ViaSat VR-12 Ka band antenna qualifies for FAA, global standards

ViaSat Inc. announced that its VR-12 Ka-band satellite antenna system has qualified for FAA and international regulations covering electrical and electronic equipment installed on commercial aircraft. The ViaSat product has recently completed industry standard DO-160G testing; the first batch of the newly-certified production units will be available for shipping in a few weeks.

The DO-160G standard applies to every aircraft ever built. This includes general aviation and business jets, helicopters, commercial jets, and modified civilian aircraft operated by the government. The standard test covers altitude, dust and sand, lightning and electrostatic discharge, power input, RF susceptibility, temperature, vibration, requirements, and other relevant criteria.

When partnered up with a ViaSat mobile satellite modem, the VR-12 Ka antenna system can deliver Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) airborne satellite communications. Its very high data rate is suited for military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) applications that use both commercial and military Ka-band frequencies and require intensive bandwidth.

On previous flight tests, VR-12 Ka successfully tested satellite Internet (achieving upwards of 10 Mbps of aircraft-to-satellite transmission rates,) simultaneous transmission of HD video, video teleconferencing, and VoIP applications.

The VR-12 Ka succeeds the VR-12 Ku band satellite antenna. The older ViaSat system serves aboard more than 300 government aircraft and has accumulated more than half a million mission hours.

ViaSat has learned from its customers that a simple flight line maintenance action can quickly swap antennas in order to adapt the aircraft BLOS communications capabilities. To this end, the Company ensured that the VR-12 Ka system is a form and fit interchange with the older Ku-band system.

The VR-12 Ka-band satellite antenna can be installed aboard Gulfstream, King Air, Pilatus, C-130, and other aircraft. The ViaSat systems will be able to operate in Ka-band overlay regions covered by the Company's growing worldwide mobile satellite communications network.

Thuraya, Chunghwa win historic licensing agreement with Taiwan

Thuraya Telecommunications recently achieved a new historic first in the Taiwanese market. Together with partner Chunghwa Telecom, it has secured licensing approval from the country's national telecoms regulator. The two telecom companies can now deliver Thuraya's mobile satellite services to customers in Taiwan.

Licensing approval for Mobile Satellite Services had originally been limited to enterprise users. Thuraya's recently-acquired licensing agreement will allow Taiwanese consumers to access mobile satellite services without applying for individual licensing approval at the NCC

Thanks to the new licensing agreement, Thuraya can now deliver voice, data, and maritime services to subscribers of Chunghwa Telecom. Its Taiwanese customers will be able to access its services in 140 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and the surrounding regions.

Thuraya considers Taiwan to be an important market for growth. The Taiwanese fisheries sector drives a significant demand for voice and data services that are both cost-effective and reliable.

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Beam prepares delivery of Inmarsat marine satellite terminals to MSN

Beam Communications Pty Ltd will be supplying Inmarsat marine satellite communications terminals to Beijing Marine Communications & Navigation Company (MCN.)

The initial order was for $1 million worth of Beam SATCOM terminals. Delivery is set to begin during the first quarter of 2013 and is scheduled to be completed by May 31, 2013. Following that order, MCN will must make further commitments to Beam if it wants to keep its exclusive right to distribute the Beam product in China.x

MCN had tested the Beam terminals back in July 2012. Two hundred Beam Oceana 400 and Oceana 800 marine communications terminals were installed aboard Chinese fishing vessels and integrated into the fleet's Inmarsat FleetPhone Service. Beam passed the test and its terminals were accepted by MCN.

Beam designed and built its satellite communications terminals to support voice, data, and tracking communications over the Inmarsat network through its ‘Fleetphone’ maritime service. These terminals are aimed at emerging satellite markets and are meant to be deployed in high volumes.

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Newtec signs deal with NCIA for SATCOM equipment, services

Satellite equipment company Newtec and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) have entered a Basic Ordering Agreement for the swift and cost effective acquisition of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) satellite communications hardware, software, and services.

The Basic Ordering Agreement streamlines the process of acquisition of Newtec's COTS SATCOM products, a boon given the Company's status as a long term partner to NATO-affiliated government and defense organizations.

Newtec's portfolio of COTS products and solutions serve as the building blocks and turnkey systems of satellite networks used by government and defense customers. The large install base of the Company's satellite communications equipment enable government and defense operations to perform a broad range of applications.

The increasing number of airborne ISR missions and complex, bandwidth-intensive data collection equipment have contributed to the rapid growth of transmission rates, making optimization of data and video links optimizers even more important than before.

Newtec responded by designing its solutions to keep on adapting to changing transmission conditions. This ensures the successful delivery of mission critical data despite the degradation of signal quality due to signal fade. 

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New Inmarsat M2M solution uses Galaxy1 satellite communications technology

Inmarsat recently announced the launch of Remote Terminal Manager, a new M2M solution that manages and controls unmanned M2M satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals.

Users of Inmarsat’s M2M portfolio services (including the BGAN M2M product) will be able to remotely control their devices through Remote Terminal Manager without needing to send teams to troubleshoot or manually reboot terminals.

The Remote Terminal Manager uses a map interface to display the location and status of Inmarsat M2M terminals worldwide. With this tool, users can remotely control the terminals.

Galaxy1 -an independent provider of satellite communications services and part of the Inmarsat partner community- provided licensed technology for the new Inmarsat M2M management solution.

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Inmarsat Global Xpress using Metaswitch solutions for VoIP services

Inmarsat will be upgrading the voice services of its Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band satellite broadband using IP communications solutions from Metaswitch.

Metaswitch Universal Media gateways, MetaSphere Multimedia Telephony Applications Server, the MetaView Network management System, and Perimeta Session Border Controllers will all be used to enhance Global Xpress' voice services.

GX is an all-IP satellite broadband network comparable to terrestrial LTE networks. It implements voice as a service on top of the satellite broadband network, but requires VoIP services to deliver voice communications.

Metaswitch and Inmarsat have been working together since 2012. Last February, Metaswitch was tapped to support Inmarsat's FleetBroadband maritime communications service. Inmarsat network hubs in Western Europe and the Pacific Rim were equipped with Metaswitch Universal Media Gateways and the MetaSphere Multimedia Telephone Applications Service. 

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SES, Pactel expand business partnership with new multi-year capacity deal

Satellite Services recently inked a multi-year, multi-transponder deal with global communications provider Pactel to provide capacity on the NSS-9 at 183 degrees East. This is to help enhance the company’s voice and data service offerings within the Pacific region.

With this new development, Pactel will be able to provide improved satellite communications services to distant locations in the Pacific region, allowing several businesses to access high-speed and reliable internet connectivity and voice calls at a very competitive price.

“In the Pacific region, where satellite is the ideal infrastructure, we see how vital connectivity is for businesses. With Pactel as our trusted partner in the region, we are proud to be able to continue supporting their objectives in offering connectivity solutions across the islands,” SES Senior Vice President of Commercial for Asia-Pacific and Middle East Deepak Mathur said in a company statement.

Echoing the statement of Deepak Mathur, Pactel International CEO Andrew Taylor said, “Demand for connectivity in the Pacific region is growing rapidly, and we are pleased that we can rely on the global expertise of SES to provide reliable satellite capacity and offer flexible solutions.