iBeam Targets ISPs That Have 10,000 Subs

iBeam will lend you free equipment if you join their MaxCaster broadband provider network. You get better high-bandwidth content provision, and they get another POP.

ISP-Planet Staff
[April 25, 2000]

Streaming media provider iBeam is offering ISPs (those that qualify) free installation and free loaned MaxCaster equipment that will provide "a high fidelity and always available streaming media solution to your customers." The system routes bandwidth-hogging content through satellites to servers in your data center, reducing strain on your upstream Internet pipe.

Essentially, to qualify, you need to have at least either 10,000 narrowband subscribers (where narrowband means slower than 144 Kbps) or at least 1,000 broadband subscribers (where broadband means at or faster than 144 Kbps).

Since the service uses a satellite dish, you also need roof access and permits. And, of course, the equipment takes up space (at least 8U) and is still owned by iBeam. The equipment requires eight IP addresses, an analog phone line for the MaxCaster modem, and a single IP source address block of the POP location "for intelligent redirection of media streams." iBeam claims that installation does not require any downtime for the ISP network.

The MaxCaster system consists of a satellite dish downlink with a ViaCast Networks (formerly IDI) IP-Companion 6500, a Dell 4350 PowerEdge rack-mountable server, and a Summit24 Layer-2 switch from Extreme Networks. Specifically:

• The ViaCast IP-Companion 6500 is an MPEG-2/DVB-compliant receiver/IP router which receives high-speed data broadcasts and converts thedata into 10/100 BAST-T IP Ethernet data.
• The Dell PowerEdge server has dual Pentium III processors, redundant power suppplies, and 512 MB of RAM.
• The Extreme Networks Summit 24 Switch has 24 10/100 BASE-TX ports and one 1000 BASE-SX port.
• The satellite receiver is typically a one-meter dish with a nonpenetrating mount. It is connected to the ISP data room with a single coaxial cable.

The MaxCaster connects into the ISP switch matrix and has no effect on the normal operations of the ISP. iBeam claims that if any portion of the MaxCaster system fails, data is timed out and the ISP uses the standard Internet backbone to retrieve data.

Availability
The MaxCaster program is available now at iBeam's website.

Related Article
iBeam cites this New York Times article about their service.

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