iDirect (News - Alert): Three Marine Antenna Manufacturers Demonstrate Interoperability with its  Platform Through Open Standards Protocol

VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems Inc. (VT Systems), has announced that three leading manufacturers of stabilized marine VSAT antennas -- namely, Sea Tel, Intellian and Jotron -- have implemented the OpenAMIP protocol developed by iDirect and completed successful interoperability testing with iDirect's suite of broadband satellite routers. The company also announced that nine additional antenna manufacturers are in the process of implementing the OpenAMIP protocol and working with iDirect to qualify that their systems are interoperable.

In a press release, Christian Bergan, director of Maritime Vertical, iDirect, said "Maritime VSAT networks are complex, and service performance depends significantly on how well the underlying technologies integrate. Our goal through the OpenAMIP protocol is to remove some of the complexity and promote a shared standard within the maritime industry for technology providers to work together on making maritime networks more reliable and manageable for end users."

Features of OpenAMIP protocol are:

--It eliminates the need for proprietary coding to make new antennas or routers introduced into the market work together.

--It allows maritime organizations to choose from a wider selection of hardware to best suit their needs.

--It allows the router to command the antenna and enables the use of Automatic Beam Switching, which transfers connectivity from one satellite beam to the next as a vessel passes through multiple footprints. It is an IP-based protocol that facilitates the exchange of information between an Antenna Controller Unit and a satellite router.

--It enables service providers and their customers to meet government regulations by commanding the antenna to mute the signal in no-transmit zones.

iDirect was in the news last month when it named John G. Grimes to its board of directors. Grimes, a U.S. Air Force veteran, held numerous high-ranking federal government positions for the U.S. National Security Council, Department of Defense and the White House.

Sujata Garud is a TMCnet freelancer with three years of writing/editing experience and two years of market research experience. As an editor she has covered the IT, electronics, banking, pharma, construction, mining and healthcare industries. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Patrick Barnard