Next-Generation Content Delivery

Currently under development, Virtual Onboard Switching systems for satellites in geosynchronous earth orbit might solve some Internet bottlenecks.

by Wayne Kawamoto [September 12, 2000]

eSAT, a broadband service provider offering and integrating satellite, wireless and managed network solutions, announced the successful completion of its alpha-testing phase for its new satellite technology platform, called Virtual Onboard Switching (VOS). According to the company, VOS can dramatically improve the Internet performance of networks using geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites.

VOS populi
Virtual Onboard Switching systems were designed to provide carrier-class Internet exchange services to Internet service providers (ISPs), telecommunication companies and broadband operators. The marketing focus for these systems will be in international regions where fiber optic transmission lines are either filled to capacity or limited in availability.

In these situations, the company says that traditional satellite broadcast technologies like SCPC (Single Channel Per Carrier) and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) have previously been used to provide basic telecom infrastructure, but are currently less than effective at handling the growth of the Internet and the unique demands of packet-switched networks.

VOS uses a combination of hardware and software, which is designed to increase bandwidth efficiency by 50% or more. The VOS system is managed centrally from a network operation center (NOC), where each VOS node maintains simultaneous single-hop connectivity to all other VOS nodes in a network. The company says that this configuration reduces signal delay and allows for dynamic, real-time management of data traffic. Also, the system should offer aggregate network speeds up to the full capacity of a given satellite, or more than 1,000 times the capacity and speed of a business T1 line.

"The core of VOS' strength is its ability to scale to a service provider's bandwidth needs, fundamentally altering the ability of service providers to sustain long-term customer relationships not only regionally, but on a global basis," said Michael Palmer, chief executive officer. "VOS is an exciting breakthrough for us and for the satellite community as a whole. With this system we are able to build new types of satellite networks and business models that will go a long way to solving some of the Internet's most challenging global traffic problems."

"VOS is one of the first Internet specific technologies that, once deployed, will remove many of the constraints to growth of both satellite networking and international Internet expansion," said Michael Massey, chief technology officer for eSAT. "One of the most compelling problems the Internet faces is that demand for bandwidth continually outstrips available supply. VOS will go a long way towards meeting that challenge."

Availability and pricing
Pricing and the product's release date were not available at our press time

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