Displaying items by tag: SES

SES has selected SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch satellites into orbit as part of the company’s C-band clearing plan, as well as their contribution to facilitate 5G across America.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch two C-band satellites built by Northrop Grumman to rapidly launch a contingency satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2022 allowing SES to meet the FCC’s time-critical objective to roll out 5G services across the United States.

ULA’s Atlas V rocket will be launched in the same year.

These satellites will enable SES to clear 280MHz of mid-band spectrum for 5G use while seamlessly migrating SES’s existing C-band customers and ensuring the continued delivery of digital television to nearly 120 million American TV homes and other critical data services.

 “Clearing mid-band spectrum and protecting our broadcast customers to ensure business continuity is a significant undertaking and we absolutely need to be working with the right partners,” said Steve Collar, CEO at SES.

Speaking on the extended partnership with SpaceX, Collar said: “We have a deep and trusted relationship with SpaceX having been the first to launch a commercial satellite with them and subsequently the first commercial company to adopt the flight-proven booster and we could not be more confident in their ability to deliver on this time-critical mission.”

The Luxembourg-based operator also has a long-standing alliance with ULA and is pleased to task the company with meeting the FCC’s targets. “We are thrilled to be working with ULA again and partnering to meet the FCC’s ambitious timeline for the accelerated clearing of C-band spectrum.”

Telecom Review, the leading global telecoms news platform, held a virtual panel on 21 July, attended by 346 participants, to discuss the latest and most pressing issues in the wholesale and capacity space. Telecom Review mobilized an impressively unique panel with representatives from Etisalat, MTN GlobalConnect, PCCW Global, Tata Communications, SES, Orange and GBI.

Following the success of its previous virtual events, the panel titled, ‘Capacity and data traffic: Enabling a seamless experience’, was held at 16:00 UAE time on July 21^st.

The session was moderated by Founder of Telecom Review and CEO of Trace Media, Toni Eid, and the panelists included: Ali Amiri, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer at Etisalat; Frederic Schepens, CEO of MTN GlobalConnect; Marc Halbfinger, CEO of PCCW Global; Vaneet Mehta, AVP & Region Head- MECAA at Tata Communications; Elias Zaccack, EVP of Global Sales at SES; Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of GBI and Emmanual Rochas, CEO, International Carriers at Orange.

The globally renowned panelists discussed the management of the sheer amount of data which was generated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the cloud in ensuring a seamless remote experience and the challenges that COVID-19 posed to the wholesale industry.

Ali Amiri, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer at Etisalat, said, "Organizations were less concerned about security and remote working because of cloud readiness. Everyone has to be cloud equipped and this showed during the pandemic. This was really quite important that people could connect from anywhere and from any device.”

Frederic Schepens, CEO of MTN GlobalConnect, stated, “When COVID-19 hit our operations, we already had more backups and strengthened networks. In certain markets, we saw 30-35% growth. Voice also increased because people were calling each other to make sure everyone was OK. As an industry, we can do a lot of good to make sure we support all these changes with a reliable, robust infrastructure and also ensure that we facilitate the digitization process.”

Marc Halbfinger, CEO of PCCW Global, said, “The one thing that I’m certain of as a result of COVID-19 is that I’m not certain of anything. The situation has made forecasting an art form. We need to consider as many possibilities as may exist. We don’t know when this issue will be resolved or how governments will deal with it. COVID-19 has demonstrated that anything that is driving new age automation is necessary.”

On the business Impact of COVID 19, Vaneet Mehta, Region Head, Tata Communications, mentioned, “In terms of wholesale segment, we had growth in data traffic, on account of OTT content consumption. But the enterprise segment saw decision making getting delayed.”

Vaneet, was still bullish on the enterprise segment, in markets like Saudi Arabia, UAE and certain select countries of Africa. He also touched upon the recent news of the recent Tata Communications local telecom license in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Elias Zaccack, EVP of Global Sales at SES, said, “Without dismissing the severity of COVID-19, we are seeing is a lot of opportunities.  One of those opportunities is digitization. A lot of countries are moving a lot faster to digitization. What we have realized is just how essential satellites are to the global infrastructure.”

