ViaSat integrates LonoCloud cloud computing platform into broadband network

ViaSat will leverage its recent acquisition, cloud networking software company LonoCloud, to enhance its existing satellite broadband network.

LonoCloud employees will team up with their broadband networking counterparts at ViaSat to turn core components of the LonoCloud Platform into a Service (PaaS) product that can be integrated with the ViaSat broadband by satellite network.

According to Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO of ViaSat, LonoCloud's core technical capability will improve ViaSat's current satellite broadband offerings and speed up development cycles of new service offerings.

Based in La Jolla, California, the privately-held LonoCloud created a cloud-based service platform that use distributed mesh algorithms to build a network foundation so that enterprise services and applications can interact and communicate with one another. When overlaid upon enterprise network environments, the Company's cloud computing architecture can distribute cost-effective computing across multiple servers in the cloud.

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Cobham SATCOM, LiveU create new satcom broadband solution for broadcasters

Cobham SATCOM and LiveU will offer a robust, high-performance hybrid satellite communications solution that will allow broadcasters to transmit live video from anywhere in the world.

A professional-grade LU70 backpack from LiveU will support the latest members of the SATCOM BGAN Explorer satellite terminal product line. This includes the recently-announced Explorer 710, which is set for a September 2013 launch.

The LU70 interface allows camera operators to control all BGAN interfaces locally. Operators can easily switch between satellite and cellular connectivity. The LiveU Center web interface can also remotely control the BGANs, letting news operators directly view and manage live transmissions from the studio.

The LiveU Total unified management platform incorporates the hybrid Cobham SATCOM/LiveU solution into the LiveU ecosystem. It also lets control rooms manage multiple video feeds from individual LiveU units situated in various locations.

The Explorer product line was designed by Cobham SATCOM to leverage the Inmarsat BGAN satellite network. Explorer satellite terminals are compact, easy to use, and reliable. They are designed to deliver instant access to satellite broadband connectivity no matter the time, place, or extremity of environmental conditions. 

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Telefonica taps Eutelsat KA-SAT for Internet by satellite in Europe

In a recently-announced agreement, Telefonica Global Solutions will be using Eutelsat Communications' KA-SAT satellite to deliver Internet by satellite broadband services to European carriers.

KA-SAT will enable Telefonica to offer a new selection of Internet by satellite services. The new solutions can match the reliability and prices of existing terrestrial broadband services in Europe.

In addition, KA-SAT allows Telefonica to reach rural areas or urban belts that usually lie outside the coverage of land-based networks. The Company's Internet by satellite broadband services can also serve as fully diversified backup solutions for areas that do have access to terrestrial networks.

SES provides satellite broadband services to ESA for ARTES initiative

Last week, SES announced that its SES Broadband Services will be providing satellite broadband services to the participants of the ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA.)

The ESA has set its sights on boosting the competititveness of the European satellite industry. Its ARTES initiative will promote satellite functions and services in aviation, broadcasting, data relay, multimedia and mobile communications, and search and rescue operations. These promotions will encourage European companies to create new satellite broadband applications.

To support this ESA initiative, SES Broadband Services will provide participating companies with preferential rates for its satellite broadband services on two satellites: The Astra-3B platform, which serves Europe and the Middle East, and the Astra-4A satellite, which covers sub-Saharan Africa.

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O3b Networks, Harris CapRock form strategic satellite communications alliance

A strategic marketing alliance will be formed by O3b Networks and Harris CapRock Communications. The two companies will be focusing on an array of ultra high-speed, low latency, exploration, and production capabilities for satellite communications services.

Harris CapRock will also add O3bEnergy to its portfolio of satellite services for the energy market. The O3b solution has the advantages of fiber broadband connectivity without the disadvantages of huge upfront CAPEX investments, outage concerns, immobility, and lengthy ramp-up times. O3bEnergy is also easy to integrated into existing enterprise systems and operational budgets.

With O3bEnergy, oil and gas companies and systems integrators will be able to enjoy latencies under 150 milliseconds, unlimited and affordable bandwidth, and big operational savings. The high capacity, low latency satellite offering can enable real-time seismic surveys of oil reserves beneath the ocean floor thanks to its speedy data transfers of up to 2 Terabytes per day.

Harris CapRock and O3b Networks have teamed up earlier to boost the Internet experience aboard Oasis of the Seas. The flagship of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and the largest cruise ship in the world is one of the many ships in the the maritime service that derives satellite Internet connectivity from O3b’s Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite fleet with equipment integrated by Harris CapRock.

O3bEnergy will enter commercial service in the third quarter of 2013. The newest addition to Harris CapRock's satellite communications portfolio is targeted at oil and gas companies and systems integrators who operate oil and gas rigs and seismic survey ships in the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Angola, Asia and other key maritime regions.

ViaSat wins deal with US government for airborne satellite broadband services

ViaSat Inc. will be providing satellite broadband services in support of enroute military aircraft as part of its multi-million dollar contract with the US government. The Company will provide an all-IP service plan that allows NIPR, SIPR, ViaSat's Yonder commercial satellite Internet, and VoIP and VTC sessions during transcontinental and transoceanic flights.

The initial one-year agreement between ViaSat and the US government can be renewed for multiple years. It also provides options for the US government to add other aircraft to the satellite broadband service deal, as well as to request additional missions and supplemental service from ViaSat to supply.

