James --
I'm betting, once again, NN's the better bet. Added at 21 5/8 today.
While we're waiting for the sky to clear, here's a website that's a lot of fun:
spacebridge.com
So far, every topic has a different sound track. Haven't checked them all yet.
Another affiliate I revisited today is
tundra.com
No music, though.
Pat
<<<
Via Satellite
January 1998
Cynthia Boeke
ÿSpaceBridge - Bringing Fast-Packet Switching to the Skies
Over the past few years, the satellite industry has been inundated with plans for hundreds of satellites that will deliver advanced, wideband multimedia services. Many of these new spacecraft will use Ka-band frequencies and fast packet switching to provide two-way services to consumers and businesses for a variety of voice, video and data applications. Although a common technology on the ground, fast packet switching will represent a quantum leap when it is utilized in space.
To make this technological vision a reality, onboard processors will need to analyze each of the millions of packets of data that are received to determine which of the satellite's many onboard antennas will be used to retransmit them tot he round or to another satellite. This type of networking is a far cry from most of today's "bent-pipe" satellites, where data is simply received, re-amplified and retransmitted back to the ground.
"The digital switching that is required for these proposed systems is beyond anything that has been flown before", says Stephen Goodman, Vice President of Business Development at SpaceBridge Networks Corp. "Satellite manufacturers have been involved in digital processing in space for military programs and for narrowband applications, but they never had the requirement to run tens of gigabits per second of wideband switched data through a satellite-based fast packet switch".
To help commercial satellite manufacturers and multimedia satellite operators meet these needs, SpaceBridge is developing a range of products from onboard switching to network management.
SpaceBridge is a joint venture linking two Canadian companies, COM DEV International and Newbridge Networks Corp. COM DEV specializes in onboard satellite communication systems. Newbridge provides high-end, ATM-based switching equipment to the world's leading telecommunications carriers. Based in Hull, Quebec, SpaceBridge has received $30 million in funding from COM DEV, Newbridge, private investors, the Canadian government and the province of Quebec. Over the next several years, as many as 300 employees will be hired.
SpaceBridge promises to bring the latest intelligent switching systems to hundreds of satellites. But the company's vision doesn't stop there. SpaceBridge is planning to build and manage gateway and user terminals for multimedia satellite operators.
Goodman says that SpaceBridge is targeting corporate users first. "We are more interested in approaching the higher-end market, the terminals purchased by enterprises rather than consumers. We will focus first on high-throughput terminals that process multiple megabits of data per second".
"Particular space and ground technologies are pivotal to the delivery of broadband satellite networks," adds Terrence Matthews, chairman and CEO of Newbridge Networks. "SpaceBridge is capitalizing on the digital networking expertise of Newbridge and the satellite and wireless systems strengths of COM DEV to design and implement network management, ground terminals, and space-based switching capabilities for the delivery of end-to-end solutions for multimedia communications systems".
SpaceBridge's products are not yet on the market, but Goodman says the company will ramp up quickly. "Our products are under development", he says, "but it's fair to say our customer's requirements are under development as well". >>> |
