Cisco Systems launched its Internet Router in Space (IRIS) program on the Intelsat 14 satellite when the spacecraft was orbited in November 2009. 

     The router’s configuration, triggered by a development contract from the U.S. Department of Defense, was designed to merge communications received on various frequency bands and transmit them to multiple users and support network services for voice, video and data communications for the U.S. military from 315 degrees East over the Atlantic Ocean. An evaluation of the IRIS service by Cisco and the Pentagon was completed in April 2010, and now Cisco is looking to monetize the service.

      Via Satellite spoke with Cisco IRIS General Manager Greg Pelton about how the service is being perceived now that it is less than two months away from its launch date in May through TCS and the potential it brings to the future role of satellite networking.   

Via Satellite: What’s the key concept behind an IRIS-powered satellite network?

Pelton: The most important thing that we’re trying to achieve with IRIS is to move satellites from essentially being hardware devices passively relaying signals to becoming a key, software-driven part of the network. In doing this, we’ve basically taken the software that runs on the IP routers that are deployed today for millions of customers across various markets and put it on the satellite. 

    We developed this program because we think it’s the right time for the market. A few years ago, we found ourselves trying to prove to the satellite industry that this technology was real. IRIS presents all new concepts, even for Cisco. We had been doing this type of transition in other voice, video and data markets, but we hadn’t been through it in satellite, so we were all learning about the power of putting these services together and how could you implement them. Last fall, we started to see a change in how our potential customers reacted to IRIS. The government’s report on IRIS, which was published in August, convinced a lot of our customers that this was real and operational and had utility for end users.

Via Satellite: How did the U.S. military evaluate IRIS in the report?

Pelton: The report I mentioned followed a four-month joint-capabilities technologies demonstration with the government that we finished at the end of April 2010. By all indications, it was very successful. They published the results in August, and the report was quite complimentary. IRIS proved to have real benefits for the warfighter. It improved joint-operations communications, collaborations, access to data and applications in mobile, fixed and flexible hybrid environments.

     It also was a big success from a mission perspective. After the government evaluation, we opened up the service to test with various commercial and government customers in order to get maximum exposure to the market and raise awareness. In the end, this is a commercial venture for Cisco, and we want to drive this vision of IP networking for satellite networks across the industry. We have seen very positive results from getting customers engaged with these tests. 

Via Satellite: Did these engagements lead to your operating partnership with TCS in February?

Pelton: It goes back a little further than that. When we announced the service on IS-14 and scheduled a service launch, we had a number of customers and end-users come to us and express interest in the satellite’s position over the Atlantic with coverage over North America, South America, Africa and Europe. They wanted to be able to target the service to all of those different regions, but we hit a quandary because Cisco isn’t a service provider. We sell networks to service providers, but we aren’t in the satellite service business. 

    In October, we embarked on an initiative to transition IRIS from a demonstrator and a proof of concept to actually being a production service. To do that, we need to find the right partner. We went through a series of meetings and, potentially, due-diligence discussions with a bunch of established satellite service providers and eventually narrowed down on the ideal partner for this specific application on Intelsat 14. We formed our partnership with TCS because they have a strong background in both government and commercial satellite services and have good experience with IP networks. They knew the particular types of modems we were using and were already a strong Cisco partner, so all the stars were aligned.

Via Satellite: How is your technology agreement with Astrium Services progressing?

Pelton: We’re jointly looking at what space routers would mean on their satellites and what IP networking and the type of architectures we bring mean to the satellite industry and the satellite networks where they are involved. It’s been very successful. The two companies have a common vision of the future, and we’ve completed the phase one of that agreement at the end of last year. We’re embarking on phase two now. We’re getting much more familiar with the business models around satellite networks that are converged IP networks. 

Via Satellite: What are the next steps for the service launch?

Pelton: The next steps for us on Intelsat 14 are getting the production service operational, and we’re working closely with TCS on that now. We expect to be in service in May. It’s only a couple of months now when we’ll be able to put live customers on the system and, more importantly, when TCS will be able to charge for the service and make use of it. 

The full-length interview with Greg Pelton is available to subscribers of Satellite News, our premium, weekly b2b industry newsletter. To subscribe to Satellite News, visit www.satellitetoday.com/subscribe