ViaSat will also provide tiered service plans for senior leadership, VIP, and other broadband requirements. Its service plans cover a range of networking and performance levels, and most of them complemented their high-priority regional services with of higher priority.

ViaSat will use its proprietary ArcLight technology for the airborne and terrestrial satellite terminals that it will supply, install, and support on US aircraft. ArcLight terminals have already served more than 500,000 flight hours on over 300 government-operated aircraft.

The first military organization to use ViaSat's patented ArcLight technology was the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM.) Thanks to the advanced ViaSat terminals, the USSOCOM's fleet of C-130 aircraft not only gained a Ku-band communications network, but they also became the first in a line of US military aircraft that could perform advanced ISR missions using ultra-small antennas with apertures smaller than 12 inches in diameter.

There are now more than 1,750 ViaSat mobile broadband installations. The satellite communications terminals accomplish various government missions and accomplish numerous commercial applications for customers in the general aviation, maritime, and high-speed rail industries.

Inmarsat showing off satellite communications solutions at UAE showcase

Inmarsat will show off its ever-expanding portfolio of business voice and data services at the upcoming Gulfcomms event in Dubai, UAE. Its preview will include future commercial satellite services that will leverage Inmarsat's next-generation Global Xpress Ka-band satellite network.

The Company will display both its wide array of voice and data services, and its equally diverse assembly of portable, fixed, and vehicular terminals, on a daily basis at Gulfcomm.

In addition, Inmarsat will present an overview of the path preceding the deployment of its Global Xpress satellite system. It will also discuss how it will merge its L-band services with the new GX-enabled Ka-band satellite services.

The Alphasat I-XL L-band satellite will be part of Inmarsat's display. The planned Inmarsat satellite will improve service outreach and throughput of the Company's L-band services across Middle East and Africa, which will in turn speed up streaming performance and refresh capacity.

Furthermore, Inmarsat will also debut an improved BGAN streaming rate service. Set for commercial distribution in 2013, the new service will deliver higher streaming rates for customers.

Inmarsat is performing changes to its L-band portfolio in preparation for its future Ka-band services, which will be delivered by its planned Global Xpress satellite network. The GX-enabled services will cover the EMEA region in 2013 and go global before 2014 is out.

Global Xpress will be the first Ka-band network that can support support mobile and fixed communication services on a global basis. Its exceptional speeds will raise the measuring bar for Virtual Private Networks, Internet Protocol, rural cellular backhaul, and other applications.

A wide variety of sectors benefit from the voice, satellite broadband, and M2M (Machine-to-Machine) solutions that the Company offers. Inmarsat assures its customers of a 99.9% network reliability thanks to its global satellite communications network, which is considered to be one of the most reliable in the world.

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Orbital Science: HYLAS 2 Ka-band satellite successfully makes orbit

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced this August 14, 2012 that the HYLAS 2 broadband communications satellite it built for Avanti Communications Group PLC has successfully reached orbit.

The launch mission for the Orbital Sciences-built, Avanti-operated started on Thursday, August 2, 2012. An Ariane 5 rocket lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana a few minutes before 5:00 PM local time. The HYLAS 2 satellite successfully separated from the rocket’s final stage slightly over half an hour after liftoff.

“The HYLAS 2 mission is going very well so far following another successful launch by Arianespace," Mr. Christopher Richmond, Orbital’s Senior Vice President of Communications Satellites, said in an announcement. "Over the next several weeks," he added, "we will work with the engineering team from Avanti to conduct in-orbit testing to verify the spacecraft’s systems before it enters commercial service.”

According to Orbital Science, the HYLAS 2 satellite project proceed just as planned from design phase to its early in-orbit activation and verification processes. "We have worked closely with Avanti every step of the way," SVP Richmond elaborated, "following our model of superior customer involvement throughout the program to ensure our customer’s needs are fully met. We are pleased to be a part of Avanti’s team, bringing exciting new applications and services to these fast-growing markets.”

The Orbital Science-designed and -built HYLAS 2 platform is a high-throughput Ka-Band satellite. It will allow satellite communications company Avanti to provide broadband dat and video services to customers in Eastern and Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and across the Caucasus.

ITT Exelis will provide satcom systems for US Army in Korea

Through a new Rapid Equipping Force contract, ITT Exelis will be supplying Mission Command On the Move (MCOTM) systems to the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Division deployed in South Korea. The contract award is the result of a 2nd Infantry Division operational needs statement that requested a MCOTM system to support contingency missions. 

ITT Exelis' Global Network on the Move-Active Distribution (GNOMAD) solution integrates a number of commercial-off-the-shelf products in order to deliver mobile satellite broadband connectivity. The GNOMAD system is combat-proven, modular, and reliable. Its reduced size, weight and power make it a viable solution for integration into multiple U.S. Army ground platforms, and it will provide even the lowest battlefield echelon with critical network connectivity.

The GNOMAD satellite communications system will be installed in Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV), M1(V) Abrams main battle tanks, M2 Bradleys infantry fighting vehicles, and Stryker combat vehicles. Its Viasat Linkway S2 modem will allow for mission command applications such as Digital Video Broadcast SATCOM Second Generation.

Satellite communications company IT Exelis had previously supplied GNOMAD systems for the 4th Infantry Division during that unit's 2011 deployment in Iraq. The systems slated for delivery to the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea will have the same configuration as those used in Network Integration Exercise (NEI) 12.1. Held at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, NEI 12.1 hosted new mission command applications such as Command Post of the Future.