Zedi orders new Hughes 9502 BGAN M2M satcom terminals for monitoring solutions

Hughes Network Systems, LLC will be putting its new Hughes 9502 BGAN M2M satellite communications terminal -which has been recently been accredited for operations in hazardous environments with potentially explosive atmospheres- in service with oil and gas technology and services company Zedi Inc.

An Inmarsat partner, Zedi is a leader in the field of oil and gas production operations. The company offers monitoring solutions and utilizes the newest technologies to create reliable connections for remote sites. The company unveiled the first large-scale SCADA network in the world in 2010, which is based on the Inmarsat BGAN network.

Hughes, Inmarsat, and industry customers collaborated in the creation of a new M2M BGAN terminal. The final product was the Hughes 9502 satellite communications terminal. As requested, it is compact, easy-to-use, efficient, cost-effective, and capable of operating in Class 1, Division 2 hazardous locations. It will serve as the cornerstone of Zedi monitoring solutions in terrestrial cellular coverage.

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Maju Nusa Selects Hughes To Supply HX System 4.0

Malaysia's fastest-growing VSAT service provider, Maju Nusa inks a contract with one of the leading broadband satellite solutions provider, Hughes Network Systems to supply an HX System 4.0 Network Operations Center (NOC) and 130 HX broadband satellite terminals. Majunusa will utilize the System to deliver cellular backhaul services for 2G and 3G sites in rural areas without access to cost-effective terrestrial
communications.

HX System, according Hughes, since its launch in 2012, includes a host of technology enhancements namely, low jitter delay and real-time streaming. It also includes HX90 satellite broadband router that features a new optimized encapsulation scheme on the outroute and advanced LDPC coding on the inroute, yielding best-in-class throughtputs and lowest operational costs on satellite links.


“Hughes is one of our alliance partners and provides us with the leading-edge platforms and technology we need to deliver market-winning IP-based solutions over satellite," said Maju Nusa Managing Director, Shahruddin Salehuddin. "The Hughes HX System 4.0 allows us to connect remote parts of the country and offer cost-effective backhaul for cellular mobile services without having to worry about jitter and latency on the satellite network.”

Hughes' Internationa Division Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, Ramesh Ramaswamy, said, “For people who live in these rural areas, this will be the first time that they will have cellular services in their communities. Hughes is deeply committed to delivering solutions that meet the challenge of providing cost-effective communications in rural and remote areas worldwide.”

According to Hughes, the company was selected because of its excellent reputation among existing customers in the region and Majunusa’s success in operating their first Hughes HX System ordered at the end of 2011.


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ORBCOMM, Kobelco Construction Machinery create global telematics solution

Satellite data communications company ORBCOMM Inc. has teamed up with Kobelco Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. (KCM) to create a global telematics application that will monitor the location and performance of KCM assets.

KCM is the second biggest Japanese manufacturer of hydraulic excavators, and their products are used in key international markets worldwide. The company's new telematics application will locate and keep an eye on the status, and performance of their construction equipment no matter where they are through the satellite communications network operated by ORBCOMM.

The powerful on-board performance asset monitoring system enables enhanced visibility and improved asset management of machinery for KCM customers, which will save on costs and deliver sizeable operating advantages.

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Inmarsat wins new mobile satcom services contract with FEMA

Inmarsat Government has secured a new satellite communications contract with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Company's MSS (mobile satellite services.)

The new MSS contract is worth US$3.5 million in total, and will last for up to five years. The initial contract period is for one year. FEMA can choose to extend its agreement by four one-year increments.

Inmarsat Government will tap its entire product and service portfolio to create cost-effective, innovative, and secure end-to-end satcom solutions for FEMA. This includes the Company's Global Xpress service, Inmarsat's new global Ka-band network, which is scheduled to enter service this 2013 and achieve full global service in 2014.

Inmarsat services will allow FEMA support personnel to access reliable, mission-critical communications during disasters. The Company's satellite communications solutions allow first responders to immediately contact other personnel and command and operational centers.

New Ka-band beam lets Galaxy SkyDATA reach Eastern Canada

Canada-based satellite communications company Galaxy Broadband Communications recently announced the addition of a new Ka-band beam to its SkyDATA enterprise class managed service.

The additional beam is a Ka-band spot beam from the Telesat satellite Anik F3. It will cover Central and Eastern Canada, including Northern Ontario, Northern Quebec, and the western regions of Newfoundland and Labrador. Expected launch for the upgraded service is April 15, 2013.

