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Applications for Secure Communications

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The TILBA® product line: Enhancing communication security with stealthy, non-interceptable and jam-proof laser transmissions

Ensuring the security of information exchange is a top priority across all sectors, especially for strategic communications. One of the main challenges is continuously developing advanced methods to safeguard information against new forms of interception, modification and tampering. Within this context, laser communication is emerging as an innovative solution to address current transmission security needs. It offers robust security, exceptionally high throughput rates, and reliable connectivity for a broad range of applications.

Historically, secure communication has held strategic importance in the military and government sectors. However, in today’s era of increasing interconnectivity, this concern is extended to corporate communications and even interactions between individuals. Secure communication requires a variety of advanced techniques and protocols designed to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity of the information exchanged. One method of securing communication involves safeguarding access to information, using encryption techniques, for example. Another approach is to secure the transmission process itself by concealing the existence of the information exchange, masking the identities of the parties involved, or disguising the nature of the communication. This involves the deployment of robust encryption mechanisms, secure network architectures, and authentication protocols to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, interception, alteration or manipulation during transmission.

By adopting secure communication solutions, businesses can safeguard the confidentiality of their sensitive assets, including intellectual property, trade secrets, customer data and financial information. This significantly mitigates the risks associated with data breaches, cyber attacks and unauthorized disclosures. Similarly, governments and military organizations rely on these solutions to protect classified information, diplomatic communications, and military strategies, all of which are essential for national security and sovereignty.

Optical fiber is the most widely used means of communication, offering unparalleled robustness and data throughput. However, optical fiber is not suitable for applications requiring wireless communication. Radio-frequency (RF) satellite communication is a well-established wireless alternative, despite persistent challenges such as the continuous evolution of methods for intercepting and decrypting encrypted data, as well as the use of jamming techniques to disrupt connections, which affect link availability. Another challenge for RF communication is spectrum congestion, requiring the allocation of frequency bands, which can be a lengthy, costly and complex process. Even with spectrum licensing regulations designed to prevent interference between different radio signals on the same RF frequency, interference can still occur, potentially impacting strategic operations.

In this context, laser communication stands out as a reliable transmission solution that meets the demand for very high throughput rates, accessibility and secure exchanges, surpassing the limitations of traditional secure wireless communications.

Laser communication is a wireless data transmission method that relies on the propagation of light in free space. It facilitates transmissions between satellites in orbit and optical ground stations. In addition, atmospheric optical communication enables the establishment of point-to-point links between optical terminals, whether on land, aboard aircraft or on ships.

Faster, more secure, more compact, and easier to deploy than conventional technologies, optical communication eliminates the requirement for allocated frequency bands, thereby enabling secure data transmission. Laser communications inherently possess a low probability of detection/intercept (LPD/LPI) and cannot be jammed. They are also compatible with ultra-high-capacity ground-based telecom technologies (up to several Tbit/s), making it possible to benefit from the telecom industry’s technological maturity.

Overview of laser communication applications for secure communications:

Although optical communication has been used for ground-to-ground transmission and optical inter-satellite links (OISL) since the 1980s because of its increased security and higher throughput rates, players in the space telecommunications sector have until recently favored radio transmission technology for space-to-ground links due to historical constraints associated with optics. On Earth, laser communication is limited by atmospheric turbulence. These disturbances, caused by the heterogeneity and constant movement of the air, impact the phase and intensity of the light beam, degrading the quality of the link as it passes through the earth’s atmosphere. However, a number of solutions exist to mitigate the effects of atmospheric turbulence.

Leveraging its Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) technology, Cailabs has developed unique turbulence management technologies for both reception and transmission, which can compensate for atmospheric turbulence and maintain the integrity of transmissions. The TILBA®-ATMO technology module, designed for turbulence compensation at reception (Rx), and the TILBA®-IBC module, for turbulence management during transmission (Tx), are integrated into our optical terminals.

TILBA®-OGS optical ground stations enable the establishment of secure, very high-throughput space communications, offering the following key features:

TILBA®-LOS optical terminals enable the establishment of secure, very high-throughput point-to-point atmospheric communications, offering the following key features: 

Robust links capable of withstanding atmospheric turbulence, with extended range facilitated by the TILBA-IBC incoherent combining technology, integrated into our optical terminals.

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