9 September 2025 13h30-14h00
Dr. Ir. Pouyan Ebrahimbabaie Varnosfaderani (CISS)
The space domain is rapidly militarizing as major space powers enhance their counterspace capabilities. The Russia-Ukraine war underscored the vulnerabilities of commercial Satellite Communications (SATCOM) solutions to electronic warfare, as demonstrated by the disruption of Viasat and ongoing efforts to target Starlink.
In response to these challenges, the EU has launched initiatives like the European Protected Waveform (EPW) and the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²). The EPW aims to create a secure, resilient SATCOM solution focusing on efficiency, security, affordability, and interoperability, involving 19 key stakeholders, including the Royal Military Academy (RMA).
As the SATCOM landscape evolves, legacy systems are being complemented—and in some cases, replaced—by new generations of solutions driven by technological innovation and changing operational demands. For defense organizations, it is increasingly important that SATCOM solutions are not selected in isolation but are integrated systematically, forming part of a unified and resilient communications strategy—such as a Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency (PACE) plan—to ensure seamless mission continuity across all operational scenarios.
Therefore, a foundational understanding of the different categories of SATCOM solutions is essential for informed planning and resilient communications design. This presentation offers a structured overview of the evolving SATCOM landscape, focusing on three primary categories:
(1) Proprietary broadband mega-constellation solutions (e.g., Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper),
(2) Direct-to-Cell (D2C) solutions based on 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Networks, and
(3) Governmental and protected solutions, such as the EPW and the US Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW).
In addition to surveying these categories, we place particular emphasis on the EPW solution, given its relevance and the active involvement of the RMA as a key stakeholder in its development.
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