Technological challenges of future broadband telecommunication satellites in Q/V-band

Although the commercial exploitation of Ka-band is finally taking place with an important delay as compared to the initial market forecasts, it is clear that there is a need to start developments in new frequency bands for supporting the future deployment of satellite broadband services able to satisfy the growing need for broadcast interactive applications. In fact, the demand for increasing data rates and offered capacity, combined with the need of wider bandwidths, is forcing the newly conceived satellite systems toward progressively higher frequencies. In this perspective, the wide bandwidth allocated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to satellite services in Q/V, makes these frequencies the most promising candidates for the emerging broadband systems.