Brazil can claim its first 5G backhaul demonstration over low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, according to satellite operator Telesat and international service provider Telefónica, which have together announced the successful completion of the demonstration in Brazil and Latin America.
The testing campaign was managed alongside Telefónica Global Solutions (TGS), the Telefónica Group’s satellite service provider, with the participation of its engineering teams together with those of Telesat. The Telesat Phase 1 LEO satellite layer 2 backhaul link was connected to what TGS describes as its state-of-the-art 5G test environment.
An 85cm Intellian gyro-stabilized Ka-band terminal with a 10 Watt BUC (block upconverter) connected Telefónica Global Solutions’ data streams to the Phase 1 LEO, validating that a small, carrier-grade terminal can achieve the desired performance to properly support a 5G backhaul network.
A variety of applications were tested across the satellite backhaul link, including upload and download speed and video streaming. Network measurements of latency, jitter and bitrate were recorded throughout the testing campaign, all meeting the functional requirements for integration with a 5G core network.
Satellite backhaul is described by Mauro Wajnberg, General Manager of Telesat Brasil, as a perfect application for Telesat Lightspeed, “with the ability to deliver multiple Gbps into remote communities with transformative performance and economics”.
According to Eloy Rodríguez Villa, SVP Global Wholesale Customers of Telefónica Global Solutions, “performance results achieved close to fibre connectivity”.
