A group of government organisations have issued a funding call for three projects using satellite technology to improve broadband connectivity in rural areas.
The UK Space Agency and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are collaborating with the European Space Agency’s research programme on the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, and have invited applications from organisations for funding to work on the three projects.
One of these is aimed at providing portable terminals, mounted on vehicles, for gigabit capable internet connections for users including local authorities, emergency services, farmers and the events and hospitality sector.
The Space Agency said the proposed Nomadic Multi-orbit User Terminal Demonstrator will be portable, able to be mounted on a standard vehicle, and adaptable. It will use the signals from satellites in both low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO) to create a robust, flexible and high speed communication system.
Up to £500,000 will be made available to co-fund the solution.
Hybrid network ambitions
The other two projects involve testing innovative hybrid networks in Raithlin Island of Northern Ireland and Papa Stour Shetland. These are aimed at supporting healthcare, education, conservation, tourism and local business.
The funding calls offer £2 million for the Raithlin project to combine LEO and GEO satellite terminals with wireless/mobile technologies, while the Papa Stour project is worth £1 million to test a hybrid satellite-wireless solution using LEO and GEO, and which can be managed on a ‘whole community’ basis, without needing many on-site personnel to sustain it.
Telecoms Minister Chris Bryant said: “Digital infrastructure is essential for our modern way of life. But for too long, many businesses and communities have felt left behind.
“This is why we must do whatever it takes to ensure we harness technological innovation to enrich people’s lives and tackle exclusion, rather than entrench existing inequalities.
“These pilots, for instance, will help shape the next generation of connectivity, using a combination of satellite technology and mobile networks to test innovative new services that could be a real game changer for remote and rural communities.”
