PAGE CONTENTS
Objectives
The satellite industry’s current device-centric model to deploy new equipment and services creates long lead times related to shipping, customs, and installation – and an end result that is often challenging to integrate with other networks. For the past decade the mobile industry has moved away from this device-centric approach, switching focus to running network functions as virtual machines on standard servers with clearly defined interfaces between the network functions.
The objective of the project is transforming Forsway’s Xtend Hub to work in a cloud-based environment. Underlying objectives include enabling quick response times using software-only deployments, tight integrations with mobile operators’ core networks, and a higher pace of innovation by simplified upgrades – to create a highly future oriented service offering.
The overall aim is positioning Forsway to develop advanced connected vehicle solutions that efficiently combine satellite and terrestrial connectivity.
Challenges
Key challenges
- Transforming the Xtend hub satellite hub from a device-centric architecture to a scalable microservice architecture.
- Creating a portable and reproducible way to deploy the full system in different cloud environments such as different operator clouds and public clouds.
- Creating a stable platform to deploy a private cloud for operators that has not yet started their own cloud operations
System Architecture
The system consists of two main parts: A satellite hub and hybrid routers.
The satellite hub, the Forsway Xtend Hub, is the main object of the cloud transformation in the project. The existing hub is transformed into a number cloud-native microservices (CNF) running inside a Kubernetes cluster. The hybrid router is a router with interfaces for both satellite and terrestrial communication links.
Plan
The project consists of one Definition phase and one Technology phase. The Definition phase includes activities to define system requirements, architecture, and test plans. The phase has one milestone, MTR, where the system requirements are frozen. The Technology phase includes the implementation and test parts of the project. The Technology phase includes one milestone, PDR, with the aim to ensure readiness to start final system testing.
Current Status
The requirements elicitation and analysis for the project has been completed. The most critical parts of the system architecture, relating to general architecture and mobile network integration, has been completed. The work is now focusing on architectural details.
