Astrium Services integrates SATCOM solution into Brazil Tetrapol radio networks

Cassidian and Astrium Services recently staged a live demonstration on how satellite communications could connect Tetrapol regional networks in Brazil. The two companies created an end-to-end communications solution to enhance Brazil's border surveillance capabilities and to show the advantages in combining SATCOM and digital radio communications.

Cassidian's Tetrapol professional mobile radio (PMR) networks provide secure radio communications to Brazil's Departamento de Polícia Federal (federal police force) and other government offices. Brazil operates nine Tetrapol regional wireless IP networks, which provide wireless communications coverage from the Atlantic coast to Brazil's borders with nine South American countries.

Terrestrial infrastructure usually links up Tetrapol regional networks. However, there are plenty of remote areas in Brazil that lack such connections.

Astrium Services provided its SKYWAN technology as a new way to connect several networks. DAMA technology allows networks to share bandwidth between all the nodes over satellite links.

The satellite solution's scalability will expand Tetrapol's service offerings, allowing them to be delivered through tactical temporary coverage as well as permanent regional coverage. And it will not be limited to Tetrapol's voice communication services.

The satellite link generated by Astrium's SKYWAY and DAMA technologies will provide access to Internet from satellite services and allow for numerous media applications and data transmission services.

iPhone 5 before the big announcement

Speculations about the iPhone 5 and its specifications arose shortly after the announcement of the iPhone 4S; both touchscreen-based smartphones developed by Apple Inc. However, detailed and substantial rumors and leaks did not come up until June 2012. As early as July 30, 2012, rumors pinpointed the exact date of announcement and release of the phone along with the speculated features of the phone.

On September 4, 2012, Apple sent invitations to a media event scheduled for September 12 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), a multidisciplinary contemporary arts center in the “City and County of San Francisco,” the leading financial and cultural center of Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States (US). Many media sources speculated that the event would be related to the next iPhone due to a shadow of the numeral 5 that featured in the design of the invitations.

Apple announced a number of new products which they designed and marketed at the event including: the iPhone 5; iPod Nano (7th generation; stylized, and marketed as “iPod nano”), a portable media player; and the iPod Touch (5th generation; colloquially referred to as the “iTouch,” by analog to the iPhone), a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device.

The phone will be available for pre-order from September 14, 2012 and available in-store on September 21, 2012 in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

See: Accessing Satellite Internet

2012 World Teleport Awards for Excellence

Missed highlights of the 2012 World Teleport Awards for Excellence. Check out the video above to see what happened at the SATELLITE 2012 annual conference held in Washington last March 2012.

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Intelsat: More than 1,000 SATCOM equipment technicians trained

As of September 17, 2012, fixed satellite service provider Intelsat has trained and certified over 1,000 of its employees and customers in the installation of very small aperture terminal (VSAT) satellite communications systems. This program was sponsored by the Global VSAT Forum.

Intelsat's professional training program is part of the Intelsat Interference Mitigation Initiative, a program to reduce radio frequency interference (RFI) currently plaguing overcrowded frequencies. Intelsat instructed and certified technicians regarding the guidelines set by the GVF Product Quality Assurance Framework on VSAT installation.

Intelsat pushed for the implementation of Carrier ID during the coverage of 2012 London Olympic Games. It is also a founding member of the Space Data Association and has headed initiatives to reduce signal interference and enhance space situational awareness. Its GVF-sponsored SATCOM training program is one of Intelsat's many partnerships with satellite operators, industry groups, manufacturers, and customers in its goal to reduce RFI.

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• Inmarsat appoints OnAir as first Global Xpress aviation distribution partner
• US government awards CS2 contract to Intelsat General

SES-GS, US government enter custom SATCOM solutions contract

SES Government Solutions (SES-GS) has entered into a Custom SATCOM Solutions (CS2) contract from the U.S. Government. SES-GS will provide access to their custom network solutions capabilities and their fleet of communications satellites.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and the General Services Administration (GSA) created CS2 contracts to serve as the third segment of the Future Commercial Services Acquisition (FCSA.) The CS2 will open up more avenues of access to satellite services for government customers.

Thanks to the CS2 contract, the U.S. Government can directly approach SES-GS for customized communications capability and solutions on the satellite operator's fleet of 51 communications platforms.

Eight CS2 contracts have been awarded so far. The U.S. government has set a total funding ceiling of USD 2.6 billion that will be spent over the next three years with options for two additional one-year periods.

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Spinning Planet | Herald of the Future: [Guest Post] The Evolution & Future of Satellite Communications

Spinning Planet | Herald of the Future: [Guest Post] The Evolution & Future of Satellite Communications

Spinning Planet | Herald of the Future: [Guest Post] The Evolution & Future of Satellite Communications

Spinning Planet | Herald of the Future: [Guest Post] The Evolution & Future of Satellite Communications

Globafone now offering cash rebates for upgrading Iridium docking station

Starting August 3, GlobaFone clients who upgrade their Applied Satellite Engineering-manufactured Iridium docking stations and satellite phones can enjoy a unique rebate and trade-in/upgrade program.

GlobaFone, a satellite communications service provider, and its satellite engineering company partner, ASE, announced that clients who used 9505A docking stations can exchange those aging systems for great rebates on the new ASE-DK075 docks.

GlobaFone added that it is putting up two rebate programs. Clients can choose to upgrade just their dock, or they can upgrade both their dock and their satellite phone.

Thanks to these rebate programs, GlobaFone clients to upgrade the functionality of their current Iridium satellite communications systems at a more affordable cost. "This program is simple," said GlobaFone CEO Lou Altman. "Clients will save hundreds of dollars when they buy the ASE-DK075 dock and send us their 9505A dock. We can also upgrade their phones," he added.

"The dock swap program is a direct result of collaborative thinking," said Jeff McFarland, CEO of Applied Satellite Engineering. "We are pleased to be working with GlobaFone to coordinate this opportunity."

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