50 unmanned systems
inside
April/May 2017
INFRASTRUCTURE COMMUNICATIONS
Photos courtesy of Inmarsat, Kymeta, Intelsat,
AnsuR Technologies and Cobham
The mTenna
u7
is electronically steered so
the unit itself does not pivot or otherwise
move. It can send and receive through a single
aperture and takes only 12 watts of power—a
comparable phased array antenna would need
a couple of kilowatts of power, Kundtz said.
The difference in price is just as dramatic.
The 70cm diameter version of the mTenna
u7
wholesales for about $15,000, he said, while
the bill for a phased array antenna would be
closer to $1.5 million.
screens; in fact, Sharp is now producing a com-
ponent for the 70 cm version of the antenna,
which should be available in May. A 20 cm ver-
sion is under development.
Though connected vehicles is the initial tar-
get market, the mTenna
u7
was originally de-
signed for yachts, and the antennas are sealed
to prevent water damage. They can operate
in temperatures ranging from -40 degrees
Celsius to 70 degrees Celsius and it should be
possible to make them useable on aircraft—
even very small ones.
"It would be fairly straightforward to put
the heating elements in necessary to take
them into a fully aeronautical environment,"
Kundtz said. "So we think that that's feasible."
Intelsat acquired an equity stake in Kymeta
earlier this year and is partnering with them
on a by-the-gigabyte service called KYLO.
The service allows customers to buy only what
they need in a way that is familiar. Though
KYLO starts with service to the 70 cm an-
tenna, it is designed, Kundtz said, to address
smaller apertures.
The mTenna
u7
is based on metamaterials,
the science of combining and structuring ma-
terials so that they create new capabilities.
The technology is not unlike that found in TV
" I THINK IF YOU JUST LOOK AT THE NUMBERS IT'S
HUGE IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL GROWTH OF DATA.
AND WE'RE GOING TO PLAY IN IT. WE'RE PART OF
THAT SOLUTION."
Stephen Spengler, CEO, Intelsat