Next month, Cisco Systems Inc, Hughes Network Systems Inc, and Helius Inc are to start marketing a new satellite-to-local network service for applications including Internet access and file distribution. Called DirecPC for NetWare, the system incorporates three services: 400Kbps Internet access; Digital Packet Delivery for file distribution to multiple sites at 3Mbps speeds and delivery of streamed video for distance learning or corporate training. The system is not two-way satellite based, however. Data requests are sent over terrestrial phone lines, and the return path is to the server via satellite. The system is said to enable up to 1,000 local network users to be supported. It consists of a 21 high elliptical satellite antenna, and a 16-bit AT board and Windows95-based software, which are installed on the server. The software incorporates Cisco’s Internet Junction package, acquired with the take-over of the company of the same name (CI No 2,744), which interfaces between IPX on the local network, and TCP/IP and removes the need for TCP/IP to be installed on every desktop. It also includes network drivers and multi-user clients from Helius, which handle incoming traffic, and monitor the status of both the satellite link, and the terrestrial communications. Pricing for the service is dependent on the number of clients, but for five local network users the initial cost is around $2,300, with monthly charges at from $16 per user for 30Mb of Internet activity. For the Digital Packet Delivery and Multimedia services, the cost is $0.55 to $1 per Megabyte of information, regardless of the number of locations receiving it.