“For many years we’ve been talking about digitalization, we also learnt that most governments are nowhere near being digital especially during the lockdown. We suffered a lot of time wastage in terms of organizing basic processes. Also, security is currently in the back burner because people are just trying to be connected. It’s a good time for us to think about this, but the market will demand better security eventually,” commented Cengiz Oztelcan, CEO of GBI.

Emmanual Rochas, CEO, International Carriers at Orange, said, “This crisis has been dramatic in terms of human impact. It also had a massive impact on our international wholesale business. We have experienced a very strong shift in usage in terms of our businesses. Our networks have either been emptied or overloaded. We have seen an increase in domestic voice whilst international voice suffered. We had a very strong increase in public networks due to increase in consumption of entertainment.”

Project Loon, a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space, designed to extend Internet connectivity to people in rural and remote areas, developed by Alphabet subsidiary 'X' (formerly Google X), has been working with satellite company SES to restore 4G/LTE connectivity to disaster-stricken Puerto Rico.

The connectivity is powered by Project Loon's targeted cell coverage and SES Networks' O3b FastConnect, a rapidly deployable satellite terminal delivering fibre-like performance. Together with local technology partners, SES and X are providing reliable high-performance connectivity to Puerto Ricans whose lives have been devastated by the hurricane Maria and who have limited means of communication.

"Our thoughts are with those whose lives have been impacted by this devastating hurricane," said Steve Collar, CEO of SES Networks. "Access to connectivity is crucial in getting those affected the information and help they need after a natural disaster. We are really pleased to be working with X and their other partners to deploy high-performance connectivity to Puerto Rico and to play a part in the island's restoration efforts."

Project Loon balloons float in the stratosphere, twice as high as airplanes and the weather. By partnering with telecommunications companies to share cellular spectrum, Project Loon enables people to connect to the balloon network directly from their phones and other LTE-enabled devices. The signal then passes across the balloon network and back down to the global internet on Earth.

"This is the first time we have used our new machine learning-powered algorithms to keep balloons clustered over Puerto Rico, so we're still learning how best to do this," said head of Project Loon Alastair Westgarth. "As we get more familiar with the constantly shifting winds in this region, we hope to keep the balloons over areas where connectivity is needed for as long as possible."

Project Loon was launched in Puerto Rico by Alphabet's X in collaboration with the government of Puerto Rico, the US Federal Communications Commission, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency and US telecommunications company AT&T.

Uzbekistan’s State Unitary Enterprise ‘Centre of Radio Communication, Broadcasting and Television’ (SUE CRRT) announced it will rely on SES Video for the upcoming launch of its first DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) multiplex, using NSS-12 at 57 degrees East to transmit TV signals to all head-ends of its DTT network.

Under the multi-year agreement announced by satellite operator SES, SUE CRRT, which is Uzbekistan’s sole operator of analogue and terrestrial TV distribution, has contracted satellite capacity to deliver a minimum of 12 free-to-air TV channels in standard definition and four radio channels from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to all DTT head-ends throughout the country.

“The launch of our first digital terrestrial multiplex is a significant step forward for the analog switchover process in Uzbekistan,” said Mr. Turgunov M., Technical Director at SUE CRRT. “Our network will cover the entire territory, offering new viewing possibilities to a potential audience of 31.5 million people. As Uzbekistan is one of the largest countries in Central Asia, with desert and mountainous areas, satellite is the only reliable technology that can enable us to reach the entire population as well as neighboring countries, and beyond.”  

“SUE CRRT already entrusted SES with the carriage of state TV and radio channels for DTH and cable contribution two years ago, and this new contract clearly underscores SES’s position as the satellite provider of choice for Central Asia, more particularly the Republic of Uzbekistan,” said Norbert Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Commercial Europe at SES Video. “We look forward to supporting the Republic of Uzbekistan in the launch of its DTT multiplex with the help of satellite and in its journey towards digital television.”

