Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) announced its “SD-WAN over Satellite Access” demonstration won the 2019 Service Implementation of the Year award at the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) 3.0 Proof-of-Concept Showcase in Los Angeles last week. The annual event, hosted by international industry consortium MEF, focuses on the interoperability of connectivity services and brings carriers and technology providers together to showcase innovative real-world applications of the MEF 3.0 interoperability framework.

Intelsat’s proof-of-concept illustrated how the current MEF “lifecycle service orchestration” standards can enable customers to implement and manage remote site connectivity across different network providers, different network types (terrestrial and space), and different SD-WAN technology vendors ― all through a single user portal.

“The future of global enterprise communications will integrate space and terrestrial networks into a seamless network,” said Intelsat Vice President and General Manager, Networks Jean-Philippe Gillet. “By partnering with others in the digital ecosystem, including SD-WAN and cloud enablers, Intelsat is demonstrating how we are continuing to innovate, expanding beyond satellite capacity and platforms. Through this SD-WAN proof-of-concept, coupled with our recently announced availability of Cloud Direct with Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute, Intelsat customers are better positioned to meet and adapt to their emerging needs.”

Intelsat’s partners on the demo included SD-WAN vendors 128 Networks and Nuage Networks (a Nokia company); terrestrial service provider CMC Networks; SD-WAN CPE vendor Kontron; software and services providers Infovista and Cloudify; and business/network consulting company GDX. Intelsat was the only satellite services provider to present at the Showcase.

SD-WAN technology simplifies the implementation and management of enterprise networks. Pairing the technology with satellite-based services provides unique value to an enterprise that other solutions on the market today can’t offer, including:

• Global reach that enables connectivity in locations where alternatives are not available, unreliable, or are too expensive
• Quick time-to-deploy to almost anywhere on the globe, reducing the time needed to bring up new sites
• Improved site resiliency and immunity to local fiber cuts and terrestrial outages
• Always-on capacity providing an additional layer of connectivity, especially for applications with broadcast requirements
• Unique to satellite-based service, the ability to share capacity across multiple locations in the same region and distribute capacity as application and site needs dictate.

“Interoperability standards, driven by software-enabled and -defined services, will bring together satellite, terrestrial and wireless solutions across telecom and networking to help simplify services for customers,” said Gillet. “This recognition is a testament to the simplified, user-friendly services that Intelsat is focused on developing to help its customers around the world grow their businesses and achieve mission success.”