[SatNews] VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), has announced that Telenor Satellite Broadcasting A.S. (TSBc) has selected iDirect’s new Velocity® product line as the ground infrastructure solution for its new THOR 7 high throughput satellite (HTS).

Using iDirect technology, TSBc will deliver a Ka-band HTS payload of up to 9Gbps of throughput across 25 spot beams, providing capacity over the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic Sea as well as the Middle East. iDirect is a world leader in satellite-based IP communications technology.

TSBc chose the iDirect platform for several reasons. The platform will enable automatic, seamless spot-beam handover across all beams on the THOR 7 satellite, ensuring continuous mobile connectivity. The platform will also establish an integrated capacity pool that can be efficiently distributed and enables the development of service plans for individual terminals as well as for groups across the entire coverage area. This establishes a global bandwidth management system that enforces Service Level Agreements (SLA) at the group level across all beams. Further, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting aims to leverage the iDirect platform to facilitate inter-network roaming with other Ku and Ka satellite operators, enabling end users to travel outside of their service providers’ networks, while maintaining seamless coverage through a single service provider.

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting expects to launch the THOR 7 satellite in the second half of 2014. THOR 7 will increase capacity for current maritime and energy customers and enable Telenor Satellite Broadcasting to expand its business in the satellite news gathering, aeronautical and governmental markets.