Why are NGSO constellations betting on DVB standards for their rollout?

A live demo proved multi‑vendor modems can talk

The centrepiece was an interoperability demonstration. Two independent DVB‑S2X modem implementations — MDA Space’s Sx4000 software‑defined ASIC and EASii IC’s Oxford 2 — were driven and analysed with Rohde & Schwarz test equipment. The setup showed in practice that standardisation is what makes multi‑vendor interoperability possible. Engineers watched the same waveform pass through different silicon and measured identical results. It worked.

Simulations compared DVB with 5G NR in Ka band

Magister Solutions presented system‑level simulations that compare DVB‑S2X and DVB‑RCS2 with the 5G NR physical layer in the Ka band. The results cover both low earth orbit and medium earth orbit constellations. A white paper documenting the methodology was published in June 2026 as revision one. The document is available as a PDF from the DVB site. The simulations examined link performance under realistic Doppler and handover conditions that NGSO constellations face every orbit. Magister’s models included beam hopping on the forward link and the higher‑bandwidth DVB‑RCS2 return channel. The white paper is titled “System‑level simulations for NGSO” and carries revision one dated June 2026.

New signalling lets terminals track moving satellites

Speakers from MDA Space and EASii IC described how recent NGSO enhancements are being implemented in silicon and in systems. These include beam hopping on the forward link. DVB‑S2X on the return link. A higher‑bandwidth DVB‑RCS2. Signalling that lets terminals keep track of moving satellites. The presentations from all four contributing companies are published as PDFs. How many terminals already use these features in service was not disclosed.

What the workshop did not address

The announcement does not mention any deployment timelines for sovereign constellations. It does not give capacity figures for the demonstrated modems. It does not compare cost structures between DVB‑based and proprietary waveforms. The next DVB event on the calendar is DVB @ IBC2026.