Obtain regulatory approvals across multiple boundaries and multiple stakeholders within just 16 months!
IRIS is a new space-based datalink service for air ground aeronautical communication to supplement or replace existing ground-based datalink networks used in air traffic management (ATM).
The IRIS service, developed by Inmarsat, implements the SATCOM infrastructure supporting datalink applications such as Controller Pilot Data Communication (CPDLC) and Automatic Dependant Surveillance - Contract (ADS-C). In the near future, ADS-C will enable the tracking of aircraft in four dimensions - latitude, longitude, altitude, and time, using 4-D trajectory-based operations.
Up to now, our client ESSP was mainly known as the service provider of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). With IRIS, ESSP would become a pan-European communication service provider, overseeing the end-to-end provision of the service including interface with end users (air traffic service providers and airlines), end to end monitoring, and alerting etc. This meant that ESSP would also need to demonstrate compliance with the applicable EU regulations and be certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as a communication service provider.
The timescales were extremely tight, there were multiple stakeholders to consult, and in many senses, this was a ‘first’ both in terms of the safety assessment and security compliance challenges ahead. For these reasons, ESSP approached Egis for support.