SatixFy UK Announces Availability of 2 New ASICs: Digital Beam Former (Prime) and Ku Band RFIC (Beat), Enabling Amazingly Thin, Electronically Steered Multi-beam Antennas

AsiaNet 76201

LONDON, November 8, 2018 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    Program achieved in 2 years, is a result of significant support from UK

Space Agency and a close collaboration with the European Space Agency

    SatixFy UK is hosting a reception today to celebrate the completion of UK

Space Agency backed, Prime and Beat activities implemented under the Core

Competitiveness element of ESA's programme of Advanced Research in

Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). SatixFy is pleased to announce the

availability of functional samples of its Prime - digital-beam-former and Beat

- Ku-band RFIC (Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit) ASICs starting today. In

addition to the ASICs, SatixFy is pleased to announce availability of Prime and

Beat Evaluation Boards (EVBs) and a Micro Antenna Test Range (AMTR), used to

demonstrate system capabilities and design products based on those chips.

Together, these new chips can create new generation of flat electronically

steered antennas, with multiple beams and no moving parts, at sizes and price

points that were never seen before.

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/781727/Beat_RFIC_Evaluation_Board.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/781728/Prime_Beam_Former_ASIC.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/781729/Antenna_Micro_Test_Range.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/781730/Prime_ASIC_Evaluation_Board.jpg

)

    SatixFy will be launching a series of products based on Prime and Beat

chips starting Q1 2019: antenna for short messaging mobility applications which

can handle IP and has the smallest form factor in the market; In-flight

connectivity and COTM (Communications On The Move) terminals capable of

multi-beam and LEO satellites applications.

    Less than 3 years ago, SatixFy UK was an idea in the mind of its

entrepreneurs and a paper proposed plan. "I met SatixFy late 2015 and was

impressed with their technology and will to take on such challenges," says

Terry Coxall, then DIT Space Specialist, "and was excited taking them through

the appropriate entities in the UK."

    Catherine Mealing-Jones, Director of Growth at the UK Space Agency, said:

"In a short space of time, SatixFy has become an important part of the UK space

sector, creating high quality jobs in Farnborough and Manchester and developing

world leading space technology. It is an excellent example of how we can bring

investment to the UK and support innovative space companies to become really

successful here, whilst driving export opportunities.

    "The UK Government's Industrial Strategy sets out a clear vision for the UK

to become the world's most innovative nation and we are working with industry

to capture 10% of the global space market by 2030."

    "We are pleased that SatixFy achieved this important milestone and is

moving fast to fulfill their ambitions. The activity demonstrates the added

value of ARTES CC in supporting Industry to develop innovative and competitive

products," says Domenico Mignolo, Head of Ground Segment Technologies & Product

section at European Space Agency.

    "SatixFy has been able to rapidly solve an issue that has remained one of

the great challenges facing the satellite industry," says Fabrizio de Paolis,

Ground Segment Engineer, European Space Agency. "There is now a concrete

opportunity for the satellite industry to enjoy high-volume production and

consequent low costs per unit for a variety of applications."

    SatixFy submitted its proposal in April 2016 and started its operation in

August 2016 with 27 new employees on board from its first day.

    "It is remarkable what we have been able to achieve in just over 2 years,"

says Yoel Gat, CEO of SatixFy group. "The ex-Qualcomm group we hired with

additional key employees headed by Moche Cohen did an astonishing job. Having 2

new chips and EVBs ready in 2 years is a world class achievement. I want to

thank everyone who helped us achieve it."

    Prime is the first commercial digital beam former ASIC implementing true

time delay for satellite communications. It intelligently combines the

radiation pattern from 32 elements simultaneously, entirely in the digital

domain and could be cascaded to any size of antenna. Prime beam former is at

the heart of electronically steered antennas and can point, track and manage

multiple beams at multiple polarizations simultaneously.

    Beat is a Ku-band RFIC supporting 4 antenna elements. Inside the Beat

SatixFy implements 4 independents transmit and receive channels at any

polarization. The chip realizes 8 PAs (Power Amplifiers) and 8 LNAs (Low Noise

Amplifiers), thus making the implementation of Electronically Steered Antenna

straight-forward, low power and low cost. It interfaces to the Prime on one

side and directly to the antenna radiating elements on the other side.

    The design ingenuity lies in the fact that the number of chips can be

increased in line with the number of antenna elements, making the architecture

fully modular (the same 'building block' can be used for multiple applications)

and scalable. This innovation not only has immediate benefits for the business,

but has wide-reaching implications in its everyday application; facilitating

the development of products and services which were not feasible until today.

    "We are excited with the opportunities this technology open," says Yoel

Gat, CEO of SatixFy group. "For the first time in the satellite industry we can

offer complete low cost integrated terminals and can truly address mass markets

like connected cars and IoT. Our ASICs work in tandem to provide functionality

such as lower power and higher performance."

    SatixFy's celebratory event will be held on Nov 8th at the Churchill War

Room in London and will highlight 28 months of exciting growth in the UK - in

both Farnborough and Manchester.

    About SatixFy

    SatixFy designs next-generation satellite communication systems based on

in-house developed chipsets. With locations in Israel, UK and Bulgaria, SatixFy

develops a line of satellite communication SDR modems and Electronically

Steered Multi-Beam antennas that support the most advanced standards, such as

DVB-S2X and RCS2. SatixFy's ASICs radically increase system performance and

reduce the weight, size and power requirements of terminals, payloads and

gateway equipment. With satellite communication expertise and full development

capabilities, the company delivers the industry's smallest VSATs and multi-beam

electronically steered antenna arrays for a variety of mobile applications and

services such as Connected Car, IoT, consumer broadband,

in-flight-connectivity, communication payloads and more.

    Media Contact:

    Helena Itzhak

    Helena.itzhak@satixfy.com

SOURCE: SatixFy