Contents: FEATURE: Development of telecommunications in the county of Guest editorial, Jan Hassel 1 Murmansk, E N Mesjtsjerjakov 58 Telecommunications in the Arctic, Norwegian Telecom’s efforts in Nort-West Russia – Mathias Bjerrang 3 development of a dedicated network in Murmansk, Atle Andersen 60 Measurements of atmospheric effects on satellite links at very low elevation angle, Odd Gutteberg 8 Norwegian Telecom’s involvement in the Barents region, Svein Martin Pedersen 64 NORSAT – Isfjord – a satellite station in the wilderness, Martin Jarl Lode and John R Veastad 14 Map of Svalbard 66 Satellite navigation and positioning, The first years and messages across, Jan Hassel 67 Ingar Skjønhaug 18 Very Long Baseline Interferometry in the Arctic, Bjørn Ragnvald Pettersen 29 Air pollution monitoring in the Arctic, Geir O Braathen and Elin Dahlin 35 Operation and maintenance of telecommunication STATUS: networks and services in Arctic conditions, Klaus Grimstad 38 International research and standardisation activities in telecommunication: Introduction, Telecommunications’ importance for safety at Svalbard, Tom Handegård 86 Viggo Bj Kristiansen 44 EU’s research programme ACTS, Eliot J Jensen 87 Experiences from Arctic telecommunications, Gunnar Christiansen 46 The CIO project, Gabriela Grolms 92 Telecommunications in Greenland – challenges and Status report from ITU-TSB Study Group 1, solutions, Per Danker 48 Service Definition, Elisabeth Tangvik 98 The INUKSAT system and its alternatives – a de- Future mobile communications, scription of satellite communications in Greenland, Ole Dag Svebak 105 Peter Malmberg 51 UPT – Service concept, standardisation and the The challenge of building a digital radio relay system in Norwegian pilot service, Greenland, Anders Klose Frederiksen 55 Frank Bruarøy and Kjell Randsted 109 Telektronikk Editorial office: Telektronikk Norwegian Telecom Research Volume 90 No. 3 - 1994 P.O. Box 83 RESEARCH ISSN 0085-7130 N-2007 Kjeller, Norway Editor: Editorial board: Ola Espvik Ole P Håkonsen, Senior Executive Vice President Tel. + 47 63 80 98 83 Karl Klingsheim, Vice President, Research Bjørn Løken, Vice President, Market and Product Strategies Status section editor: Tom Handegård Graphic design: Tel. + 47 63 80 98 00 Design Consult AS Editorial assistant: Layout and illustrations: Gunhild Luke Gunhild Luke, Britt Kjus, Åse Aardal Tel. + 47 63 80 91 52 Norwegian Telecom Research Guest editorial BY JAN HASSEL In this issue of Telektronikk the Svalbard is sometimes referred to focus is set on the development as an international part of Nor- and history of telecommunication way. Even though Norwegian in the Arctic. Activities in three laws and regulations apply, the different areas are reported: Svalbard Treaty gives rights to all Greenland, where Greenland Tele- countries who have signed the com serves a very long coastline treaty to operate at Svalbard. For of this enormous island; Svalbard, more than 80 years the policy of with its long tradition of wireless Norwegian Telecom has been to communication covering large offer modern telecommunications parts of the Arctic Ocean; and the to everyone concerned in the Russian–Norwegian project for Svalbard region. reconstruction of the telephone network in the Barents area. In the Arctic, excellent telecom- munications is of the utmost Telecommunications in the Arctic importance. It is provided at Sval- region have a great potential and bard and it can be in other Arctic are increasingly important. Over regions. What to do, and the guts the decades there has been a to do it, still often depends upon growth in capacity and services far-seeing directors and pioneers according to the technological as in former days. The digitization development of telecommunica- of the telephone network at tions and the demands for com- Longyearbyen in 1990 gave a munications in the area. At Sval- very significant rise of quality and bard, we offer high quality performance. This was a result of telecommunication services to all decisions made by today’s pio- nations. This is to continue and be neers. There is, however, still a extended in accordance with demand for NMT or GSM for demands in the region. commercial and safety reasons. The existing infrastructure and the geographical position of The telecommunication technology has become fundamental to Svalbard provide excellent conditions for communication via man. And man is always behind the technology. Usually, people satellites in polar orbits. Satellite passages are frequent and are not mentioned when we report on technology, solutions, observation times long. Large amounts of data can be inter- progress, development, and milestones. In this issue of Telek- changed and transferred on-line for processing anywhere in the tronikk we also try to highlight the daily life of those who have world. The satellite connection up to 80 degrees latitude, which served in Arctic telecommunications through the decades. was established in 1969, was a technological breakthrough for geostationary satellites – moving the limits of what was thought The Arctic is still a challenge to