Time

Si

16APSK 3/4

This brochure is provided for information purposes only. The details contained in this document, including product and feature specifi cations, are subject to change without notice and shall not bind Newtec in any way.

Europe North-America South-America Asia-Pacifi c China MENA Africa

Tel: +32 3 780 65 00 Tel: +1 (203) 323-0042 Tel: +55 (11) 2092 6220 Tel: +65 6777 22 08 Tel: +86 10-823 18 730 Tel: +971 4 390 18 78 Tel: +27 11 640 2745

Fax: +32 3 780 65 49 Fax: +1 (203) 323-8406 Fax: +55 (11) 2093 3756 Fax: +65 6777 08 87 Fax: +86 10-823 18 731 Fax: +971 4 368 67 68 mbr@newtec.eu

Case studiesFlexACM Case studies

SkyVision (www.sky-vision.net) FlexACM & inclined orbit satellites

SkyVision is a leading global provider of Internet services

over satellite. It specializes in broadband Internet solutions,

focusing primarily on turnkey connectivity services. SkyVision’s

telecommunication infrastructure relies on Internet service

gateways, with one located at Telekom Austria’s Afl enz teleport

and the other at Crawford’s Atlanta teleport in USA.

In addition to its North American and Austrian gateways,

SkyVision deploys a strategically located gateway in the Middle

East for delivering cost-eff ective, high-capacity international

IP connectivity services to its customers in East Asia and in

Africa.

SkyVision has a point-to-point link between its Teleport in

Kenya and its main teleport in Austria using satellites in an

inclined orbit. In order to gauge the position of satellites in

inclined orbits SkyVision needs to use tracking on outbound

and inbound antenna’s. The link conditions, due to the inclined

orbit, varied about 6dB, meaning that a modulation scheme

of QPSK 8/9 has to be used. Also, due to an extra interference

from diff erent satellites during equator crossing and rain fade,

the receiving site conditions could drop to as low as 12dB,

which meant that a low modulation scheme and increased

error correction (QPSK 2/3) had to be used, resulting in data

through-put of 40Mbit/s in a full transponder.

However, most of the time, the receive conditions are much

better and a link margin is present that is not used, eff ectively

wasting available throughput.

In order to solve this problem, SkyVision approached

Newtec, who’s FlexACM solution, consisting of a modulation/

demodulation pair with on-board ACM client/controller, would

be ideal in this situation.

With the FlexACM solution, SkyVision could use a higher

modulation scheme and less error correction (up to 16APSK

4/5), which results in an average data through-put of

74Mps, an increase of 85% for most of the time, and with

peak-throughput speeds of 95Mbit or 137% better than in the

worst case.

Next to this point-to-point link, SkyVision will use FlexACM

for their point-to-multipoint IP distribution network that

shares the same outbound carrier. Each of the remote sites

will receive their stream within the carrier with their proper

modulation scheme and error protection depending on the

current detected receive conditions. This will allow SkyVision

to free up scarce C-band capacity and serve more customers

within the same leased space segment.

“SkyVision provides innovative Inclined Orbit satellite solutions

combining advanced technology and high-capacity Internet

services designed for a mature Internet market with the advantage

of ground breaking package pricing designed to upgrade

existing Internet communication capabilities while removing

the implementation barriers traditionally associated with

massive upgrade to communications solutions”, said Mark Gazit

SkyVision’s President and CEO, “Over the past 8 years SkyVision

has acquired a vast knowledge and experience with Inclined Orbit

satellite solutions, allowing us ways to improve our services by

collaborating with leading equipment manufactures as Newtec,

such collaboration with Newtec enabled better utilization of our

space segment and enhanced bit/hertz performance.

