Interference and Jamming!
The serious, but quite different issues of interference and jamming have plagued the satellite industry for many years now – and a recent jamming attack has hit an European DTH satellite transponder carrying non-profit oppositional channels.
Both issues can cause huge amounts of disruption for those leasing transponder space from operators and can be the source of significant revenue losses. But what is the difference between interference and jamming? Interference is mostly caused by under-trained and inexperienced VSAT antenna installers and mainly affects telecommunications. Jamming, however, is a deliberate act that is often borne out of political agenda. A jammer literally takes over spectrum and broadcasts their own message whilst the legitimate channel is left unable to function. Work is being carried out to help mitigate these two very different but highly damaging issues. Groups such as the Global VSAT Forum (GVF), Satellite Users Interference Reduction Group (SUIRG) and operators such as Intelsat, are stressing the need for the industry to work together to promote high quality training and certification of installers and implement initiatives to counteract jamming.
atrexx is highly aware of both issues, and is helping to combat them. We support our clients and help them to avoid interference through education and close co-operation with satellite operators. We also ensure that all atrexx broadcast channels have a clear license from a well-recognized media authority. A satellite can be an uncertain platform so we must be careful to secure it. At atrexx, we endeavor to ensure that these problems do not affect our clients.
