C-COM to Open Phased Array Antenna R&D Centre at University of Waterloo Ahead of Commercial Development

C-COM Satellite Systems is opening a new R&D facility for its phased array antenna development, according to a release issued last week. The facility will be located on the campus of the University of Waterloo, and will be opening in January of 2023. C-COM CEO Leslie Klein provided some updates on the status of the development of their Phased Array Antenna technology. C-COM is a well known provider of portable satellite equipment used in Canada and across the world. Their portable iNetVu parabolic antennas come in a variety of sizes, including antennas that can be mounted on cars, airplanes, or even carried portably and assembled on site. They provided great utility for businesses and other organizations working in remote areas, especially in areas without cellular service where the limited bandwidth of satellite phones makes them unsuitable for the task. For the last few years, however, C-COM has been focused on researching phased array antenna technology. Phased arrays use an array of small radio emitters and receivers, creating wave patterns that can detect signals without physical movement. Phased arrays are already used for Ku-band signal transmission and reception by companies like SpaceX. As C-COM CEO Leslie Klein said in previous SpaceQ coverage, the difference is that his company aims to create “an affordable, electronically steerable Ka-band antenna system ... that is modular, conformal and plug-and-play with any Ka band LEO, GEO or MEO modem or constellation.” (Ka band arrays have higher bandwidth capability, are less affected by weather, and can effectively communicate with satellites with smaller antennas.) In a conversation with SpaceQ this week, Klein said that they were getting close to finishing their work, and that the new R&D facility will help get the job done and the product ready for commercial launch. “It’s coming along very well,” Klein said, regarding the phased array research. “We built a 1000 element phased array last year and tested it over Telesat. We actually did streaming video, and it was surprising how well it worked.” Their final product will be a 4000-element array, which will (according to Klein) be “equivalent to a 65-70 cm Ka-band parabolic antenna, and it will be used in motion.” He said that there’s a lot of interest from both civilian and military organizations for the array. Unlike companies like SpaceX, they aren’t aiming at the consumer market; and unlike SpaceX’s own phased array for Starlink, their Ka-band array will be able to connect with a wide variety of constellations and satellites in everything from LEO to geosynchronous orbit. Their research and development has been working in collaboration with the University of Waterloo, and the technology was originally developed at Waterloo at their Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems. Considering that connection, and considering that Klein himself said “I’m a graduate of Waterloo and have a very good connection with the University,” it was a natural fit for C-COM to put their new R&D facility there. The facility will hold offices and a testing facility for researchers working on the array for C-COM. Klein said the facility will also be built in proximity with the Centre’s own facilities, so that C-COM researchers will have comparatively quick access to their antenna measurement lab and other research facilities; facilities with expensive equipment that C-COM “would not be able to afford,” according to Klein. In turn, the University will benefit from “the ability to develop real products, [doing] real work on real projects”, as well as having ready employment for the students when they graduate—employment located right on the University's own campus working in the same labs they’re already familiar with. Klein called it a “win-win” for both organizations. Klein also pointed out that the University has been benefiting from the government funding that the Centre has been receiving for the research, including a $3m NSERC award and a 2020 award from the CSA worth $1M. The award from NSERC was matched by an equal award from C-COM. Klein made it clear that C-COM was an established company, “a healthy company in terms of finances that has been profitable for 20 years”, and one that pays dividends. While they welcome additional government funding for the Centre, and would match it with their own contributions, the real challenge was getting the phased array ready for commercialization, and the new facility will help make it happen. As to the timeline for the new facility, Klein said that it will be moving quickly. While the official opening date is January 1st, they’ll be starting to move in on the 15th of December. All the researchers were already on campus, working out of university facilities. Klein said that “as of January 1, they’ll all be working out of offices a couple hundred meters north of where their offices used to be”, meaning there will be minimal disruption. And as to the roll-out of the phased array, Klein is still adamant that it will be released in 2023. They plan to have beta units available at the SATELLITE 2023 show in Washington DC next year, and have further units available for trials and testing for the companies that have been awaiting their chance to try out the product. Their biggest challenge will be scaling up production; as C-COM itself doesn’t manufacture their products, they’ll need to find manufacturers for the phased array antennas that can meet their demand. Klein said that the search is ongoing, and that while they’ve started the process in Taiwan, they’re still looking for Canadian manufacturing partners as well.