Satellite firm neXat looks to enhance critical communications with SD-WAN

Targeting maritime, mobile, corporate and government use cases, satellite business connectivity provider neXat has launched a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) service designed to streamline business networking and enable optimal application performance through the use of centrally controlled and managed wide area network (WAN) virtualisation.

Active in 50 countries and already connected to more than 15 teleports and 25 satellites, the neXat platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering is a virtual OSS/BSS with resilience, security and quality features.

Through creating a model that the company says is a network of satellite networks, neXat believes that with the neXLink offering it is changing the way satellite connectivity business is done. Its flagship orchestration platform, claimed to be the world’s first satellite aggregation system, acts as a capacity broker connecting teleports with new customers and markets.

The service is also attributed with providing businesses with a versatile and essential solution for optimal functioning through a number of networks. It’s said to not only benefit maritime networks, especially in terms of fleet owners, but also terrestrial mobile and fixed networks. Guaranteeing constant and consistent coverage, be it through cellular networks or satellite, the offering additionally includes a suite of benefits for different industries and applications.

The system has been constructed to be capable of aggregating LEO, MEO and GEO satellites, as well as 4G and 5G links, and neXLink allows networks to be configured and monitored centrally through neXat’s operations support systems and business support systems (OSS/BSS) platform, resulting, said the company, in reduced network management complexity and overall costs.

Offering a integrated communications system consisting of a combination of LEO, GEO and cellular networks, neXLink directs traffic to the most suitable link. This is determined by factors such as bandwidth, cost, stability and latency, with the offering making appropriately tailored connections to the different types of transports available.

The service can even provide the user with a static IP address, or range of addresses, depending on the environment. All of this is achieved through the same centralised interface.

Since the service is integrated into neXat’s fully managed services platform, users can action, configurate and manage their assets and networks using the centralised interface, while benefiting from an extensive range of SD-WAN appliances, real-time services and 24/7 support.

Fulvio Sansone, neXat’s chief technology officer and founding partner, said the offering “comes at a time where the need for uninterrupted, seamless connectivity, especially in the most remote of areas, has become increasingly essential”.

“Our SD-WAN solution can not only guarantee constant and consistent coverage, be it through cellular networks or satellite, but also includes a complete suite of benefits for different industries and applications,” he said, adding that “neXat is once again demonstrating its commitment to the formation of its ‘network of networks’, making better use of our extensive catalogue of satellite and teleport partners”.

“It is making the connectivity between satellite and terrestrial networks more seamless, establishing enhanced communications where it’s needed most,” concluded Sansone.