Focus: Ground Systems

ST Engineering iDirect is set for a busy year in 2023 as it aims to bring more of its technology to some of the satellite network business plans developing around the world. However, it has been an interesting time for the company. Its former CEO Kevin Steen recently left to join OneWeb Technologies, and Ka...

Viasat awarded Intellian a contract to design and supply Ka-band user terminals for its maritime connectivity solution, the companies announced Tuesday.   Intellian will design new 60 cm and 10cm bespoke user terminals to work with Viasat’s satellite network and the upcoming ViaSat-3 constellation. These terminals will support broadband for superyacht, energy, and commercial customers.  In...

Viasat has made a key move in the maritime market. It is furthering its relationship with Cobham Satcom to bring a new maritime connectivity system ahead of its slated launches of new ViaSat-3 satellites. The connectivity system, which will include a portfolio of antenna systems from Cobham Satcom, is being designed to deliver advanced, high-speed...

Multiple Asian defense forces have selected ST Engineering iDirect’s Evolution platform for both fixed and mobile military broadband needs, the company announced Tuesday.  An unnamed Asian ministry of defense (MoD) deployed multiple Evolution hubs to increase resiliency of bandwidth for its army, naval forces and paramilitary units. The army replaced their legacy SCPC/MCPC solution with...

Telstra has expanded ground stations in Perth and Merredin, Western Australia with additional antennas to support Inmarsat’s I-6 F1 satellite, the company announced Monday. Telstra has added a second 9-meter antenna to the Perth site.  I-6 F1, launched in December 2021, is the first of two Inmarsat-6 satellites to support the narrowband Elera network, and...

Anuvu has high hopes for its new Dual-Panel Ka-Band Inflight Connectivity Antenna System (DPSAA) which it unveiling this month at the Airline Passenger Experience Association Expo in Long Beach, California. The antenna is a key component of Anuvu’s Airconnect Ka multi-orbit connectivity platform designed specifically for both GEO and LEO networks, that aims to provide...

Axess Networks rolled out ST Engineering iDirect’s Mx-DMA MRC technology to support cellular backhaul networks in Colombia, and plans to expand the deployment in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and Chile.  ST Engineering iDirect announced Oct. 4 that initial rollout took place in Colombia, and longtime customer Axess migrated its first four MNO networks to Mx-DMA...

Satellite Vu, one of the up and coming U.K. space companies, has signed a deal with Viasat to use its Real-Time Earth global ground service network to ensure rapid reception and dissemination of thermal imagery from its satellites. The partnership was announced Sept. 28. This partnership will enable Satellite Vu to regularly contact its constellation...

SES awarded Gilat Satellite Networks follow-on orders for the SkyEdge IV VSAT platform. The multimillion-dollar orders support SES’s O3b mPOWER constellation and SES-17, a Ka-band satellite which recently entered service.  Gilat said these new orders, increasing SES and Gilat’s reach across multiple verticals, including maritime mobility, cellular backhaul, and fixed data. The SkyEdge IV platform...

Thales Alenia Space will provide its SpaceGate ground connectivity solution to Eutelsat for the Konnect VHTS satellite. SpaceGate is a satellite access network solution designed to provide wideband connectivity to increase ground segment performance. It is composed of baseband equipment to be deployed in the Eutelsat ground stations as well as terminals for internet connectivity. ...