Galaxy launched its SkyDATA enterprise class service back in 2012. The original platform used four Ka-beams and covered the Western half of Northern Canada. Galaxy also included plans to extend SkyDATA's coverage over Eastern Canada.

SkyDATA provides cost-effective and reliable managed services to customers who need more bandwidth for mission critical applications, morale services for work camps, and VoIP communications. The new Ka-band spot beam will allow Galaxy to offer affordable, fast, and predictable managed services to customers in the resource-rich mining havens of Eastern Canada. 

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SES Increases TV Coverage To 276 Million Worldwide

SES, one of the world's leading satellite operator, announced yesterday that the company has further increased its reach as it now reaches 276 million TV homes worldwide over 17 million homes more than 2011. This, according to the company, was due to the strong gains of the company in places like India and Germany.

With a year-on-year gain of 7.5 million TV homes, India became the most important growth driver of the increase. Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV, now reach 25 million Indian TV homes with SES satellites. Germany, on the other hand, also contributed significantly to the coverage growth. The switch-off of analogue satellite signals and the success of the platform HD+ have contributed to a further growth of the satellite reach by more than 500,000 to over 18 million homes in 2012.

Senior Vice President Commercial Europe at SES, Norbert Hoelzle said, "The further extension of our reach is the result of our significant fleet investments and the successful development of leading DTH platforms, especially in emerging markets. More and more households acknowledge the significant advantages of satellite reception and the excellent channel line-up in numerous markets. SES has succeeded in generating growth not only in very dynamic emerging markets but also in highly developed markets like Germany. The further deployment of our fleet and continuous investments into new technologies like HD, Ultra HD and SAT>IP confirm our strategy to be the partner of choice for free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasters as a technical enabler. SES is also the infrastructure of choice for millions of consumers and TV viewers."


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ETL Systems To Launch V-Series RF Matrix

Even though there were news that says that ETL has expanded with the launch of its North American headquarters in Washington DC to cope with a surge in demand, ETL Systems will still launch its latest V-Series RF Matrix.

Last March 6, 2013, ETL System launched its new U.S. office at Washington DC in order to support the two-thirds of sales which comes from U.S.-based customers. ETL Systems, one of the leading designer of satellite equipment, appointed Susan Saadat, former Intelsat and Harris Caprock satcom specialist, as the new Vice-President to lead the office.



ETL System's Managing Director and CEO, Ian Hilditch, said "With this expansion we aim to grow our presence in North America by providing faster sales support and making more face to face visits possible, alongside extra on-the-ground hardware and software technical support. We pride ourselves on providing the best quality products, aftercare and customer support in the industry - the US office will enable us to extend capacity in a very important region for us."

Launching its new V-Series, designed and built at ETL’s base in the U.K., includes the 128x128 Vulcan Matrix Router, the 64x64 Vortex Matrix Router, the new 16x32 Valiant Matrix and the 16x16 Victor Matrix. All are capable of remote control via serial or Ethernet port with a SNMP and web browser interface.

ETL’s dual redundant amplifier unit, which is typically used in the front end of the RF chain, providing cable loss for teleports, TVRO and head-ends, is also on display. This amplifier unit contains dual redundant hot-swap L-band variable gain amplifier modules and is housed in a compact 1U high 19” rack mountable shelf. It operates over the 850-2150MHz frequency range, with up to 36dB gain and up to 8dB positive slope compensation.


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Sprint Debuts 4G LTE To Nine New Markets

In a news release, Sprint Nextel announced that the company is launching its 4G LTE in nine new markets. These new markets include Altoona (Pennsylvania), Asheville (North Carolina), Columbus (Indiana), Elkhart/Goshen (Indiana), Hammond (Louisiana), La Crosse (Wisconsin), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Statesville (North Carolina) and Temple (Texas).

Senior Vice-President, Sprint, Bob Azzi said, “With today’s announcement, Sprint is enabling even more customers to sample the power of 4G LTE on their smartphones, tablets and wireless hotspots. The network team continues to build and test the new network across the country, including areas like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Customers report they are already finding a 4G LTE signal in these places, and we look forward to providing even more reliable access to the data they need with our official launches.”

Also stated in the said news release are the benefits or improvements customers can expect once the 3G upgrades and 4G LTE service come to the aforementioned areas;

• Faster data speeds to enable instant Web access for news updates, HD viewing and game-playing, quicker video downloads and clearer video chats.
• Better signal strength when accessing the Web.
• Fewer dropped calls for peace of mind when talking to friends, family or colleagues.

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