Demonstration connecting modem and BUC via digital interface is a milestone towards interoperability
Petah Tikva, Israel and, Herndon, VA., 13 March 2023 – ST Engineering iDirect, a leader in global satellite communications, and Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: GILT), a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, announced a successful proof of concept (PoC) of converting analog signals to digital signals utilizing Digital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability (DIFI) 1.1 Standard, developed by the DIFI consortium. The demonstration, held during the Satellite 2023 event in Washington, D.C., lays strong foundations for the goal of interoperability.
The standard provides a path to enable the digital transformation of the space industry by providing interoperability at the IF/RF layer. The standard will enable all manufacturers to build interoperable technologies that work in both open and closed network topologies, resulting in highly flexible networks and enabling the industry to respond rapidly to customer demands.
The two companies demonstrated that an iDirect modulator can output a digitized signal that conforms to the DIFI standard and is interoperable with a BUC from Gilat’s fully owned subsidiary, Wavestream. A DIFI v1.1 link, between the modem and BUC, carries the digitized waveform over a 10 Gbps fiber connection. The modem’s output waveform is DVB-S2X, but the digital link is waveform agnostic. The overall link includes a digital modulator as the data source and a digital input BUC. The traditional analog IF and RF signals are displayed to demonstrate the successful interoperability and reconstruction of the analog waveform from the DIFI stream.
