Intelsat’s Next Generation Network

Customer Background

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services worldwide with a diversified, premier, blue-chip customer base of over 1800 customers in 200 countries. For more than 45 years, Intelsat has been delivering information and entertainment service delivery for many of the world’s leading media and network companies, multinational corporations, Internet Service Providers and government agencies. Intelsat’s supporting infrastructure has grown to become one of the largest worldwide satellite fleets with over 50 deployed satellites and 7 teleports. 

Requirements

Intelsat sought to upgrade its current legacy network requiring a new high speed network architecture capable of supporting emerging and VOD, Linear, Streaming Video and Interactive TV Applications in a variety of Formats and Standards to include MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-4 HD DVB-S2/S, SD, HD (720p or1080p/i), and WMV.  The new architecture is required to be capable of supporting both Satellite and Terrestrial Distribution Methods and incorporate technologies to leverage the use of the Internet.

Solution

The solution to Intelsat’s requirements was a Next Generation Network with Advanced Video Services Management.  The solution combined Cachendo’s worldwide professional networking and video application services and experience, along with Cisco Systems’ Advanced Services and Service Provider Video Transport Group (SPVTG, formerly Scientific-Atlanta) products and professional development skills to produce a Next Generation Video Network Architecture solution with Advance Video Service Management.   

This architecture leverages the power and resiliency of Cisco’s CRS-1, 7600 Series routers, and the Digital Content Manager (DCM) Series of intelligent IP adapters as the main components of the Next Generation Network Core.  The application requirements are handled by Cisco’s new product known as Video Service Management (VSM). VSM allows for the seamless, end to end provisioning of video services across a complex, multi faceted, multi-vendor network from a single, simple to use user interface.    The advanced video services manager eliminates the need for individual video device management and configuration by leveraging the power of Cisco’s existing ROSA NMS device manager and Cisco’s new end to end service provisioning and management product, VSM.

This solution to cost effectively support resilient enhanced video monitoring capabilities demanded for the highest quality video transport services:

·        Point to multipoint VPLS Traffic Engineering for admission control with fast re-route giving 50ms recovery times in both link and line card failure cases

·        IP over DWDM (IPoDWDM enabling reduction in CAPEX and OPEX and the fast detection of network failures, for even faster failure recovery

·        Next generation video application including on-demand digital services, local program and advertising insertion and tools to more effectively process video and conserve bandwidth

·        Intelsat’s Next Generation Network (NGN) with Advanced Video Services Management is currently being deployed with Expected project completion in Q2 of 2012.