[Satellite TODAY Insider 01-25-11] Astrium Services hopes its contract with the German Bundeswehr to deliver welfare communication services to deployed troops will give the company an opening to provide the same services for the U.S. Department of Defense, Astrium Vice President of Business Development David Chegnion told Satellite TODAY Insider.
    “We have our eye on the U.S. military welfare market, and we would aim to leverage our strong European position to win the confidence of the U.S. customer to expand this service in locations such as Afghanistan,” he said. 
    Astrium’s multi-million euro deal covers current and future Bundeswehr operations. The initial six-month implementation phase started Jan. 1, and Astrium will provide services that enable troops to call families and friends, access the Internet and GSM networks, and send and receive emails and video telephony, for four years. The Bundeswehr also intends to provide 30 free phone minutes per week for each deployed German soldier.
    Chegnion said the deal was a significant achievement for Astrium Services, as it snatched the contract away from an incumbent. “Our principal commitment is to roll out a network for our customers focusing on quality of service and time of delivery and ease of use for the people on the ground. The Bundeswehr contract builds on our experience over the last decade, as we already run military welfare services for the United Kingdom, French and Irish Forces. It has helped us understand better what the people on the ground want, and we have worked extremely hard to make sure we give them the best we can,” Chegnion said.
    Over the 10 years, Astrium Services has been providing military welfare services based on Wi-Fi-enabled networks. The company recently commenced a beta version of a GSM service at a NATO forward operating base. “In parallel, we are continually investing in network maintenance and upgrades which are essential in harsh physical environments such as Afghanistan,” Chegnion said.

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