Varnish Software, a leader in caching, streaming and content delivery software solutions, is planning to launch its solutions in space as part of a joint initiative with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)’s 5G-EMERGE consortium. By combining 5G satellite communications with advanced web caching and content delivery at the edge, Varnish will soon deliver next-gen connectivity wherever it is needed across our planet.

With its uniquely flexible and efficient CDN and edge caching technologies, Varnish and the 5G-EMERGE project will develop an ecosystem of distributed edges to cache and manipulate content as close to the end user as possible – within, or close to, the last mile.

This unique approach will help content providers, telecom operators and CSPs flawlessly deliver lightning-fast, high-quality web and streaming experiences at lower costs, all while reducing latency by as much as 50% or more.

Furthermore, by connecting satellites directly to in-home networks via routers or 5G base stations, service providers can deliver data-rich content and next-gen experiences anywhere in the world, even in remote geographic areas or locations that cannot take advantage of fixed lines, such as cruise ships.

Throughout the 5G-EMERGE project, Varnish Software will work closely with the Swedish company, Artic Space Technologies, who will offer satellite communication services focusing on big data applications for small satellites and large constellations.

Within the project, Arctic Space Technologies will provide innovative uplink and satellite communications solutions, which have the potential to completely redefine the mechanism of content delivery over satellite. For instance, virtualized, orchestrated and software defined satellite ground segment applications, such as HTTP based Multicast Uplink, will be merged with DVB-S2X allowing far edges, such as 5G base stations, to subscribe and cache all HTTP responses on the satcom network.

By combining Artic Space Technologies’ satcom solutions with caching from Varnish, the organizations can greatly minimize traffic over a satellite network and CDN. This will not only lower costs exponentially, but also improve the quality of service for the end user by reducing the latency to the satellite.

The 5G-EMERGE consortium is composed of more than 20 companies from six ESA member countries and is part of the European Space Agency (ESA) program of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). The group’s focus is to converge satellite communication (SATCOM) services with broadband media delivery mechanisms, enabling smarter and more efficient media delivery through satellite and land-based 5G connectivity.