Ka-Band Satcom

Ka-band satcom uses roughly 17 to 31 GHz (about 19.7 to 20.2 GHz downlink, 29.5 to 30.0 GHz uplink) and is the workhorse of high-throughput maritime broadband. Its short wavelength allows narrow spot beams and frequency reuse for tens of megabits per second through compact antennas, as in Inmarsat Global Xpress. The penalty is rain fade: heavy precipitation attenuates Ka links far more than Ku or C, so maritime designs pair Ka with an L-band backup. Ka now dominates new high-capacity GEO and many LEO maritime services.