High speed internet anywhere

Laptop-sized compact satellite antenna that hopes to revolutionize satellite broadband connection.

Kymeta, a startup led by former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold, is all set to bring broadband satellite internet connections at remote places, allowing passengers on planes, trains, boats, automobiles and other vehicles to enjoy the same kind of broadband experience that they already have at home or in the office.

The Portable Satellite Hotspot (PSH) that Kymeta has designed is a laptop-sized, compact, lightweight antenna that promises to deliver a speed of 10 to 20 megabytes per second, at the price on par with 3G cellular data services.

Technology

The technology behind PSH is essentially a metamaterial (Refer : New metamaterial has negative compressibility) which can manipulate electromagnetic radiation to point and steer a radio beam so that it remains locked on to a satellite. 

The current focus in the context of metamaterials for Kymeta is on more practical applications of the technology:

• Satellite user terminals to connect boats, planes, cars and other vehicles to broadband service
• Dynamic cellular base station antennas to expand cell phone service
• Dynamic antennas for home and office wireless routers
• Collision avoidance radar systems for vehicles
• Advanced medical devices for focused surgical procedures
• Imaging systems for non-destructive testing of composite materials

 

Setting up the PSH

 

Typically, the PSH would be placed on a surface outside, and the user would then rotate it until the appropriate satellite was detected. During this rough alignment period, the receive beam would automatically be in wide search mode and the user would hear an audio tone or a display would indicate when the signal was strongest.

Rough manual alignment to +/-20 degs. of the satellite should be adequate. At this point, the beam shape would automatically switch from wide mode to narrow mode, locking onto the satellite with both transmit and receive systems activated. The PSH would then be ready to use.

 Kymeta doesn't expect the hotspot to be ready before late 2014 at the earliest. However, its efficiency and cost-effective nature can set a revolution in today's communication realm.