A Strategic Canadian Partnership Paves the Way for Ubiquitous Connectivity Breakthrough
Universities engage in extensive research to drive technological advancements and address critical industry needs. However, only a limited portion of research output is successfully commercialized or implemented to benefit the economy and broader society. This gap is often due to difficulties in identifying genuine industry needs or securing funds to advance the technology readiness level of the solution.
This is the story of one successful research initiative which overcame that gap. A team of researchers from Carleton University, in collaboration with researchers from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and MDA Space, tackled the challenges of modern communication networks—a service integral to the daily lives of Canadians, from using smartphones to navigation systems. Through a collaborative partnership with government and industry, Drs. Mohammed Abdelsadek (Postdoctoral Fellow), Halim Yanikomeroglu (Chancellor’s Professor), and Gunes Karabulut Kurt (Adjunct Research Professor) from Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) Lab in Carleton’s Department of Systems and Computer Engineering are developing a technology that promises to deliver faster, more reliable, and efficient satellite connectivity, setting a new standard for the industry. Carleton University is world renowned for its high-impact and innovative research in the area of integrated terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks which includes the space (satellites), near-space (high altitude platform stations), aerial (uncrewed aerial vehicles), and ground (5G/6G base stations) segments.
Increasing Wireless Connectivity for Canadians
This type of research is an example of the collaborative projects supported by the NRC’s Collaborative Science, Technology and Innovation program. The High-throughput and Secure Networks (HTSN) Challenge program, launched in 2019 and hosted by the NRC’s Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre, identified key technology gaps that need to be addressed to enable network operators and service providers to offer secure, affordable, and high-speed (gigabit per second) internet services in rural and remote communities across Canada. Through HTSN, the NRC is partnering with private and public sector, academic and other research organizations in Canada and internationally to advance transformative research to bridge the digital divide.
To address technology gaps, Carleton—via the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International’s Industry and Partnership Services (IPS) team— was a founding member in 2019 of the NRC-led Optical SatCom Consortium (OSC) which shared a mandate to develop new technologies to improve broadband connectivity in rural and remote communities across the country.
As a result, Drs. Abdelsadek, Yanikomeroglu and Karabulut Kurt started investigating an increasingly common communication technology called low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites (satellites closest to Earth) that come with a significant challenge: frequent switching between satellites when communicating, known as handovers. These handovers disrupt connectivity, which affects ground-based users like navigation systems that require continuous, stable connections. The existing systems rely on a single satellite connectivity model, exacerbating the issue and leading to inconsistent user experiences.
A Revolutionary Satellite Solution
Guided by high-level requirements identified by the industry collaborator, MDA Space—a global leader and Canadian icon in the space technology sector—Carleton researchers developed a novel satellite network architecture for LEO satellites to address the high handover rates that plague current systems. Rather than connecting users to a single satellite, the new model links ground terminals to clusters of satellites, forming cooperative networks that ensure smoother communication and improve user satisfaction.
These clusters use a cutting-edge method of sharing data between satellites, called high-speed inter-satellite links (ISLs), with data processed through a central unit on an advanced satellite. As a networked group, the satellites ensure more reliable data transmission, reducing the frequency of handovers.
Professor Yanikomeroglu underscores the transformative potential of this technology: “In addition to mitigating the frequent handover problem, the invention has another major potential: an important step towards satellite direct-to-smartphone connectivity. In a typical satellite link, the received signal would be too weak for high-speed internet unless there are large antennas at both ends (transmitter and receiver) to boost the signal. Since a smartphone antenna has to be small, satellite direct-to-smartphone connectivity is not suitable for high-speed internet with today’s technology. The Carleton invention enables a smartphone to communicate with a cluster of satellites (rather than a single satellite) concurrently. A high number of satellites, each with a regular antenna, is equivalent to one satellite with a giant virtual antenna. This powerful virtual antenna in space compensates for the smartphone’s small antenna, facilitating satellite direct-to-smartphone connectivity.”
Supporting Innovation Transfer at Carleton
Soon after beginning, the project increased involvement of OSC partners including MDA Space. The research received valuable support from IPS in facilitating the research agreements with the NRC and other partners.
As the project progressed, the researchers connected with the Carleton Innovation Transfer Office (CITO) within IPS to ensure they protected their novel intellectual property as they followed the steps to commercialize their satellite technology. CITO’s involvement was instrumental in securing the patent applications for the technology.
By working with CITO, the researchers received support in developing patent applications and IP strategies to reduce risk through the university’s support for patent expenses. As of November 12, 2024, the US patent application was granted and applications in Canada and South Korea are underway. The developed invention was also reported in a number of peer-reviewed papers which have been receiving a high number of citations.
Bringing the Technology to Market
In 2024, CITO facilitated an agreement for MDA Space to acquire the revolutionary satellite communications technology, positioning it for further development and commercialization—and helping to ensure that the technology will reach the Canadian and global market, where it promises to become a transformative breakthrough in satellite communications.
“Direct communications from satellites to cell phones have emerged in the last few years but remain very limited in throughput due to the small antennas of the terrestrial device. We believe this forward-looking architecture has the potential to unlock broadband communications directly to cell phones without the need for extremely large antennas in orbit, which are costly and complex to deploy. We are constantly looking for innovative ideas such as this in order to offer differentiating products to our customers in this increasingly competitive market.” says Mr. Guillaume Lamontagne, Chief Architect at MDA Satellite Systems.
The project is now in its final stages with continued funding from, and collaboration with, the NRC, MDA Space, and others. It is set to conclude in December 2025, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of satellite networks.
Carleton’s commitment to innovation and robust support systems have made this project a reality, bringing next-generation satellite communications to users worldwide. This successful collaboration between Carleton, the NRC, MDA Space, and other partners highlights the critical role of innovation transfer in turning groundbreaking ideas into commercially viable solutions.
For researchers looking to learn how to develop a technology to solve industry challenges, visit carleton.ca/ips/innovation-transfer.