Quintech Electronics, an Evertz company, has joined the DIFI Consortium, an independent, space industry group formed to advance interoperability in satellite and ground system networks.
Quintech joins a growing roster of leading organizations in the space industry coming together to form the Digital IF Interoperability Consortium. These organizations are contributing to the innovation of digital transformation of space, satellite and related space technologies for the benefit of the industry.
Quintech President Frank Elling said,“ Quintech products and system solutions are designed for high reliability and maximized uptime providing years of maintenance free service. We emphasize the design and development of superior RF signal management and Digital IF products to provide the highest quality systems and solutions for our valued customers, particularly in the Government and Military space.“
The Digital IF Interoperability Consortium (DIFI) is an independent, international group of companies, organizations and government agencies that have an interest in the interoperability of networks and ground systems supporting space-based operations. Launched in coordination with the IEEE-ISTO, DIFI’s mission is to enable the digital transformation of space, satellite and related industries through a simple, interoperable Digital IF/RF standard that accelerates industry transformation from L-Band IF to Digital IF, while discouraging vendor lock-in. DIFI promotes standards in all satellite application areas where systems interoperability is needed or beneficial, including satcom, earth observation, remote sensing, TT&C, and more. The founding members of DIFI include Hawkeye 360, Intelsat Corp., Kongsberg Satellite Services AS (KSAT), Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., Microsoft, and the U.S. Navy. The DIFI board has approved version 1.0 of an interoperability standard based upon VITA 49, entitled IEEE-ISTO.
The Digital IF Interoperability Consortium (DIFI) also related that six new members from across industry sectors have joined the organization, including:
Genus Group, a provider of services supporting communications and satellite systems;
Isotropic Systems, a developer of transformational broadband terminal technologies;
Israel Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (IAI), Global leader in defense, aerospace, and commercial markets ;
Quintech Electronics & Communications, Inc., as indicated above…
Welkin Sciences, a developer of technologies that enable Digital IF earth terminal architectures; and
Work Microwave, a developer and manufacturer of RF electronics technologies and products.
DIFI members are coming together to support innovation and the digital transformation of space, satellite and related network technologies through the development of industry interoperability standards. In August, DIFI introduced version 1.0 of its interoperability standard based upon VITA 49, entitled IEEE-ISTO Std 4900-2021: Digital IF Interoperability Standard which can be downloaded at the Consortium’s website. This standard has already been specified in at least one major satellite communications RFI by the U.S. Army to support system interoperability.
“New members have been joining DIFI weekly,” said Stuart Daughtridge, Chairman of DIFI and SVP for Advanced Technologies at Kratos. “It is a testament to the importance that the industry places on the need for digital transformation, and it is particularly great to see that support for the DIFI standard is global, including new members from Germany and Israel. As members of DIFI working groups advance the scope, use, testing and certification of the standard, originally introduced more than three months ago, we continue to get closer to the goal of interoperability across space networks.”