Performance Technologies reported Tuesday that Geolink, a developer of mobile satellite communications systems, is using Performance Technologies’ SEGway 1100 SS7/IP Signaling Platform in its OceanCell GSM Solution. OceanCell is the first GSM solution to enable mobile telephone use at sea.
Geolink’s OceanCell solution uses maritime satellite links to allow mobile phones to be used on cruise ships, ferries, oil barges and military ships when terrestrial GSM coverage is not available. Geolink is using Performance Technologies’ SEGway devices to enable the transmission of IP-based SS7 signaling over a satellite link.
“More than 70 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by ocean and is therefore inaccessible to wire and mobile phone networks,” said Roch-Alexandre Nomine-Beguin, project manager for Geolink.
“Performance Technologies’ SEGway devices help make it possible for GSM communications to occur transparently — even at sea — by transmitting SS7 messages over satellite from any point on earth to our mobile switch. The GSM infrastructure relies on SS7 signaling, so the SEGway devices are critical to our solution.”
Small, compact and operationally transparent, the SEGway 1100 SS7/IP Signaling Platform enables the reliable transport of SS7 messages over low cost, managed IP networks. In the case of Geolink, the SEGway devices are transporting SS7 messages over satellite to enable mobile communications in geographic locations where it would otherwise not be possible.
The SEGway products utilize the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) and Performance Technologies’ field-proven SS7/IP software to ensure the same high level of reliability when transporting messages over IP as with traditional methods.
“At a time when global communications coverage continues to grow, we are seeing increased interest in our SEGway products to enable mobile satellite communications,” said Deb Brunner-Walker, product manager for Performance Technologies. “Geolink is a pioneer in this area, and we look forward to a continuing relationship during this satellite-based buildout.”
