Cisco IRIS - Internet Routing in Space

The Cisco IRIS technology (Internet Routing in Space is Internet routing in space) will allow to establish connection on VoIP technology (a voice over IP) using satellite channels, and without use of land infrastructure for routing of calls. In it is the radical difference of Cisco IRIS from the existing technology of satellite communication which transmits a voice and video between satellites and end users through land network points.

Cisco unofficial calls the technology "call from space" though this name is not quite correct. "But as well sounds!", - Greg Pelton, the general manager of the Cisco IRIS program considers. This the last of applications which the company tests using the communication satellite Intelsat-14 launched into an orbit last year with set onboard (for the first time in the industry!) Cisco router. Besides, according to Greg Pelton, solutions for IP мультикастинга and hardware encryption of the entering and outgoing IP flows are tested.

Cisco wants to offer these and other functions in service quality to the commercial organizations and the U.S. Government. Thereby the grandiose plan of Cisco for transformation of satellite networks creating new and, perhaps, very large market due to start of routers on Earth orbit onboard communication satellites and an exit of the Internet in space is implemented. According to the management of Cisco, advantage of such approach include a possibility of routing of a voice, data and video between users on uniform IP network in a more effective, flexible and economic way, than using the existing fragmented satellite networks.

So far the IRIS technology passing a test stage already managed to achieve a number of world achievements. So, according to Pelton, the "call from space" function which is successfully experienced in October, 2010 for the first time in the history used Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express technology for support of a call of VoIP via the space router (today this technology is more often used as IP-UATS in corporate departments).

And here one more world achievement: in October, 2010 for the first time in Cisco world from the earth updated the software of the router working at a board of the Intelsat 14 satellite. As a result, according to Pelton, on this router it was succeeded to activate a number of the functions characteristic of the land products Cisco, and now these functions are available also in space. It is really revolutionary approach for the space industry never changing satellite payload after start for an orbit. Besides, Pelton speaks, this opportunity opens all richness of functionality of the Cisco IOSTM operating system for IRIS technology: "I do not remember a case when satellites would be upgraded directly in an orbit at the expense of a software update. It is normal that you started, flies". "Our technology will help people to obtain quicker necessary information", - Greg Pelton added.

Transition to full-scale commercial operation of the IRIS system onboard the Intelsat 14 satellite will become the next large stage of this program. According to the plans of Cisco read by Pelton it should occur during 2011. After that the company intends to begin sale of routers of space basing. According to Greg Pelton, some companies already ask to provide them services by IRIS from the Intelsat 14 satellite though tests of this technology did not come to the end yet. "We go ahead of schedule, - Pelton says. - We did not expect such requests before 2011, but such surprises can only be welcomed".