Full mesh audio conferencing using the point-to-multipoint on-board switching capability of ACTS

This paper describes an implementation of audio conferencing using the ACTS T1-VSAT network. This implementation evaluates the use of the on-board switching capability of the satellite as a viable alternative for providing the multipoint connectivity normally provided by terrestrial audio bridge equipment. The system that was implemented provides full-mesh, full-duplex audio conferencing with end-to-end voice paths between all participants requiring only a single hop, i.e., 250 msec delay. It addresses the lack of spontaneity in current systems by allowing a user to easily start a conference from any standard telephone handset connected to an ACTS Earth station, and quickly add new members to the conference at any time using the 'hook flash' capability. It is shown that satellite on-board switching technology, as demonstrated by ACTS, is indeed suitable for implementing audio conferencing, and may be applicable to similar communication services with multipoint requirements, such as video conferencing. (Author)