Ku-band payload trade-offs for ISDN services in Europe

The European Space Agency has, in the past years, examined in depth the use of On-Board Processing for Fixed Services in Communication Satellite Systems. These studies have led to the proposal of an OBP architecture best suited for low-bit-rate specialized services fully integrable with a higher bit-rate telephone service. This paper reviews the system concept retained and examines more in depth the payload configuration for the RF part, its problems of implementation, and hardware implications.