• The world’s first dual mode BGAN/LTE M2M terminal is ready for service

Copenhagen, Denmark | April 22, 2016– Cobham SATCOM has started shipping its new EXPLORER 540 BGAN M2M terminal, following Inmarsat Class 2 Type Approval and Inmarsat BGAN M2M certification. EXPLORER 540 is the world’s first Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication terminal designed to operate on both Inmarsat BGAN (Broadband Global Area Network) and LTE/3G/2G cellular networks.

EXPLORER 540 delivers real-time M2M communication for diverse applications including IP SCADA for data backhaul, asset tracking, real-time surveillance and remote telemetry. It brings with it the same operational reliability that has helped to establish EXPLORER as a leading brand within land mobile BGAN and VSAT satellite communication.

As the only M2M terminal to offer dual-mode operation, EXPLORER 540 provides unique installation flexibility and M2M data communication cost-control, as it ensures the most cost-effective communication service can be chosen depending on location of the installation and service quality/availability.

Securing continuity of M2M IP data transfer, which often originates in hard to reach, remote locations, dual-mode operation also delivers significant failover capabilities with automatic switching to the secondary service should EXPLORER 540 detect that its primary communication service is unavailable. The EXPLORER 540 LTE Modem is optional and integrates into the back of the EXPLORER 540 BGAN M2M terminal. The LTE modem will be introduced later this year.

“Resilience, cost-control and installation flexibility have driven development of EXPLORER 540, resulting in a terminal suitable for the most critical M2M networks, where availability of service in remote locations is crucial for operational continuity and safety,” said Henrik Nørrelykke, VP Land Business, Cobham SATCOM. “Inmarsat type approval ensures that M2M network operators can now choose a new state-of-the-art terminal that offers significant improvements over traditional technology.”

The EXPLORER 540 is also an Inmarsat Class 2 BGAN terminal including a long list of features first seen on the innovative EXPLORER 510. The included pole mount, durable aluminium casing and IP 66-rating make EXPLORER 540 a perfect choice for services such as BGAN Link.

• Innovation packed Sea Tel 9711 IMA System provides VSAT service flexibility for offshore vessels and platforms

Houston, Texas | November 5, 2014– To be shown for the first time at Oilcomm 2014, the new Sea Tel 9711 IMA (Integrated Maritime Antenna) System from Cobham SATCOM introduces new features designed to support satellite service providers to deliver reliable connectivity whilst providing cost-saving flexibility for end-users in the oil & gas sector.

The new Sea Tel 9711 IMA can operate on C-Band Circular or Linear or Ku-band X-pol or Co-pol. Unique to Sea Tel VSAT antennas, switching between VSAT bands is fully automatic and takes just a few seconds, due to sophisticated software and a precision mechanical system on the antenna itself. This means there is virtually no offline time for a vessel or platform’s connectivity when switching between VSAT bands and by eliminating the need to manually change feeds and re-balance the antenna, the cost of deploying a technician for the job can be saved.

“Developed at Cobham SATCOM’s Concord, California centre of excellence for large and bespoke antenna systems, the Sea Tel 9711 IMA is an innovative system ideal for the high-end networks used on advanced offshore vessels and platforms, where significant requirements for bandwidth and reliable communication have to be met. It is a reliable, flexible solution that forms the platform for intelligent operations within the realms of today’s digital oilfield,” says Jens Ewerling, Director, Maritime VSAT, Cobham SATCOM.

The Sea Tel 9711 IMA features a 2.4 meter radical offset antenna for both C-band and Ku-band operation. This offset design makes it the most efficient 2.4 meter antenna in the market today. The system utilizes the established Sea Tel IMA architecture, which features an Integrated Control Unit (ICU) as a single box electronic control solution to maintain the best and most efficient pointing accuracy.

With its extended web based secured user interface and built-in remote management capabilities, IMA offers easy integration into network management systems through its built-in Media Xchange Point (MXP). The Sea Tel 9711 IMA System is accessible from practically any internet enabled device, including mobile devices and features Secured Socket Layer (SSL) password protection and multi-level data analysis capability for ease of use and added security.

“Providing high performance and reliability on both C and Ku-band, the system ensures connectivity is always available regardless of environmental conditions or location. When high precipitation or moving a vessel or rig to a new location means changing bands, you no longer have to wait for your connectivity services to be manually re-activated, or pay for a technician to come and do it for you. It’s business as usual from the moment you arrive,” adds Darren Manning, Senior Product Manager, Maritime Products, Cobham SATCOM.