expeditions and loners. Thanks feasible at the time. to the development of telecommunications, today’s expeditions are far from being as risky and lonesome as in those early days Telecommunications to Svalbard started in 1911, when the when the first pioneers were travelling. A recent one-man walk wireless telegraph service was established and offered to all to the North Pole, supported by Norwegian Telecom, is reported nations operating at Svalbard and the surrounding areas of the here. Pioneers still exist. Arctic Ocean. The coastal radio service is still of importance for communication and safety to ships, trawlers, explorers and oth- ers who travel and trade in the area. 1 Telecommunications in the Arctic BY MATHIAS BJERRANG When Roald Amundsen reached First radio contact bard Radio and Harstad Radio. This the South Pole on December 14, finally included Svalbard in the Norwe- 1911, he had to wait until he had re- Svalbard – Norway 1911 gian national telephone network. turned to Hobart, Australia, on Telecommunication with radio waves In 1978 communication by satellite to the March 7, 1912, before he could started in the early 1900s. Norway had mainland was established and finally, in telegraph that the South Pole had the second radio telegraph connection in 1981, Svalbard was connected to the been reached nearly three months the world; that was the connection national and international subscriber previously. between Røst and Sørvågen opened on dialling telephone system. May 1, 1906. It was the important fish- When Børge Ousland reached the eries in the area which prompted the The offer of telecommunication services North Pole on April 22, 1994, after opening. Not long after, radio telegraphy at Svalbard today is the same as on the 52 days of walking across the ice to ships in the open seas was started. mainland, with the exception of mobile from Kapp Arktichesky in Siberia, telephone – that will probably never be he could immediately inform of his On May 3, 1911, the Storting (Parlia- developed at Svalbard. The telecommu- achievement via the ARGOS satel- ment) instructed Norwegian Telecom to nication services have been made possi- lite transmitter. build a radio station at Svalbard. Already ble via a satellite in a geostationary orbit on November 22 the same year the first During the 80 odd years separating keeping it over the same point (some radio telegraphy signals from Spitsber- these two events, telecommunica- 36,000 km over the equator) on earth all gen Radio were received at Ingøy Radio tions have advanced tremendously the time (ref. Figure 2). near Hammerfest, and the first telecom- and have been of great importance munications between Svalbard and the to both shipping and aviation, as mainland were established. The station Radio wave distribution well as for the development of played a vital role when Norwegian communications in Arctic regions and northern lights industry and habitation made headway in as well as everywhere else in the When the radio technique came into pub- the years to follow, and particularly in world. lic use in the inter-war years, it was soon the great polar years of the 1920s. That experienced that radio communication at was when the radio station was in the latitudes in the extreme north was very focus of the entire world press. The fact Telecommunications difficult during bursts of northern lights. that Norwegian Telecom and the Post Radio communication over distances before 1911 Office were already established at Sval- greater than 300 km are based on the At the beginning of this century there bard was one of the most important argu- atmosphere’s ability to reflect radio was much exploration activity in the Arc- ments for Norway obtaining custody of waves from areas where there are free tic regions. Journeys were undertaken to the whole archipelago at the peace con- electrons in sufficient amounts, the iono- the North Pole on skis, by plane and by ference in Paris in 1920. sphere. air ship, as well as commercial expedi- Ships to and from the mining communi- tions searching for profits in whatever Figure 2 shows the earth in relation to ties, fishing and hunting vessels, polar the Arctic had to offer. The company AS satellite orbits and the atmosphere which expeditions, cruise liners, weather obser- Spitsbergen of Tønsberg was established we assume is some 400 – 500 km in vations, post office; these were the most with a whaling station at Finneset at thickness and which only makes up the important jobs of Norwegian Telecom at Green Harbour, Svalbard in 1905. thickness of the line in the circle illustrat- Green Harbour radio station, in addition Tourism and coal industry were in their ing the earth. Figure 3 shows a small to contact with the mainland. infancy. Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskap detail of the atmosphere with reflecting (steam ship company) built their own layers. hotel at Hotellneset in the Advent Valley Development to The atmosphere receives enormous in 1896, while the American Arctic Coal the present day amounts of energy from space and from Company started extracting coal in 1906.