The Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) for military satellite
communications (SATCOM) rollout is currently underway, with more than
2,300 EBEMs to be fielded by the end of 2008 under a joint Army-Navy program to replace legacy modems.
EBEM makes better use of SATCOM resources, in terms of power and
bandwidth, and its advanced capabilities will enable Net Centric
warfare, according to project leader Johnny Ng with Defense
Communications and Army Transmission Systems (DCATS), Satellite
Communications Systems (PD SCS). “EBEM is [Defense
Satellite Communications System] DSCS-certified, which means a lot to
users. It gives them confidence that the modem is interoperable with
existing military satellite equipment and won’t degrade the
overall system performance,” Ng said.
PM DCATS is fielding a strategic version of the EBEM for Defense
Satellite Communications System (DSCS), DoD teleport and Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system sites, and a
tactical version for Navy shore-based sites and ships.
EBEM will increase performance, transmitting at rates up to 155 Mbps,
as compared to 20 Mbps rate for the OM-73 modem it’s replacing. Also, the EBEM’s price
tag is significantly lower than the price for an OM-73.
But
what really sets EBEM apart, according to Ng, is EBEM’s
advanced
modulation and coding capabilities, which enables the modem to optimize
satellite bandwidth resources. This capability “will allow
users
to squeeze more data into the same bandwidth, more traffic into each
trunk,” said Ng.
“EBEM is more advanced and more reliable (with a mean time
between failure of at least 30,000 hours) than other modems,”
said Jay Hicks, chief of PM DCATS’ technical management
division.
“It makes better use of SATCOM resources, in terms of power
and
bandwidth, and its advanced capabilities will allow Net Centric
warfare.”
One
advanced feature of EBEM, Information Throughput Adaptation (ITA),
allows EBEM to mitigate atmospheric interference by automatically
adjusting modulation and code rates, to preserve transmission power.
“If there is rain or atmospheric interference, the EBEM is
smart
enough to step down coding and add more check bits, and if that
doesn’t improve performance, it will step down the modulation
to
achieve desired performance,” Ng explained.
Also in the works, Ng added, is an enhancement called the Ethernet
Service Expansion Module (ESEM), which plugs into the EBEM’s
rear
expansion module slot to provide an Ethernet interface to routers and
support IP quality of service. This will enhance Net Centric warfare,
allowing the modem to open and close trunks without dropping packets
and bits and support Ethernet-based networks such as IPv4 (Internet
Protocol Version 4), IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6), Multi-Protocol
Label Switching (MPLS) and non-IP data flows. Officials expect the ESEM
to be incorporated into production models of EBEM by September.
EBEM
also has its own National Security Agency (NSA)-approved internal
encryption capability, and complies with Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 certification for secure encryption.
The tactical version of EBEM differs from the strategic version in that
it can withstand shock and vibration, thanks to stiffeners added to the
box, and also includes an antenna handover switching feature. The
tactical version is currently being used by the Navy, for both
shore-based and ship-based applications, “but it could be
used by
the Army or Marines in Humvees on the battlefield and in other tactical
applications,” said Ng.
But
what really sets EBEM apart, according to Ng, is EBEM’s
advanced
modulation and coding capabilities, which enables the modem to optimize
satellite bandwidth resources. This capability “will allow
users
to squeeze more data into the same bandwidth, more traffic into each
trunk,” said Ng.
One
advanced feature of EBEM, Information Throughput Adaptation (ITA),
allows EBEM to mitigate atmospheric interference by automatically
adjusting modulation and code rates, to preserve transmission power.
“If there is rain or atmospheric interference, the EBEM is
smart
enough to step down coding and add more check bits, and if that
doesn’t improve performance, it will step down the modulation
to
achieve desired performance,” Ng explained.
EBEM
also has its own National Security Agency (NSA)-approved internal
encryption capability, and complies with Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 certification for secure encryption.
