(Telecompaper) STMicroelectronics has unveiled what it says is the world's first 500Mbaud High-Symbol-Rate (HSR) satellite demodulator chip, with data throughput of up to Mbps in the Ka band. The STiD135 will enable significantly more efficient bandwidth usage and increased throughput for satellite internet when deployed with transponders aimed at using higher frequency bands to send data via Ka-band communication satellites. The chip is compliant with DVB-S2, DVB-S2X and DVB-S2 Annex-M, and was designed as part of the French Space Agency (CNES) THD-SAT programme. The programme itself looked how it could develop cost-efficient, fast broadband internet access via High Throughput Satellite (HTS) at a performance equivalent to fibre-optic, ADSL, and 4G networks, taking advantage of the universal accessibility of satellite signals. CNES said its goal with THD-SAT is to bring a 10-fold cost reduction of bandwidth with High-Throughput Ka-band Satellite to distribute fast internet services at 100/10 Mbps downlink/uplink, complementing FTTH deployment outside densely populated areas. The STiD135 is currently sampling and will be demonstrated during SES-Astra Industry Days on 6-7 May in Luxembourg.