Exciting News on iDirect IDX 3.0

Tuesday 2nd August 2011

Using satellite communications, customers face an ironic challenge when it comes to growth. The more satellite IP networks are adopted for core business communications, the more these networks can become difficult and costly to support.

While it’s ironic, the logic is simple. Greater reliability leads to greater volumes of network traffic and more dynamic applications.

The solution lies on two fronts: efficiency and flexibility. Bentley Walker are committed to investing in our iDirect Evolution networks to ensure efficient allocation of satellite capacity and to ensure  our platforms are able to adjust to customer demand trends.

The industry in general has recently seen several key innovations that have enabled Bentley Walker to increase bandwidth efficiency and offer better value to our customers. . The most significant of these was the introduction of DVB-S2. But a longer list of technologies– such as Adaptive Coding and Modulation, 2D 16-State inbound coding and Adaptive TDMA (all operating on Bentley Walker networks) is helping making our satellite networks much more efficient.

Flexibility is another long-standing challenge. How can Bentley Walker meet the broad diversity of customer needs that characterize the Satellite industry? Historically, this diversity has led to a static choice of two main transmission technologies: TDMA and SCPC.

SCPC is designed for sites that need a high-volume, fixed, point-to –point link. TDMA is a shared channel engineered for service providers that want to allocate a pool of bandwidth across multiple sites.

In recent years, TDMA has been widely adopted over SCPC. One of the most significant reasons for the growing popularity of TDMA is that SCPC networks are seen to waste bandwidth. They can only be set at one size, and that size is usually matched to peak bandwidth demand. Yet, SCPC networks are the most appropriate solution for customers that require constant, heavy bandwidth requirements. The reality for in country service providers and customers is that they may need both TDMA and SCPC. And this means investing in and operating two technology platforms, which increases capital expenses and leads to operational inefficiencies.

The integration of TDMA and SCPC onto a single technology platform has long been a wish factor however on IDX 3.0 this is now a reality. Bentley Walker are pleased to announce IDX 3.0  is now in operation running  all of our major networks W6 , W3a , AM22, T11 and W2a C band .

Customers can convert any Evolution remote router to hybrid device that can switch back and forth between TDMA and SCPC.

Take an enterprise network that is built on TDMA. It supports core voice, data and video applications. Let’s say the customer wants to use the same network to support HD-quality video or transfer large data files. Typically, this would be a decision between installing a TDMA network or an SCPC connection. However, on an integrated TDMA/SCPC network, a router can be set to TDMA as a default mode for core applications, and then be switched temporarily to run in SCPC mode to support temporary heavy traffic conditions like data back-up or HD video applications.

In this example, TDMA and SCPC can be switched based on time intervals. A remote router can also be switched from TDMA to SCPC on a permanent basis once traffic reaches a threshold where a dedicated SCPC connection is more economical longer term. One application for this is cellular backhaul. For mobile operators, TDMA networks typically present the most cost-effective way to backhaul data when they first introduce service in remote areas. Once these operators gain subscribers in local villages, network traffic expands in volume and becomes steadier. If an integrated

TDMA/SCPC remote router is in place, it can be remotely switched through a network management system to run in SCPC on the return channel.

In the same way, Internet Service Providers can start with TDMA as they get their service up and running and shift to SCPC once they reach a designated volume of network traffic.

How can this improve business operations and increase efficiency ?

For the first time ever, Bentley Walker has the flexibility to offer both SCPC  and shared service on a single platform. It helps significantly lower both customer capital and operating costs.

For example,

When a customer site grows larger, Bentley Walker can offer a dedicated SCPC link using the same hardware. And all this can be done instantly and without the need for a costly site visit to exchange hardware. An integrated TDMA/SCPC platform enables customers to invest in just one core platform to grow their service. They can reduce capital and operating expenses. They gain network-wide cost savings and bandwidth efficiencies. And they have greater flexibility to meet ever-changing customer demands and deliver a highly reliable service – whether that’s over TDMA, SCPC or both.

If you would like more information on this service please contact sales@bentleywalker.com

Best Regards

Bentley Walker