New Carrier ID Satellite Standards

Close to two decades ago, satellite transmission was plagued by the menace of interference. As the number of content providers increased, uplink equipment pumped out endless videos and data for end user (customer) consumption. This ever-increasing number and variety of satellite transmissions led to rising rates of interference, as competing signals jostled for space in increasingly crowded RF bands.

What could the satellite operators do to ensure quality transmissions and smooth uninterrupted viewing for clients? If they couldn’t identify the interfering signal and its location or source, the matter couldn’t be resolved.

The Satellite Interference Reduction Group (IRG) was formed in the late 90s with the sole purpose of solving this issue. Since it isn’t feasible to completely eliminate RF signal interference, the breakthrough came in terms of carrier identification (CID). CID allows the source of satellite signals to be identified, providing receivers the ability to quickly contact senders to clear up interference whenever it occurs.

The Carrier Identification or CID: 

CID is a special marker that is injected into satellite signals by uplink modulators. The additional CID data includes:

• 64-bit MAC address
• Vendor serial number 
• Other user configurable data, such as GPS coordinates, the carrier name, and user contact coordinates

Special measurement receivers placed with satellite operators can isolate CID-enhanced signals, trace them back to their uplink source, and identify the broadcaster. Resolving the interference then often requires nothing more than  a simple phone call to sort out the frequency mismatch.

Issues with Carrier ID Insertion & WBU-ISOG’s New Resolution: 

For the CID standard to be effective in managing the growing problem of interference between competing satellite transmissions, all signals relayed via satellite must include the new Carrier ID data. To facilitate universal compliance with the new CID standard, the WBU-ISOG has issued resolutions that mandate:

• Inclusion of CID functionality in the specifications of new equipment given to manufacturers 
• The presence of CID functionality in all new model modulators and codecs with integrated modulators
• The phasing out of the existing CID NIT standard in favor of a more standardized ETSI carrier ID

By not leaving the use of CID to chance, broadcasters and satellite operators can finally put an end to interference – or, at least, to the kind of interference that can’t be resolved simply because the source of an interfering signal can’t be identified.

Telairity is doing its part in the struggle to control satellite interference by supplying state-of- the-art encoders, decoders and modulators that comply with the latest CID specifications.