WIMSAT: Satellite and WiMAX networks convergence with IMS

Project Description

The Singular Strategic Project called WIMSAT, which was started in September of 2008 with a foreseen duration of 3 years, is a pioneer R+D initiative of the Spanish industry that hopes to strategically give a response to the necessity of evolving the state of the art in technologies of broadband access via satellite, in order to allow them to enter in the Next Generation Networks NGN and IMS and to position them as complementary solutions and convergent with terrestrial networks, specifically with terrestrial WiMAX networks.
WIMSAT starts from the strategic interest of the Spanish industry and the eISI Technological Platform in taking the lead of technological research and development associated in such an area of incipient necessity both at European and world scale as the convergence with the NGN paradigm of broadband access technological solutions.

The WIMSAT consortium is composed by manufacturers, operators, service providers, universities and technological centers; in short, the group of stakeholders that assures the successful development of value chain. Among the partners, there are some of the most representative institutions in R+D of Spain, as well as small national companies with a pure technology basis.

Collaborating Companies or Organisations

Indra's Role

INDRA has a long experience in projects related to satellite communications. Taking advantage of its participation in the WimSAT project, the company has made a great step forward as a referent in the field of integration of DVB-RCS satellite networks within Next Generation Networks NGN / IMS framework.

At WimSAT, Indra have contributed a lot in the All-IP satellite communication network adaptation to IMS and more specifically in the convergence with terrestrial networks as WiMAX. For that purpose, a wide range of R+D activities has been programmed, such as the adaptation of the DVB-RCS/DVB-S2 networks to an IMS context with end-to-end QoS assurance applied to services as relevant as IPTV and VoD. For instance, in this framework, Indra has successfully integrated the new service control entities like IMS core’s with its advanced IP network emulation tool, called AINE.

Universities and Technological Centres

Technologies used

Satellite communications technology provides several inherent advantages as the capability of broadcasting and multicasting, global coverage or flexibility. The combination of it with WiMAX as broadband wireless technology offer new business opportunities for a new satellite-terrestrial integrated network. The optimal combination of both technologies presents an unquestionable potential to fulfill the request of broadband services wherever it might be needed and in a very efficient way. On the other hand, the evolution of both access networks towards the NGN paradigm and its integration with the IMS subsystem is a pioneer R+D+i task that places the Spanish industry in a privileged position at an international level, because of the great interest that operators have shown in the possibility of making use of this kind of infrastructure for future deployments.

More information

The Singular Strategic Project WIMSAT was started in September 2008 with a foreseen duration of 3 years, and it has been financed by the AVANZA Competitiveness I+D+i 2010 subprogram within the announcement of financial support “Strategic action on telecommunications and the information society” of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism ” (expedients TSI-020301-2008-13 y TSI-020100-2010-103).