The European Telecommunications Standards Institute has proposed a network based on Very Small Aperture Terminal satellite technology to transfer standards document and mail between the standards-making bodies and users. The move was made in response to the European Community’s plans for a European nervous system designed to improve the Community’s data infrastructure. According to Stephen Temple, chairman of its 11th Technical Assembly – TA11, ETSI is fronting the proposal on behalf on the CEN-CENELEC telecommunications standards bodies. The plan in rough outline is for the European Institute to build a communications hub linking X25, ISDN and VSAT networks – member organisations such as the British Standards Institute would eventually be able to use the network for two-way traffic via VSAT dishes. While the published details are sparse at the moment the standards body has established a consortium of (unnamed) European companies to work on the project over the next two years.
