[Satellite News 02-19-09] Satlynx, a provider of communication services throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, hopes to use its status as a GE-owned company to sign a deal with the U.S. government in 2009 and expand Satlynx’s  geographical horizons.
    GE took control of Satlynx from SES in February 2007. “We are leveraging the fact that we are owned by GE to make contacts with the U.S. government, and we are pleased to be making headway there,” Satlynx CEO Ronny Svang told Satellite News. “Opportunities exist for us within the government sector and we are certainly aiming to sign a deal in the U.S. this year.”
    An expansion into the United States could help Satlynx have a positive 2009 performance following a restructuring in 2008, said Svang. “This isn’t always an easy thing to do, but the result is that we are now in a very healthy financial position,” he said. “We are looking forward to continuing growth. Our diverse customer base — the fact that we work with so many companies in so many different sectors — has certainly helped to minimize the impact of the general economic downturn. What’s more, if you were to pick out the areas in which we are particularly strong: government, military and oil and gas, they’re all sectors that are less vulnerable to the effects of the current financial climate.”
    An expansion into the United States would fit in nicely with other recent moves, such as a pair of contracts signed with the Polish government in February. The first deal, valued at 6.7 million euros ($8.7 million), is through Satlynx’s military systems partner, WZL, and call for provide a range of satellite equipment.
    Svang hopes the company can leverage its relationship with WZL to do similar deals. “Satlynx has been partnering with WZL for a long time, providing almost all mobile satellite communications equipment for the Polish military in Afghanistan,” he said. “It’s important that we maintain this position and, at the same time, extend our presence into other regions. We believe we have the best military solution on the market, so as well as working with WZL to win business with other Eastern European countries, we want to push our solutions in Western Europe, too, and we’re already making some headway in this respect.”
    Separately, Satlynx and GE have entered an offset agreement with the Polish Ministry of Economic Affairs to invest in Polish business, goods and services to a value of 17 million euros ($22 million) over the next five years. The offset agreement details a series of investments from both Satlynx and other GE businesses designed to bring technology, know-how and growth to the Polish economy. “The agreement focuses on strategic areas such as technology transfer, purchase of equipment for the satellite and oil and gas industries as well as providing projects from investment in modernisation,” Leslaw Kuzaj, GE’s national executive for Poland, said.
   
New Products
Satlynx also is also could look to expand its range of solutions, movinginto the growing maritime market. “We are developing a global roaming solution which we believe will be very competitive in the market,” Svang said. “… Satlynx has already launched a media streaming solution, which we believe is the future.”
    The company also has high hopes for a media streaming solution it debuted at IBC in September that uses equipment that can be installed into and on almost any vehicle. The solution aims to address the growing online market of event owners, content providers, radio stations and media companies with a need to capture audio or video at events and to stream the content to a production facility for publication online or further distribution. “Satlynx is working with selected partners to make sure we have the right product fit,” Svang said. “We have started strong with some customers, both in Eastern and Western Europe. We see this year as the year where we will put in a big effort. It is not aimed at the big television companies. It is aimed at the local and regional stations, and companies who want to stream content on the Internet.”
    For Svang, the challenge is to establish Satlynx as a vibrant profitable business going forward, something that is not easy considered the company’s relatively colourful history. “We want to make Satlynx stronger, and GE is totally behind what we are trying to do here,” he said. “They would come up with the necessary financing for an acquisition should we need it. The fact that we’ve had a number of different owners in the past has led to a lack of strategic direction at times, but we are now able to focus clearly on what the company needs to be able to prosper and grow.”