[Via Satellite 12-14-2016] VT iDirect has completed a successful round of over-the-air tests on the Intelsat 29e satellite leveraging iDirect’s next-generation iQ Series remote. iDirect’s ground infrastructure platform and iQ Series modem technology combined with Intelsat EpicNG satellites yielded a throughput rate of 5.71 bps/Hz — a demonstration of the up to 330 percent efficiency performance gains on the Intelsat EpicNG platform, according to the company. This allows iDirect and Intelsat customers to exploit the full capabilities of the DVB-S2X standard so they can more efficiently meet demands for high-speed bandwidth.

The tests were conducted in Intelsat’s teleports from Oct. 26 through 28 on the Intelsat 29e satellite, running on an iQ remote installed in Atlanta, Georgia and iDirect’s new universal line card and hub chassis installed in Mountainside, Maryland. The successful tests included the operation of DVB-S2X carriers with 64APSK, 128APSK and 256APSK modulation and coding, and roll-off factors of 5 percent. The user data tests demonstrated substantial efficiency improvements reaching a 5.71 bps/Hz in throughput per remote.

“With iDirect’s iQ remote technology and Intelsat EpicNG capacity, service providers can transition onto our high performance network while leveraging their existing investment in hub infrastructure. This is an important achievement in enabling our customers to expand their businesses into new applications and geographies and realize their future growth objectives,” said Mike DeMarco, senior vice president of operations at Intelsat.