Es/No

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Mb

ps

Time

Bandwidth

Europe North-America South-America Asia-Pacifi c China MENA Africa

Tel: +32 3 780 65 00 Tel: +1 (203) 323-0042 Tel: +55 (11) 2092 6220 Tel: +65 6777 22 08 Tel: +86 10-823 18 730 Tel: +971 4 390 18 78 Tel: +27 11 640 2745

Fax: +32 3 780 65 49 Fax: +1 (203) 323-8406 Fax: +55 (11) 2093 3756 Fax: +65 6777 08 87 Fax: +86 10-823 18 731 Fax: +971 4 368 67 68 mbr@newtec.eu

Case studiesFlexACM Case studies

Horizon Satellite Services, headquartered in UAE, is a leading

provider of end-to-end communication solutions for corporate

networks and facilitates access to tier-one internet backbones

for the regions largest companies and internet providers. With

access to a fl eet of satellites and a global network of earth

stations, the company can transmit information to and from

any region within the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Horizon also

has a link with an uplink in Europe, connecting to several sites

including Lebanon and Iraq. These links were implemented

with Newtec equipment in outbound link, and with legacy

equipment in the return link. The throughput of these diff erent

links varied between 7 Mbps and 74 Mbps.

For a certain link, conditions on the receive side were not

optimal, as the receive site was on the edge of the satellite

footprint. Further, the link experienced a daily variation of 2dB

peak-to-peak in C/N, for unknown reasons. Horizon opted to

upgrade its existing Newtec Elevation equipment to enable

Newtec’s FlexACM solution.

With this solution, the link remained up at all times, even during

degraded link conditions. In addition to this, Horizon was able

to utilize a higher modulation order on its links, increasing from

16APSK 2/3 up to to 16APSK 5/6.

An extensive test campaign (including almost 400 hours of

network monitoring) showed that in 62% of the time, the

16APSK 5/6 modcod can be used and in 30% of the time, the

16APSK 4/5 modcod. In only 8% of the time, the system had

to lower down to 16APSK 3/4, which is a lot better than the

original modcod of 16APSK 2/3.

Translated in Mega bit per second, the implementation of

FlexACM in the Horizon network resulted in an average

throughput increase from 74 Mbit/s up to 89 Mbit/s, a boost of

almost 25%, without acceleration or compression used.

During the most degraded link conditions, the implementa-

tion of FlexACM still resulted in an increase of 15% of the

throughput.

Thanks to FlexACM, Horizon not only has benefi ts from an

increased throughput, also the down-time of Horizon’s links was

completely reduced, meaning it no longer had to compensate

its customers for loss of service. Also, Horizon is now assured

that the link performs to what is maximum achievable in the

given situation.

Due to the excellent results Horizon received following the

implementation of FlexACM, the Company decided to also

replace the legacy equipment in its return links with Newtec

equipment, as well as implementing the solution into three

more of its links.

Horizon Satellite Services(www.horizon-satellite.com) FlexACM & Suboptimal receive conditions

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

16APSK 2/3 -> 74 Mbit/s16APSK 3/4 -> 85 Mbit/s16APSK 4/5 -> 90 Mbit/s16APSK 5/6 -> 92 Mbit/s

8PSK

3/5

8PSK

2/3

8PSK

3/4

16A

PSK

2/3

16A

PSK

3/4

16A

PSK

4/5

16A

PSK

5/6

32A

PSK

3/4

8%

30

%

62

%

MODCOD

HO

UR

S

Mbit/s

Flex

AC

M

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

Average gain of 15 Mbit/s

Max throughput

Average throughput

Min throughput

Throughputwithout FlexACM

Newtec

Belgium | USA | Singapore | Dubai | China | South Africa | Brazil www.newtec.eu

HERE YOU ARE

IP Transmission Equipment

So many paths to choose from. So many technology providers, so many IP over satellite

solutions. So many plans in your head.

Time to choose. Time to get the facts straight.

Fact #1: No technology provider off ers in-house hardware and software expertise like

Newtec does. Integration should not cost you extra.

Fact #2: No IP trunking solution suits your changing business needs like Newtec’s Elevation.

Basic to cutting edge, Elevation grows comfortably with you, at your pace.

Many paths will present themselves to you, but only one leads to the ROI you want. And

here’s another fact for you: no technology provider has gone as far down the satellite path

as Newtec. We set the standard.

All things considered, maybe this is not such a tough choice after all.

The name is Newtec. The solution is Elevation.

And there you are.

Did you know our cutting edge FlexACM solution guarantees

100% signal availability under all circumstances?

Get full FlexACM specs on www.newtec.eu/FlexACM

IP over satellite by Newtec,

from high performance to

unmatched performance