Seoul-108
                                                              John Leong

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  Satellite Internet Working Group Report
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 The Satellite Internet Working Group was formed at the APAN meeting in Singapore 
 Oct 97. During the APAN Tsukuba meeting, the group was placed under the Network 
 Technology Area. The Satellite Internet Working Group comprises of members from 
 Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. These members belong to institutions 
 linked to the AI3 (Asian Internet Interconnection Initiatives) satellite network which 
 is an internet research based network via satellite. The AI3 network is an initiative 
 from Japan WIDE consortium and JSAT Inc. 

 The AI3 Ku-band network has begun operation since Oct 1995 with participation 
 coming from Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia. Each country has 1.5 Mbps 
 link via JCSAT-3.  The second phase of the AI3 network will involve another 5 
 countries and C-band frequency will be used. Singapore and Malaysia are ready with 
 their Earth Station for the link which will likely to begin operation in the 3rd quarter 
 of 1998. This delay has hinder the development of serious research projects in the 
 technology of Satellite-Internet in this Working Group. It is hope that APAN can 
 work closely with AI3 to enable the C-band satellite link to start operation in the 
 earliest possible time.

 In the next 6 months, we hope the AI3 C-band network can be in operation and full-
 scale projects will then take place. The projects that will run on this link are:
 
  - Internet asymmetric link
  - ATM via Satellite
  - TCP/IP performance on VSAT network


 Written by:	John Leong Kit Hoong
		(e-mail: kithoong@tp.ac.sg)
		Chairman, Satellite Internet Working Group