ISI - The Integral SatCom Initiative Towards FP7

As the worldwide telecommunications network is evolving fast, and histori-cally separate sectors are converging into a single competition arena, there is an apparent need to coordinate efforts in the field of satellite communications, in order to maximize its chances for business consolidation and growth. This is precisely the purpose of the Integral Satcom Initiative (ISI), a Technology Platform which is being set up in Europe in view of the upcoming 7th Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Union (EU), and of the im-plementation of the European Space Policy, in collaboration with the Euro-pean Space Agency (ESA). This perspective article highlights the ISI found-ing principles and its present status.