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:
WAVE catalyzes a transformative shift for vendors, opening doors to broader markets and enhanced service portfolios. It provides:
Board of Directors
Anirban Chakraborty was appointed as Comtech’s first Chief Technology Officer in June 2023. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Comtech since 2018 and was instrumental in its 5G and Public Safety strategies. Anirban brings more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications industry across Terrestrial and Satellite technologies. Prior to joining Comtech, he served in leadership positions in a plethora of enterprises ranging from Technology startups, Private Equity firms and publicly traded companies, including Tech Mahindra, Moonlight Capital and UST Global.
Joshua is a United States Air Force veteran with 25+ years of experience in the military communications industry. At Reticulate Micro, he sets the vision and values, while building a world-class executive team to drive the company’s strategy across multiple technology verticals.
Prior to leading Reticulate Micro, Joshua had built a global reputation as a mission-focused, technology innovator in communications for the elite United States Special Operations community and NATO as well as for the defense contractor community. Noteworthy highlights include:
Alan Campbell is a Principal Space Products Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS). His focus is on empowering customers with innovative new Cloud-based scalable solutions for the Aerospace & Satellite segment. Alan specializes in Data Analytics / ML enabling key insights in Satellite Communications, Earth Observation, and IoT platforms.
A pioneering 35-year veteran of the communications and satellite industry, Mark leads product and services strategy for Reticulate Micro and serves as CTO for the company’s satellite communications (SATCOM) business segment.
Michael Geist is the Vice President of Product Management at SES Space & Defense. Michael has more than 25 years of experience in the satellite communications industry as an innovator, product developer, and business/market developer and uses that experience to enhance SES’s position in the Defense and Government markets. Prior to SES Space & Defense, Michael was President of Apothym Technologies Group where he led the development of next generation antenna solutions and waveform virtualization capabilities necessary for multi-network resilience. He also applied these core technologies to next generation hypersonic solutions, and other advanced networking platforms.
Dr. Juan Deaton is currently the Chief Alignment Officer at Alignment Consulting and Engineering, focusing on advising SATCOM companies in digitally transforming their networks, business development, and performing R&D in digital signal processing. Previously, as a senior research scientist at Apothym Technologies Group (ATG), he worked to advance waveform virtualization. His 2022 report, Digital Transformation of Satellite Communication Networks, provided the vision for digitization and virtualization for the SATCOM industry. At ATG, he also served as a DIFI Board Member, a key contributor to the specification, and the Digital Transformation of SATCOM Workshop chair at MILCOM. Before that, Juan worked with Comtech EF Data on Forward Error Correction Technologies and other satellite communications modeling. His tenure at Comtech EF Data also involved research on anti-jam waveforms and LDPC codes. Before Comtech, he was at the Idaho National Lab, focusing on spectrum optimization and emergency communications. Juan holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Virginia Tech and a BSEE from the University of Idaho. His patent work includes spectrum sharing, wireless emergency communications, and waveform virtualization.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.
