US Govt picks ViaSat for broadband services

The US Government has awarded communications provider ViaSat a multimillion dollar contract to supply satellite broadband solutions to US military aircraft. According to the California-based company, the new agreement will see ViaSat providing an all-IP service plan that would enable “access to NIPR, SIPR, and commercial Internet, as well as voice-over-IP and video-teleconferencing sessions during transcontinental or transoceanic flights.” 

The company also stated that the broadband by satellite service will be using its intelligent, spread spectrum modem technology known as the ArcLight system. The Arclight resolves mobile communications problems by eliminating blocked signals, and working with other services in the same frequency band. 

ViaSat said that the contract is a one-year agreement with options to include other aircrafts to the satellite broadband service, as well as create supplemental services. Some of the military aircraft included in the service are C-130s, C-17s and MC12s.

Recommended read:

• Hughes, ThinKom successfully test SATCOM solutions for COTM missions

NBN on target to connect over 280,000 premises by mid-2013

The NBN Co has announced that it is on schedule to connect the 286,000 premises passed by the company, by June 30 of next year. At present, the company has hooked up over 25,000 premises to the national project, with 600 on fixed wireless, 17,000 on the interim satellite service, and 6400 connected to fibre. 

Jim Hassell, the head of NBN’s product development and sales, presented to the Senate Estimates committee yesterday the numbers. Out of the 17,000 on the satellite services, 9000 were former customers of the Australian Broadband Guarantee, while 8000 were said to be new customers. ABG initially offered internet on satellite to clients regardless of their location. The government initiative ended June 30 of last year after delivering broadband access to remote regions across the country. 

Senator Stephen Conroy who is also the broadband minister said that the NBN Co was already on track to hit the overall 785,000 target they announced earlier this year. For 2012, the company is planning to connect 54,300 premises. 

According to Hassell, customer take-up of the broadband services have differed from initial forecasts with over 44% opting for the 100/40 mbps. NBN Co had only expected 18% consumer take-up on the project’s highest speed offerings.

You might be interested in reading:

• SatLink Communications to deliver new DTH services in Nigeria

Hughes Europe, Bentley Walker plan Ka-band satellite services for Middle East

The Middle East will soon gain new satellite broadband capacity courtesy Hughes Europe and Bentley Walker. The two companies entered a new agreement for the provision of high-speed communications services in the region via the Avanti Hylas 2 Ka-band satellite.

This is the latest joint endeavor between long-standing partners Hughes Europe and Bentley Walker. Hughes will provide three additional Gateway NOCs -two of which are the latest HX System 4.0 systems- to Bentley Walker. The NOCs will allow resellers to create local Virtual Network Operators (VNOs) that can deliver SATCOM services such as Internet-on-satellite and VoIP calls.

Bentley Walker will use its new Hughes-supplied NOCs to enhance its current portfolio of Ka-band broadband services. The company currently provides US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan with satellite broadband communications services for purposes of morale, welfare, and recreation.

In addition to higher throughput speeds, the new Ka-band service planned by Hughes and Bentley Walker can operate using a smaller satellite antenna. This will help keep costs down and ensure an easy upgrade path for existing users.

Recommended additional reading:

• ViaSat presents new, quick-to-deploy portable VSAT terminal for warfighters

Signalhorn secures AMOS-5 Ku-band capacity from Spacecom for African broadband solutions

Satellite operator Spacecom recently announced that it will provide Ku-band capacity from its AMOS-5 communications satellite to Signalhorn for the latter company's broadband Internet-by-satellite services in the African market.

Based in Europe, Signalhorn offers satellite communications solutions to customers in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It will use the new capacity it acquired from Spacecom to provide satellite broadband connectivity to Southern African retail businesses.

According to Signalhorn, its tailored enterprise communications solution requires a high-speed Internet-by-satellite service that can be reliably accessed throughout a majority of Southern Africa. Signalhorn selected the AMOS-5 Ku-band platform operated by Spacecom to help the former company deliver end-to-end solutions to its clients.

