Thor 7 satellite
Photo: TSBc

[Via Satellite 10-07-13] European satellite operator Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) has selected iDirect’s new Velocity product line as the ground infrastructure solution for its new Thor 7 high throughput satellite (HTS). Using iDirect’s technology, TSBc will deliver a Ka-band HTS payload of up to 9Gbps of throughput across 25 spot beams, providing capacity over the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic Sea as well as the Middle East.

iDirect’s platform will enable automatic, seamless spot-beam handover across all beams on the Thor 7 satellite, ensuring continuous mobile connectivity. The platform will also establish an integrated capacity pool that can be efficiently distributed and enables the development of service plans for individual terminals as well as for groups across the entire coverage area. This establishes a global bandwidth management system that enforces Service Level Agreements (SLA) at the group level across all beams. Further, TSBc aims to leverage the iDirect platform to facilitate inter-network roaming with other Ku and Ka satellite operators, enabling end users to travel outside of their service providers’ networks, while maintaining seamless coverage through a single service provider.

TSBc expects to launch the Thor 7 satellite in the second half of 2014. This spacecraft will increase capacity for current maritime and energy customers and enable the company to expand its business in the satellite news gathering, aeronautical and governmental markets.

“Thor 7, Ka-band HTS payload is strategically positioned over the main shipping routes and major oil and gas exploration areas in Europe, enabling our maritime and energy customers to grow their businesses and bring much needed capacity into the region. There’s no better platform than iDirect to bring our new capacity to market, giving us the flexibility we need to capture a broad range of high-value markets, whilst offering the possibility for roaming between Ku and Ka band satellites in the future,” said Julian Crudge, divisional director, network and data services, TSBc.