Loral Skynet Successfully Completes SkyReach Trials

(15 April 2004) Loral Skynet has successfully completed service trials with several customers on SkyReach, Skynet's Internet Protocol (IP) enabled product that provides two-way broadband services for secure private networks or high-speed Internet access.

During 2003 and early 2004, Loral Skynet partnered with numerous users, including large corporations and government agencies, to test and deliver applications such as:

• Multicasting of large media files - effectively delivered at rates of 2 Mb/s on the forward link and 128 kb/s on the return channel.
• Security and surveillance - remotely monitored video signals using forward link rates of up to 2 Mb/s with 64 kb/s return link.
• Remote office connectivity - delivered corporate communications over the Internet using Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Voice over IP (VoIP).
• Distance learning - utilised satellite-based multicast and unicast features over the Internet to enable troop communications between military bases using high-bandwidth rates.

SkyReach will offer a number of services that complement existing frame relay and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) networks and offer efficient network management. SkyReach is optimised to provide a common platform on which to converge data, voice and video needs onto a single secure IP network. This SkyReach service uses a digital video broadcast-return channel via satellite (DVB-RCS) hub platform from EMS Technologies, an open-standards platform that has the advantages of higher return speeds and interoperability of equipment.

Designed for companies that need broadband communications over the Internet or secure private networks, SkyReach overcomes the limitations of terrestrial systems to extend the wide-area network (WAN) to office locations in areas with limited terrestrial connectivity. Flexible, scaleable and easily deployed, SkyReach offers both one-way and two-way services to support high-speed IP applications, access to local area network resources and Internet services across the entire WAN.

The rollout of SkyReach's two-way services is scheduled for the second quarter of 2004, and will offer forward speeds up to 2 Mb/s and return speeds of up to 512 kb/s throughout the Americas on Telstar 12 and IA-7 (formerly Telstar 7). Higher return speed options will be available in later versions. Skynet will roll out SkyReach services in Europe and Asia later in 2004.

(source: Loral Skynet)

Web spacenewsfeed.co.uk