How to Achieve Ultra-Reliable Communications with Satellite and 5G?

When it comes to mission-critical communications, the stakes are high. Whether it's first responders battling wildfires, offshore oil rigs in the middle of the ocean, or military personnel in far-flung conflict zones, reliable connectivity is essential. While Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and cellular technology both have their advantages, each can present drawbacks in certain situations. That's where hybrid networks come in, combining the strengths of both technologies to create a seamless and ultra-reliable connectivity solution.

Imagine a first responder vehicle venturing into rural or remote areas where cellular coverage is sparse or even non-existent. Satellite communications can step in to provide a fail-safe channel, ensuring that critical communications remain uninterrupted. 
In such mission-critical scenarios the switching between satellite and cellular networks needs to be instantaneous and invisible to the user and the main question becomes how do you make these two connectivity options work together seamlessly? Let's delve into two distinct technology options available today and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each. 

Bonding is a connectivity method that combines multiple WAN links – for example a 5G connection and a StarLink satellite connection – into one virtual broadband link. 
Bonding solutions work by splitting data packets into smaller fragments and transmitting them across multiple connections, then reassembling them at the receiving end.  

One of the primary benefits of bonding WAN links is the potential for higher overall bandwidth through bandwidth aggregation. Bonding also improves redundancy and resiliency as data packets are spread out simultaneously across the cellular and satellite networks. This parallel distribution can provide a redundant link with a persistent virtual IP address, if one network fails. 

Although, on paper, bonding WAN links promises enhanced performance and reliability, it's vital to consider various factors that might limit efficiency gains for your specific application. 

• Bandwidth Efficiency: When bonding links, additional overhead is incurred due to packet encapsulation and de-encapsulation. This will lead to a reduction in effective bandwidth gain, particularly for smaller packets, as the overhead becomes a larger proportion of the total transmitted data. Bonding two 1 Gbps WAN links does not create a single 2 Gbps link; instead, the resulting link typically offers significantly less than the combined expected bandwidth. It is important to conduct field speed testing to evaluate the tangible benefit of bandwidth aggregation for your unique application. 
   

• VPN Throughput: If you’re using bonding for your mission-critical connectivity, chances are high you will use a VPN to secure your end-to-end communications. In such cases, investigating VPN throughput becomes critical as the VPN could potentially become a bottleneck, restricting the overall performance and efficiency of the bonded connection. Therefore, we strongly advise examining your router firewall or VPN throughput specifications to assess the genuine advantage of bonding your cellular and satellite connections for your solution. 

Another popular option to harness the power of satellite and 5G is Failover. 
Differing from bonding, failover solutions do not aggregate different WAN links. Instead, they intelligently switch between these links to ensure continuous communication and quality of service. 

The primary advantage of failover lies in the flexibility it offers. Advanced failover solutions allow you full control over your data's route through the network, without adding unnecessary complexity or inefficiencies.   

For instance, using a router with satellite failover capabilities allows you to combine the high throughput of cellular networks with the extensive coverage of satellite, optimizing bandwidth, reliability and quality of service. This means you can prioritize your critical data to utilize the best available WAN link —cellular, satellite or even Wi-Fi — and automatically switch if conditions change.  

However, not all failover solutions are created equal. For a failover solution to be effective, it must ensure a seamless, user-invisible switch between networks. This largely depends on two factors: 

• Smart Switching: Tailoring the failover rules to your unique application is crucial. Seek out solutions that allow you to switch before a network goes down, based on multiple user-selectable criteria (like signal strength, vehicle speed, router location, type of application, etc.). Measuring performance in this area largely depends on your use case. Your network switching decisions should be based on criteria relevant to your unique application. 
   

• Seamless Switching: Traditional VPN solutions will drop and rebuild the VPN connection if there's a change in the network connection. In contrast, advanced failover solutions include a mobile-optimized VPN that seamlessly maintains the VPN as users roam between cellular and satellite networks. 
   

Semtech’s Intelligent Failover Solution in Action 

Picture a police officer equipped with Semtech’s Intelligent Failover solution. His vehicle is equipped with an AirLink multi-network router which is constantly monitoring all available networks to determine if connections can be made and if data can be successfully transmitted. 
As the officer ventures into a rural region, the AirLink router intelligently detects the dwindling cellular signal strength. Leveraging Semtech’s patented Cognitive Wireless technology, it proactively failovers its critical communications to the satellite link even before the cellular connection is lost. Once the officer returns to an area with robust cellular coverage, the router swiftly reverts to high-speed, low-latency 5G communications. 
As the officer ends his shift and nears the depot, the AirLink router will automatically switch from cellular to Wi-Fi to offload video recordings stored in the vehicle.  
All these intricacies of intelligent network switching are imperceptible to the police officer on duty as the mobile-optimized VPN (ACM) enables sub-second network switching and persistent VPN tunnels, ensuring a seamless communication experience throughout. 

Ultimately, the choice between bonding and failover solutions will depend on your specific use case and deployment environment. While bonding solutions may appear enticing, they can present challenges in bandwidth efficiency and performance. On the other hand, failover solutions offer flexibility with their intelligent and seamless network switching capabilities. Nonetheless, to guarantee optimal reliability, it's crucial to opt for advanced failover solutions that provide precise control over the switching decision. This ensures that your communication system is not just robust, but also tailored to your specific needs and environment. 

Watch our webinar to learn more about how to integrate 5G and Satellite in Critical Communications.