Spacecom and Signalhorn joined forces in developing a data communications solution that can cover Africa. AMOS-5 once more places itself at the service of communication service providers and broadcasters throughout the southern half of the African continent.

Entering commercial operations in January 2012, AMOS-5 serves as a prime carrier of African satellite communications traffic. From its 17°E orbital slot, the Spacecom satellite directs C-band and Ku-band beams that deliver broadcast and data services throughout Africa on behalf of companies like Signalhorn.

Recommended additional readings:

• Tower Cloud completes 4G mobile backhaul network in South Georgia

Cisco partners with Inmarsat, builds satellite service delivery platform

Inmarsat and Cisco recently announced that they are entering a long-term Global Partnership. The two companies will use Inmarsat’s Global Xpress satellite broadband network to deliver applications, business collaboration, video-to-multimedia content, and other advanced satellite communications services.

Cisco will develop a satellite applications service delivery platform and an access network for Global Xpress that will take advantage of the Inmarsat network’s capability to provide mobile Ka-band connectivity. Cisco will also create a router that satellite network end-users can use to access both the GX Ka-band network  and the BGAN L-band network.

The Cisco-designed network is scheduled to be introduced in 2014. Before it is turned over to Inmarsat, the new satellite network will be operated by Cisco on a fully managed basis. Advanced network capabilities such as voice, video, cloud application services and high speed Internet access will be enabled by Cisco’s Service Delivery Platform and Prime software stacks.

Inmarsat and its partners will develop and remotely deploy innovative applications on Cisco’s GX/BGAN integrated platform, which will deliver the new services across the entire Inmarsat network.

According to Rupert Pearce, Chief Executive Officer of Inmarsat plc, the Company’s Partnership with Cisco was an important part of Inmarsat’s future plans. Cisco will create world-class infrastructure that Inmarsat and the latter’s partners can use to offer services not limited to providing Internet-from-satellite connectivity.

Additional recommended reading:

• NBN Co teams up with ViaSat for the construction of three satellite ground stations

Jake's DTV Blog: Dish Network launching expanded satellite broadband service

Jake's DTV Blog: Dish Network launching expanded satellite broadband service

Dish Network debuts dishNET satellite broadband service

Starting this October, Dish Network will be bringing their much-touted Ku-band satellite broadband services to American customers. Its new Internet-from-satellite service is called dishNET and is rolled into Dish’s satellite TV service. Customers who subscribe to both services will get a monthly discount of $10.

In an announcement, Mr. Joseph Clayton, CEO of Dish Network, said that the company was launching a “revolutionary” consumer broadband service that will bring high-speed Internet to rural markets nationwide. “With nearly one-in-four rural residents lacking a high-speed connection, reaching these underserved markets is vital,” he explained. “Our mission is to provide broadband at an outstanding value with fast speeds and large data plans.”

The basic dishNET package offers 5 Mbps download speeds and 1 Mbps upload speeds with a monthly data plan that maxes out at 10 GB. It costs $39.99 a month. Dish’s other satellite broadband Internet service offers double the download speed (10 Mbps) and a maximum data plan of 20 GB while retaining the same 1 Mbps upload speed. The second plan costs an extra $10.

Dish has been able to decrease the price of satellite broadband to make it more economically accessible for rural areas that have made do with DSL connections for the past decade. In addition, dishNET uses the well-established Ku-band to deliver high speeds.

For those leery of inclement weather and other disruptions cutting off their Internet-by-satellite connectivity, Dish Network also offers a wired broadband solution. The most expensive of the three wired options costs as much as the basic dishNET service and has double the download speed and a bigger data plan. Of course, this particular set of broadband Internet options requires a landline connection in the first place.

The new high-speed Internet-on-satellite service will be available wherever Dish Network can deliver its service. Coincidentally, Dish has nationwide coverage, including plenty of rural communities that can now enjoy faster Internet speeds thanks to Dish's new satellite broadband solution.