[09-10-07 – Satellite Today] The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded Marshall Communications Corp. a contract to provide the only Digital Video Broadcasting-Return Channel Satellite (DVB-RCS/S2) hub in the United States that will be connected to the Defense Information Service Network (DISN), the company announced Sept. 10.

The Tactical Service Provider (TSP) for the Joint Capability Technology Demonstration rapidly places relevant, mature, technologies in the hands of the Joint Coalition Warfighters.

Marshall will be using its own managed two-way network service, SkyMarshal, to provide the standards-based, DVB-RCS/S2 service for TSP. The TSP service is offered from the Intelsat general teleport located in Hagerstown, MD, where there is DISN connectivity.

Marshall is responsible for providing network management, systems integration, engineering and remote RCS/S2 terminals for the system which will provide two-way, real time IP video capabilities in strategic areas of operations. In addition to deploying the operational system, Marshall will be performing the network management, help desk support, and monitoring of the system from its headquarters in Ashburn, VA. The Global Broadcasting System will transition to the DVB-RCS/S2 technology as will the DVB-RCS hub which is currently installed at the DOD Teleport in Landstuhl, Germany. Marshall leads the effort in the systems integration and engineering in providing the system in Landstuhl, for Uscentcom — currently supporting operations in Iraq.