CARLSBAD, Calif., 13 Nov. 2007.ViaSat Inc. has received an order from Globecomm Systems Inc. (GSI) for an open-standard satellite communication network called the Joint Internet Protocol Modem (JIPM). The new networking modem is designed to integrate key technologies, including advanced commercial satellite networking and information assurance, into an integrated IP network for joint, interoperable communications.
The JIPM is a network-centric enabling product from ViaSat intended to become a key component of the open systems architecture of the DoD, Army, Navy, and Air Force SATCOM systems.
GSI is the prime contractor for the JIPM program for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) under the U.S. Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS) Project Manager Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PM DCATS) WorldWide Satellite Systems (WWSS) Program.
GSI will provide program and contract management, while ViaSat provides the network system and modem design. The JIPM is intended to become a satellite modem standard for U.S. DoD joint forces to connect to the Global Information Grid through DISA teleports and STEP (Standard Tactical Entry Point) sites through both military and commercial satellites.
Under subcontract to GSI, ViaSat is responsible for the integration of a DVB-S2/DVB-RCS-based IP satellite network and modems for hub-spoke networks employing FIPS 140-2, Level 2, AES-256 TRANSEC. The network and modems are also designed to include advanced features such as embedded TCP acceleration, adaptive coding and modulation, higher order modulation, mesh connectivity extensions, extensive QoS (Quality of Service) capabilities, extended network management, and IPv6.
"By combining elements from our U.S. Army 'Current Force' LinkWay network modem and MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem we can respond with a strong offering that includes the latest commercial technologies," says Larry Taylor, director business development for ViaSat Government Satcom Systems.