OTTAWA – Telesat has tapped Alphabet subsidiary Loon to design the network operating system for its global low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.
The design will adapt and expand on the cloud-based, temporospatial software-defined network (SDN) platform that Loon uses today to deliver mobile data services over its fleet of stratospheric balloons.
Under the agreement, Loon will adapt its SDN platform design to enable Telesat’s LEO constellation to consistently deliver a fibre-like broadband experience on a global basis to both fixed and mobile terminals. The Loon SDN will be specifically customized for Telesat’s use, giving its LEO constellation a powerful and highly differentiated capability for serving commercial and government markets.
Telesat said that the effort will result in a scalable and robust network operating system that it can use to optimize capacity across its global fleet of LEO satellites while minimizing latency and ensuring reliable connectivity to end-users worldwide.
“Loon has unique experience developing sophisticated network management software that assures delivery of reliable broadband services over highly dynamic networks that undergo constant change”, said Telesat LEO VP Erwin Hudson, in the news release. “The addition of Loon brings an entirely new set of capabilities to the world-class supplier team Telesat has built for our LEO program – capabilities that will give Telesat a powerful competitive advantage in our global broadband service offerings.”
