TomS_ Git-r-done Premium,MVM join:2002-07-19 London, UK kudos:4
Oh yeah, I forgot about that router Cisco put up there. I recall our Cisco sales rep at my previous employer telling me about it (though I dont really remember any of the details.)
"In November 2009 Cisco's 18400 Space Router was launched on the Intelsat 14 satellite to evaluate the benefits and viability of the Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) concept. ... The really big question is whether the IRIS concept can be extended into mainstream satellite communications. If that happens, IRIS will be a game changer."
Unfortunately that has not happenned and dozens of new broadband satellites have been launched world wide since 2009 without on-board routing.
Although Exede marketing folks imply that the Viasat-1 has a "bridge" on board, detailed technical documents show it is still a bent-pipe architecture. Same for O3B satellites. They are just increasing number of beams and gateways to improve performance.
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