[SatNews] A technology developed to equip service providers with the flexibility they require today to support dynamic customer networks and enabling them to capture new revenue opportunities and lower operational costs is fresh on this Company's product plate.

VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems Inc. (VT Systems), has announced a ground-breaking addition to its IP satellite communications platform: SCPC Return Channel technology. The capability is available through iDirect’s iDX 3.0 software and enables service providers to manage TDMA and SCPC networks over the same platform. With the introduction of SCPC Return Channel, iDirect becomes the first technology manufacturer to bring TDMA and SCPC technology together. iDirect customers can remotely upgrade any Evolution router to operate in TDMA or SCPC on the return channel. SCPC Return can be activated to support temporary heavy traffic conditions, or it can be turned on permanently once traffic reaches a threshold where a dedicated SCPC connection is the most economical choice.

With SCPC Return Channel, service providers gain the flexibility to adjust service levels to changing bandwidth requirements and evolving traffic patterns. They can create premium Service Level Agreements that allow for temporary bursts in traffic. This is valuable for applications such as file transfer, data back-up and HD video, as well as seasonal bandwidth requirements common to maritime, oil and gas, and other markets. In addition, when customer sites grow larger, service providers can up-sell their customers to a dedicated SCPC link. Service providers can more affordably grow networks for cellular backhaul, Internet access and other services where subscribers tend to be limited at launch and then expand steadily. By integrating SCPC onto iDirect’s shared TDMA platform, service providers can also pool total capacity and distribute it more cost-effectively across their customer base. Untapped SCPC bandwidth can be re-allocated instead of being wasted. Service providers can also expand the size of an SCPC link by simply sourcing bandwidth from the overall bandwidth pool without needing to lease new space segment.