With the development of satellite communication technology, higher frequency bands have been commercially applied in a range of industries. In early years, C-band was most widely used, whereas more recently, Ku-band has become a major satellite communication band. These years, a greater attention has been paid to Ka-band applications. This article will make a comparison about Ku-band and Ka-band satellite communication with regard to the following dimensions:
♦ Frequency
♦ Performance
♦ Availability
Frequency
The main difference between Ku-band and Ka-band is the frequency. Ku-band stands for K-under band, originally German named as Kurtz-Under Band. Its portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in the microwave ranges from 12 GHz to 18 GHz (Ku-band, Wikipedia). And Ka-band means K-above band, whose frequency is higher, ranging from 26.5 GHz to 40 GHz (Ka-band, Wikipedia). They are both microwaves and are able to get used for commercial purpose now.
Performance
The most important factor of making the decision on Ku-band or Ka-band is their performance difference. Firstly, with a higher frequency, Ka-band is able to extract more bandwidth than Ku-band. Therefore, Ka-band system is able to support higher data transfer rate. Secondly, the spot beam of Ka-band has more specific directivity, which makes it able to provide higher communication efficiency compared with Ku-band. Last but not least, regarding the consistent connection under the change of weather environment, Ku-band has better performance. Compared with Ka-band, Ku-band system is less susceptible to interference from adverse weather and more able to compensate for changing weather conditions.
Availability
Although in general, Ka-band system has some notable advantages, this band still has its limits compared with Ku-band. The most important limitation of Ka-band is the availability. The Ku-band has the capability to cover an entire continent with a single beam, whereas the spot beam of Ka-band is more narrowly focused. With a smaller range, Ka-band system is only able to provide country-wide coverage through multiple beams. The switch to another beam may cause the loss of the signal. And the application of Ka-band satellite communication requires higher EIRP level coverage, which also causes some availability limits.
DITEL Antennas
In order to support satellite communication service, DITEL has built our own master station supports all the C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band. And we have developed a series of different models of Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) and some TV antennas working on either Ku-band or Ka-band. More specifically, regarding the maritime application, DITEL mainly provides Ku-band antennas. With the 3-axis stabilized platform and 5 patent technologies, these models suit for various vessels, either smaller vessels with space constraints or large vessels such as commercial vessel and wind installation vessel. You could always find a best suitable model for your application!
References
[3]“KA VS KU BAND : WHICH IS THE BEST FOR SATELLITE BROADBAND”, Aid and International Development Forum, September 24, 2019,
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