In an effort to boost regional collaboration and increase the reach of the CISCAI network using state-of the-art satellite communications facilities, a series of meetings have been held between CISCAI-Project Coordination Unit (PCU) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to explore the possible use and application of Wideband InterNetworking Test and Demonstration or the WINDS Satellite, to the CISCAI project.

The WINDS satellite, also known as Kizuna, is a Japanese communication satellite. It is being used to relay the internet to Japanese homes and businesses, through Ka-Band signals. It is part of Japan's i-Space program, and is operated by JAXA and the National Institute for Information and Communications Technology (NICT).

The WINDS will be able to provide 155 megabit per second download speed to home users with 45-centimeter diameter satellite dishes, whilst providing industrial users, via 5-meter diameter dishes, with 1.2 gigabits per second speeds. In addition to establishing a domestic ultra-high speed Internet network, the project also aims to construct ultra high speed international Internet access, especially with Asian Pacific countries and regions that are more closely related to Japan.

The KIZUNA project is responsible for the demonstration of the validity and usefulness of technologies related to large-capacity data communications in the space infrastructure project, the purpose of which is to promote the use of satellites in such fields as Internet communications, education, medicine, disaster measures and intelligent transport Systems. In recent years, JAXA has made collaborations with several ASEAN countries related to the WINDS project  (i.e: Philippine, Vietnam and Thailand. to name a few).

Initial communications were made by CISCAI-PCU starting around August 2009. Several meetings were held in JAXA Bangkok Office during the 3rd quarter of 2009. These were later followed by visits to the CISCAI headquarters-Jakarta of Director Jun Gomi and Senior Engineer Toshio Higuchi of the Satellite Applications and Promotion Center (SAPC) Space Applications Mission Directorate of JAXA. Said meetings discussed on technical issues as well as administrative matters concerning the possible CISCAI-WINDS collaboration.

Two sites in Laos Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) are being eyed as possible pilot test beds for the imminent CISCAI-WINDS collaboration, which are in the rural southern province of Savanakhet and that of the capital city Vientiane. Among the various applications being planned for the CISCAI-WINDS satellite link up include a suite of telemedicine applications such as distance medical expert consultation and advice, field health worker avian influenza (AI) patient handling and coaching, high definition video of suspected AI“infected patients and poultry, central and field videoconferencing sessions.

Should this collaboration be realized, the WINDS satellite hook up will greatly complement the over-all CISCAI mega-network, which also includes a similar mobile satellite link-up via the IPSTAR satellite in Vietnam. (CISCAI-PCU)