Eutelsat grants Type Approval on Sea Tel's 4996T Model

After a year and a half development process that included antenna upgrades and a new one-piece radome design, Sea Tel applied for and was granted Eutelsat Type Approval on their 4996T maritime VSAT system. This is the first time that a complete maritime "system" including antenna, pedestal and radome has been granted Eutelsat Type Approval. "Being granted Type Approval from Eutelsat is extremely valuable to Sea Tel. We believe it will be even more valuable for our customers who will save many man-hours of required testing time that they will now be able to waive because of this Type Approval," said Robert C. Matthews, Sea Tel Vice President of Technical Sales. Type Approval is an advance process whereby the manufacturer undergoes a rigorous testing process to determine if their product measures up to Eutelsat's high performance RF standards. Without Type Approval, each time a local service provider wishes to install a new antenna, the process includes rounds of testing in order to meet Eutelsat's performance standards. This occupies the vessel's time as well as the personnel who work on board and the personnel at the earth station who are all involved in the testing period. Even with careful planning it is possible not to measure up to standards, requiring the need to readjust and re-administer testing. With Type Approval, 90% of this work is already completed saving many man-hours and also gets the customer's vessel back into service quickly. Eutelsat is one of the world's most established and experienced providers of satellite communications resources and expertise on a global basis, with its core business primarily in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Their offerings include satellite infrastructure that assures delivery of consumer television and radio, corporate networks and broadband access. Sea Tel has installed over 20,000 maritime antenna systems around the globe and is the world's leading manufacturer of marine stabilized antenna systems for satellite communications and satellite television at sea. Sea Tel markets its products globally and has a 24/7-service support network. With dishes ranging from 13 inches to 14 feet in diameter, Sea Tel provides all types and sizes of private, commercial and Navy vessels with the right antenna system for their applications of satellite communications at sea.