Our Mission

The mission of WAVE is to transform the SATCOM industry towards a fully interoperable ecosystem by using intelligent, open, and virtualized networks and providing standardized architectures and specifications.

Impact

Imagine the WAVE consortium as the application store and smartphone of the SATCOM industry, revolutionizing how satellite communications operate. Just as app stores have enabled smartphones to become versatile tools capable of adapting to countless needs through downloadable applications, WAVE empowers satellite communication networks with unprecedented flexibility and innovation. Through its standards for virtualization, WAVE allows operators to seamlessly integrate and update a wide range of waveforms and applications, transforming rigid, hardware-dependent systems into dynamic, software-driven environments.

WAVE offers operators key advantages by eliminating vendor lock-in and fostering software adaptability, which, in turn, compels vendors to innovate. Key benefits include:

  • Freedom: Operators gain autonomy with no vendor lock, benefitting from a flexible software migration path that enhances operational agility.

  • Performance/Cost: It enhances spectral efficiency and optimizes system performance, reducing total ownership cost.

  • Modern Ecosystem: WAVE promotes an ecosystem ripe for innovation, with waveform virtualization and high-performance, portable computing solutions adaptable to changing demands.

WAVE catalyzes a transformative shift for vendors, opening doors to broader markets and enhanced service portfolios. It provides:

  • Path Forward: A clear trajectory for future product development and a strategic product transition framework.

  • Revitalized Market: Expands market reach with easier entry points thanks to hardware-independent models, paving the way for untapped market segments.

  • Increased Innovation: Reimagines waveforms as adaptable applications, facilitating the creation of novel applications and accelerating development timelines.

Board of Directors

Anirban Chakraborty headshot.

Anirban Chakraborty
Comtech
Chair

Bio →
Joshua Cryer headshot.

Joshua Cryer
Reticulate Micro
Director

Bio →
Alan Campbell headshot.

Alan Campbell
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Director

Bio →
Mark Steel headshot.

Mark Steel
Reticulate Micro
Director

Bio →
Michael Geist headshot.

Michael Geist
SES Space & Defense
Director

Bio →

Ivan De Baere
St. Engineering iDirect
Director

Bio →

Guy Levitas
Gilat Satellite Networks
Director

Bio →

Alan Williams
Intelsat
Director

Bio →

Javier Trujillo
SES
Director

Bio →

Adi Adotler
Gilat Satellite Networks
Director

Bio →

Sunil Gottiipati
Intelsat
Director

Bio →

Balachander Srinivasan
ST Engineering iDirect
Director

Bio →
Juan Deaton headshot.

Juan Deaton
Alignment
Founding Architect

Bio →

Why WAVE?

In the rapidly evolving satellite communications (SATCOM) industry, the Waveform Architecture for Virtualized Ecosystems (WAVE), created under the auspices of IEEE-ISTO, represents a pioneering initiative designed to address the pressing challenge of proprietary hardware dependence. WAVE envisions a future where SATCOM networks are built on agile, scalable, and cost-effective commodity platforms, enabling a rapid acceleration of innovation in network services and operations. This transformative vision seeks to break the industry’s current gridlock, characterized by network operators’ rejection of vendor-locked systems and the struggle of vendors to migrate their waveform technologies into a virtualized environment.

In addition to a path forward, the WAVE consortium promotes an open, interoperable ecosystem using commercial-off-the-shelf servers, x86 architectures, and PCIe accelerators. WAVE liberates operators from vendor lock-in, enhancing competition and fostering a vibrant supplier ecosystem responsive to the market’s dynamic needs. It offers a strategic framework for vendors, providing a clear migration path for revitalizing their product lines and achieving operational agility, improved spectral efficiency, and reduced total cost of ownership.

WAVE catalyzes the development of a modern, high-performance computing ecosystem that is inherently flexible and adaptable, promoting hardware-independent models to facilitate market entry and expand reach. By embracing WAVE, the SATCOM industry positions itself to overcome current challenges and usher in a new era of cost-effective and innovative SATCOM solutions. Thus, WAVE is not merely a solution to today’s issues; it is a forward-looking strategy ensuring the future competitiveness and vibrancy of the SATCOM sector, poised to bring about a more competitive and vibrant supplier ecosystem.