• New coverage supports continued demand for bandwidth in offshore and maritime transport sectors

Paris, France | October 25, 2013–

Astrium Services, the global innovative provider of satellite enabled telecom solutions, is expanding its VSAT coverage with 100MHz of Ku-band capacity on the Intelsat 907 satellite, to serve customers on the North Sea and across European waterways.

As previously announced by Intelsat, the coverage agreement will enable Astrium to address significant demand from the company’s core maritime transport and customized Ku-band VSAT segments, including customers in the North Sea oil & gas sector, where an increasing number of specialised vessels are pushing the boundaries of maritime VSAT usage. In 2013, Astrium Services’ direct sales channel Marlink provisioned services aboard vessels in the North Sea with high capacity requirements, in some cases up to 12 Mbps, from ship to shore.

“It’s vital that we continue to provide Ku-band broadband services backed by superior customer support to our North Sea and European partners,” comments Tore Morten Olsen, head of maritime for Astrium Services. “With usage patterns changing and the demand for bandwidth rising, our Ku-band capacity ensures we are well positioned to provide the high level of reliable connectivity that the maritime market requires today and in the future.” 

“Intelsat continues to work closely with Astrium Services to provide capacity and throughput for leading maritime customers, enabling the company’s use of sophisticated tools and processes to support safe and efficient offshore operations,” says Kurt Riegelman, Intelsat SVP of global sales. “Our infrastructure investments, including the completion of our global broadband mobility network, position us to support our customers’ unique requirements, today and well into the future.”

 

• Demonstration reinforces Intelsat’s ability to support cost-effective, VSAT-based 3G deployment in remote environment

Luxembourg | August 29, 2013– Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, and Japan-based SoftBank Mobile Corp. today announced the successful trial of a cost-effective, rural 3G mobile phone service in Kenya. Intelsat supported the demonstration through capacity on the Intelsat 10 satellite and via the company’s teleport in Fuchsstadt, Germany.

The demonstration reinforced Intelsat’s ability to deliver a high throughput, managed VSAT-based 3G solution through the allocation of capacity based on traffic demands. Intelsat’s fleet and IntelsatOne terrestrial network were instrumental in enabling the deployment in rural Kenya, an area of Africa not supported by traditional land line infrastructure.

“There are still hundreds of millions of people who live outside mobile network coverage areas today,” said Junichi Miyakawa, executive vice president, director & CTO of SoftBank Mobile. “Harnessing SoftBank’s technology in rural parts of the world literally matches our corporate philosophy, ‘Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone.’ I hope this technology will make communication even more free and convenient for people around the world.”

“The successful field trial of a cost-effective, managed VSAT-based, rural 3G service delivery solution is an excellent example of the collaborative innovation that our industry requires to properly support the demands of its end users,” said Intelsat vice president of network services product management Steve Good.

“We are confident that technology advancements, such as this and our Intelsat EpicNG platform, will allow mobile operators to provide reliable, ubiquitous support to their most remote users, and provide a robust broadband infrastructure as networks upgrade from 2G to 3G, and eventually to 4G via satellite.”

SoftBank Mobile also utilizes the Intelsat 8 satellite and a managed service offering via the IntelsatOne terrestrial network for the delivery of cellular and data backhaul services to its customers across the southern islands of Japan. The agreement enables SoftBank Mobile to expand its service area and enhance the company’s offerings to customers in this geographically dispersed section of Japan.

– Cobham SATCOM expands leading BGAN terminal family with established TracStar VSAT systems

Orlando, FL | March 15, 2013–The market leading EXPLORER BGAN portfolio is expanding with the addition of four new series of VSAT terminals, all bearing the famous EXPLORER name. To make this possible, Cobham SATCOM is migrating its established TracStar portfolio of VSAT terminals to become EXPLORER products, creating the most comprehensive range of land-mobile satellite communication products in the market, covering both BGAN and VSAT. The expanded EXPLORER portfolio now includes:

• EXPLORER 300, 500 & 700 Series: Ultra-portable and easy-deployable Inmarsat BGAN terminals (L-Band)
• NEW – EXPLORER 3000 Series: Manual Deploy Fly-Away VSAT Antennas
• NEW – EXPLORER 5000 Series: Auto-Acquire Fly-Away VSAT Antennas
• NEW – EXPLORER 7000 Series: Auto-Acquire Drive-Away VSAT Antennas – Communication-on-the-Pause (COTP) for vehicles
• EXPLORER 325 & 727: Satcom-on-the-Move (SOTM) BGAN terminals for vehicles
• NEW – EXPLORER 9000 Series: Satcom-on-the-Move (SOTM) VSAT Antennas for vehicles

The Cobham SATCOM land portfolio now features a diverse array of turn-key satellite terminals, ensuring that it can fulfil critical communications needs and offer true choice and flexibility for end-users. Regardless of location, when traditional communication infrastructure is unavailable, EXPLORER products keep users connected with reliable voice and data links. EXPLORER enables high quality IP-based services such as voice communication, radio, data, fax, and live video transmission that work efficiently across the BGAN network and now, on VSAT satellite links.

