Performance Analysis of a Spread-Spectrum Satellite Return Link Protocol for Small Antenna Sizes

A system study on the performance of nonorthogonal spread-spectrum Aloha waveforms applied on the return link for narrowband fixed GEO satellite services such as M2M/IoT in Ku-band is presented. In this context the performance of small antennas is evaluated based on a model extrapolating the link performance of the strongest received terminal to the performance of the entire system. Link budget calculations including applicable regulatory limits are employed to evaluate the system performance. Useful optimizations are demonstrated improving the latter remarkably. Furthermore, system sizing aspects are discussed with particular attention to the satellite transponder sensitivity.