Broadband Technology for Rail
Phasor has developed the world’s first enterprise-grade, solid-state, electronically steerable antenna, (ESA), designed for the passenger and freight rail market. Lightweight, low-profile, conformal and highly scalable to meet a broad range of bandwidth requirements, the Phasor electronically-steerable antenna is ushering-in a new era of broadband connectivity, reliability and convenience.
Flat Panel, Electronically Steerable Antennas for the Rail Market
The Phasor team has taken the traditional parabolic-dish antenna and shrunk it onto its own proprietary microchip. By miniaturising the antenna components and functions, Phasor’s electronically steerable antenna (ESA) is just 2 inches thick, with no moving parts. This revolutionary design means that the antenna itself is very low-profile, highly reliable and can be scaled-up without loss of performance and integrated into the train roof as a flat or conformable unit.
Using a software-defined antenna architecture, the Phasor ESA can achieve nearly instantaneous tracking speeds and can track two independent satellites, simultaneously – essential in this new era of NGSO (Non-Geosynchronous Satellite Orbit) constellations.
Broadband Technology for Train Operations
Phasor technology can empower rail operators and their communications services providers by enabling them to take advantage of an ever increasing range of applications that facilitate overall operational efficiency. These include: operational telematics, such as monitoring of equipment and systems, overall train performance, track conditions and general status; crew communications; scheduling; logistics updates and security.
Broadband on Trains for Passenger Connectivity
Passenger expectations on board have increased exponentially with the proliferation of the mobile device. Access to broadband is seen as an essential part of the travel experience. Passengers on board trains wish to enjoy access to social media, to email, online services and entertainment. Phasor’s unique access technology can deliver the necessary broadband connectivity to allow the delivery of these services.
Low Profile, Lightweight Antennas for Broadband on Trains
The Phasor ESA is extremely thin, just 2 inches thick, and is conformable, so that it may be integrated seamlessly onto the roof of passenger and freight trains.
Reliable
The Phasor antenna is completely solid state, with no mechanical moving parts. This means that the antenna modules are highly reliable and failure-tolerant.
High performance
The Phasor antenna system is modular, allowing the antenna to be scaled to whatever the use-case requires, from sub-1 metre systems to 2.4 metre equivalent systems – and beyond.
High gain antennas are essential for high throughput data links. They enable operators to provide a higher level of service (faster speeds, more reliable connections) and reduce operating costs because they are more efficient with expensive satellite bandwidth
Proven
The Phasor system is unparalleled in the market today, when compared to other mechanically steered or “flat panel antennas”. This has been demonstrated during transmit tests last year where the Phasor ESA exceeded power and performance targets, demonstrating the transmission from a moving platform of live HD video over the Intelsat 903 satellite. Based on the achieved 903 performance, and the known performance of uplink-efficient HTS satellites, this small eight-module Phasor array (60 cm parabolic equivalent) would be able to close return links of over 15 Mbps.
Multi-Satellite Tracking on a Single Antenna
Using its software-defined antenna technology, the Phasor system will offer multiple independent beams, enabling the tracking of two independent satellites, simultaneously. This capability is essential in the light of the development of new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
The Future-Proof Antenna Solution
The benefits of Phasor’s unique ESA system to the enterprise market are simply unrivalled. For mission-critical, operational datalink applications and high bandwidth passenger connectivity, the launch of Phasor’s antenna will be significant to the rail services market. This versatile antenna system is poised to meet the increasing demands for high speed and reliable services both today and well into the future.