Customers of Cobham SATCOM’s TracStar land-mobile product lines will experience no major changes in service as the TracStar products become EXPLORER. The same sales, engineering, and support staff remains focused on servicing products in the field and developing world-class mobile VSAT solutions under the EXPLORER name. These efforts are strengthened by the structure of Cobham SATCOM, which benefits from the expertise of the teams behind both EXPLORER and TracStar.

Walther Thygesen, Head of Cobham SATCOM, said: “EXPLORER and TracStar are highly complementary so it was a natural step to integrate the two product lines to create a single land-mobile terminal portfolio under Cobham SATCOM. End-users can now experience the innovation and quality that have established EXPLORER and TracStar as market-leaders from a single product line, making it easier to choose from a much wider range of systems. By combining the talent, expertise and experience in our organisation, we are securing a great future for Cobham SATCOM.”

Reflecting its commitment to establishing EXPLORER as the leading VSAT terminal portfolio, Cobham SATCOM Land has also become an official launch partner of the Inmarsat Global Xpress® (GX) Ka-band network. Several forthcoming EXPLORER products will be configured specifically for operation on both the GX commercial (1GHz) and wideband (2GHz) networks upon service introduction in 2014.

The expanded EXPLORER portfolio will be a highlight on the Cobham SATCOM booth (4016) at the Satellite 2013 exhibition in Washington D.C.

August 2010 –
Targeting a $1.4bn incremental market opportunity
Significant capacity pre-commitment from Boeing
Global services to iPad-sized antennas

Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, today announced that it has agreed a contract with The Boeing Company (“Boeing”) (NYSE: BA) for the delivery of three state-of-the-art 702HP Ka-band satellites. The Inmarsat-5 constellation will enable Inmarsat to provide a unique global high speed mobile broadband service offering.

With operations expected to start in 2014, Inmarsat-5 will support a next generation global service, Global Xpress, which will target a $1.4bn incremental market opportunity in VSAT services. Global Xpress will address the established, growing markets for VSAT services in the Maritime, Energy and Government sectors, with further growth potential in developing markets such as the Aeronautical sector. Global Xpress will deliver seamless global coverage and unprecedented mobile broadband with speeds up to 50MB/s, to customer terminals from 20-60cm in size.

Inmarsat will target $500m of annual Ka-band revenues 5 years after global service launch. Under a separate arrangement, Boeing has agreed to become a distribution partner for both Inmarsat’s Ka- and L-band services and has pre-committed to capacity purchases representing more than 10% of Inmarsat’s target Ka-band revenues in the first five years after global service launch.

Inmarsat estimates that the total cost of Inmarsat-5 and Global Xpress will be $1.2bn over 4.5 years, incorporating the fixed cost of the satellites, as well as the cost of additional ground network infrastructure, product development, launch services and insurance.

Andrew Sukawaty, Chairman and CEO of Inmarsat, said: “This is a new investment for new growth. With the Global Xpress network, we will be the first operator to offer global mobile broadband coverage, offering unparalleled speeds and bandwidth to customers in remote locations around the world. Global Xpress will be faster and less expensive than current Ku-band market offerings, delivered to smaller and cheaper terminals and be the first offered on a seamless, global, end to end basis with high quality of service. Picture 50MB/s services to a ship or aircraft and 10MB/s to an antenna the size of an iPad (20cm).

Inmarsat-5 will also complement our existing global L-band services, allowing us to offer unique hybrid packages using both networks, giving users unprecedented levels of resilience and reliability in remote and harsh environments.”

Rick Medlock, Inmarsat’s Chief Financial Officer commented: “We expect the Inmarsat-5 programme to be largely funded from our internally generated cash flows and, with significant available liquidity today, we see no immediate financing needs. In connection with the Boeing contract, we are seeking Export Credit Agency financing support from the US Ex-Im Bank, which could provide an attractive source of long-term debt. Given the multi-year build phase and the strong free cash flow from our existing business, we believe the peak impact on our ratio of net debt to EBITDA will be less than 0.5.

Furthermore, as a result of our investment in Inmarsat-5, we will move to a more gradual replacement of our L-band network, resulting in a deferment of more than $500m of our previously planned replacement expenditure over the next 11 years.”