VANTAGE-VSAT ATM network trials for applications groups across Europe

The VANTAGE project is unique within ACTS in that it is simultaneously an infrastructure provider and trials conductor, with both internal and external users. The internal users are the consortial partners themselves whose immediate interests relate to the performance and management of satellite network infrastructures in general. The external users (the application groups), on the other hand are offered a stable and reliable, managed, bandwidth on demand infrastructure to allow them to trial and network their own ACTS (or non-ACTS) -developed applications. For these external-users VANTAGE is essentially a capacity provider offering either last mile access capability for those who would otherwise be unable to operate at all, or a controlled environment for the test and evaluation of applications which may ultimately need to operate in or with satellite networks. VANTAGE offers a series of three extended trials: from May to August 1996, from May to October (originally May to July) 1997 and from March to May 1998. All trials share a general configuration, and are based on the CADENZA concept and product family which allows any transparent satellite, with its Earth stations, to become a full-function, distributed ATM switch