Broadband Infrastructure News

New legislation introduced in Congress aims to create a federal entity dedicated exclusively to advancing solutions to the challenges faced by the eight states of Great Lakes region.Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin together, contain a large core of the United States’ commercial and defense industrial base, as well as the largest freshwater system anywhere on Earth, but lawmakers say the Great Lakes region lacks the support present in other regions where the federal government has an array of commissions…

Extension of broadband communication of key importance to digital change in maritime shipping, said shipowners and pilots in Germany’s coastline.Against the backdrop of the extension of mobile communications networks planned in Germany, the German Shipowners’ Association (Verband Deutscher Reeder – VDR) and the German Federal Chamber of Pilots (Bundeslotsenkammer – BLK) issued a joint communiqué calling for urgent improvement of mobile network coverage in German coastal waters.Maritime broadband communication in the North Sea and Baltic Sea was the topic of a symposium jointly held by the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (Maritimes Cluster Norddeutschland e.

KVH Industries announced the launch of its next-generation, advanced maritime broadband network, joined by service partner, Intelsat. Slated for commercial availability next month, KVH’s high-speed overlay to its current mini-VSAT Broadbandsm service is expected to triple, and in some cases increase by a multiple of six, the data speeds for its maritime customers. At the core of its capabilities, KVH’s advanced maritime broadband network will incorporate Intelsat Epic satellite services and the award-winning IntelsatOne Flex platform, a global managed service designed to optimize bandwidth allocations and provide flexible coverage where it is needed. KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network is also expected to benefit from increased Asian satellite capacity from SKY Perfect JSAT.

Intelsat S.A. today reported that its Intelsat 34 satellite was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 vehicle. Liftoff occurred at 4:34 pm EDT. The Intelsat 34 satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage 40 minutes after launch, at 5:14 pm EDT, and signal acquisition has been confirmed. Intelsat 34 is a C- and Ku-band satellite to be placed into service at the 304.5ºE orbital location. It will replace Intelsat 805 and Galaxy 11 as the third in Intelsat’s leading Latin America, pan-regional video distribution neighborhood (which includes Intelsat 11 and Intelsat 21). Intelsat 34 includes a C-band payload which will deliver media distribution services for blue chip media powerhouses including Fox Sports and HBOLA.

It’s no coincidence that Class standard bearer DNV GL’s incoming group chief exec, Remi Eriksen, is a former telecoms engineer who knows his way around Houston (IT) and Singapore (yards). After all, the satellite communications industry understands shipping. The reverse should also be true. Speaking ahead of his first day as CEO, Eriksen describes a future of “fast ships and slow growth” — not bandwidth growth, mind you. Satellite operators, network providers and other vendors are eying broadband for Big Data transfers.

While the true uptake of broadband across the maritime sector has been slow to develop, a number of market conditions are conspiring to drive the service mainstream. Intelsat’s Kurt Riegelman discusses the matter with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. While the advent of full broadband in the maritime sector is the exception rather than the norm, the tides are changing as companies increasingly deploy fast, modern ‘land-like’ comms in an effort to achieve everything from attracting and retaining crew, to streamlining business operations at sea and enhancing safety.

Satellite investment program progresses with three launches planned for third quarter; Intelsat EpicNG high performance satellite platform establishes leadership with long-term commitments. Intelsat S.A., the world's leading provider of satellite services, reported financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2012. Intelsat S.A. reported revenue of $638.7 million and a net loss of $84.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2012. The company also reported Intelsat S.A. EBITDAi, or earnings before net interest, loss on early extinguishment of debt, taxes and depreciation and amortization, of $468.3 million, and Intelsat S.A. Adjusted EBITDAi of $492.0 million, or 77 percent of revenue, for the three months ended June 30, 2012.

Under a long-term agreement, MTN will leverage the first Intelsat EpicNG satellite, Intelsat 29e, to provide more than 2 gigabits of capacity for MTN's cruise and yacht customers in the Caribbean. The Intelsat EpicNG platform is a complementary overlay to Intelsat's leading global satellite network. Initially, MTN will utilize capacity on Intelsat's Ku-band mobile global broadband infrastructure. Once Intelsat 29e is launched in 2015, MTN will then partially transition to its custom-designed service on the Intelsat EpicNG platform, enabling MTN to deliver an unprecedented level of throughput in key Caribbean regions, especially for the cruise and yacht sectors.

Intelsat S.A., the world's leading provider of satellite services, today announced that Harris CapRock Communications, a global provider of fully managed communications for remote and harsh environments, will utilize the Intelsat EpicNG platform on Intelsat 29e for advanced fixed and mobile services. Under a multi-year agreement, Harris CapRock will utilize the next- generation Intelsat EpicNG platform to expand its service offerings and offer new applications to its global customers across the energy, maritime and government markets. Harris CapRock currently has Ku-band capacity on multiple satellites on the Intelsat fleet, which will expand to Intelsat 29e when it is launched.

Intelsat S.A  has introduced the Intelsat EpicNG satellite platform, a new series of satellites based upon a high performance, open architecture design. Intelsat EpicNG will be deployed for wireless and fixed telecommunications, enterprise, mobility, video and government applications requiring broadband infrastructure across the major continents. The Intelsat EpicNG platform is an innovative approach to satellite and network architecture utilizing multiple frequency bands, wide beams, spot beams and frequency reuse technology. A complementary overlay, Intelsat EpicNG will be fully integrated with Intelsat's existing satellite fleet and global IntelsatONESM terrestrial network.

KVH Industries, Inc., (NASDAQ:KVHI) reported financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009. Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $26.3 million, up 24% from the quarter ended December 31, 2008. Net income for the period was $1.8 million, or $0.13 per diluted share. During the same period last year the company reported net income of $0.3 million or $0.02 per diluted share. For the year ended December 31, 2009, revenue was $89.1 million, up 8% compared to $82.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2008. KVH reported a net loss of $0.1 million or $0.01 per share for 2009. During the same period last year, the company reported net income of $3.1 million or $0.21 per diluted share.

Becker Marine Systems Communication has entered into a global distribution partner agreement with Iridium Satellite to integrate, optimize and distribute Iridium OpenPortSM optimized-bandwidth marine satellite systems. Under this agreement, Becker Marine Systems is fully integrating the Iridium OpenPort service with its unique umc.connect optimization server and its umc.global network managed services. This solution will be offered as “umc.connect skylink Iridium OpenPort+” to customers and partners. It will be completely integrated with the managed services of the umc.global network, providing one of the most comprehensive and universal communication solutions to the maritime industry today.