<p>Bluesky Cook Islands, the  sole provider of fixed phone, mobile and broadband services to the Cook  Islands, has increased the amount of satellite capacity it is using from SES  Networks, in order to launch 4G+ service to Rarotonga and Aitutaki, the two key  cities of the island nation.<br><br>

  In the announcement made by  SES, the increased capacity delivered on the low latency, high throughput O3b  Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) fleet will also allow the extension of 4G/LTE mobile  backhaul service to the country&rsquo;s outer islands, and faster and dedicated  broadband service for the Cook Islands Ministry of Education. <br><br>

  The Cook Islands was the  first market to use SES Networks&rsquo; O3b MEO satellite system in 2014 to deliver  3G/ 4G services to the remote nation. The island  nation is considered a &lsquo;<strong>Fast Grower&rsquo;</strong>&nbsp;market in Polynesia with a single operator and&nbsp;<strong>8.9 thousand  mobile connections</strong><strong>,</strong> according to GSMA  Intelligence. <br><br>

  The new agreement signed  with SES Networks is part of Bluesky Cook Islands&rsquo; substantial network upgrade.  The launch of 4G+, currently the world&rsquo;s fastest commercial mobile network  technology, demonstrates Bluesky&rsquo;s ongoing commitment to offer new and  innovative products and services to its customers.<br><br>

  The Cook Islands Ministry of  Education will use the increased and faster connectivity from Bluesky to  enhance educational programs which will directly benefit the learning  experience for students of all ages across the country. <br><br>

  Bluesky and the Ministry are  jointly developing a virtual education network portal, enabling students, teachers  and institutions to exchange educational and teacher training material, develop  additional curricular content material and promote a new culture of information  and communication.<br><br>

  &ldquo;By bringing 4G+ technology  to Rarotonga and Aitutaki, we are offering our local consumers and business  customers a better mobile data experience which will translate into  productivity improvements, expanded business opportunities, and exciting new  entertainment options,&rdquo; said Bluesky Country Manager, Phillip Henderson. <br><br>

  &ldquo;The O3b fleet, instrumental  in providing the fiber-equivalent performance needed to roll out the 4G+  service, has made an enormous difference to our subscribers over the last three  years,&rdquo; Henderson added. </p>

Alaskan internet service provider (ISP) OptimERA is leveraging satellite operator SES Networks’ new managed infrastructure service and a full 72MHz transponder to significantly improve broadband connectivity speed 10-fold throughout the remote port city of Unalaska, and neighboring towns and islands across Southwest Alaska.

In an agreement announced by SES, OptimERA has secured capacity aboard SES’s NSS-9 satellite to roll out enhanced city-wide Wi-Fi network and broadband services to meet growing business and consumer demands for faster, more reliable and affordable connectivity in the largely underserved region.

SES will also provide OptimERA with a broad range of fully-managed infrastructure services, including data centre hosting services, uplink and downlink satellite services, as well as IP network services for internet connectivity, delivered using a primary SES teleport in Brewster, Washington.

OptimERA will utilize scalable, tailored SES satellite capacity to extend its high-speed broadband service packages of 10Mbps to new business customers and consumers in nearby towns and villages. OptimERA is delivering 250 Mbps of capacity to the city of Unalaska.

“OptimERA is leveraging the reliability and flexibility of SES satellite capacity to better connect people and businesses across rural Alaska, where 25% of the state’s population lives and 90% of its revenues are generated,” said Emmett Fitch, CEO at OptimERA.

“Our collaborative work with SES is allowing us to be more creative and innovative in customizing our satellite capacity, as our OptimERA team turns a vision of affordable, faster connectivity into life-changing reality throughout Alaska.”

Steve Collar, CEO at SES Networks said: “SES continues to build a robust global network capable of connecting people and businesses virtually anywhere in the world. OptimERA now has the reliable capacity and the fully-managed infrastructure it needs to offer affordable, impactful data packages capable of connecting people and generating exciting new growth opportunities throughout rural Alaska and the region.”

Satellite giant SES and the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs announced that they have extended a contract to maintain and support SATMED, an e-health satellite platform, until 2020.

Under the new contract, SES will continue to develop the SATMED platform and its medical applications, support the platform’s data-hosting facility, and provide full user support with single point of contact. The agreement also includes the extension of the service to support new medical tools, as well as the provision of satellite connectivity over Africa, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

The SATMED solution is designed to connect doctors and nurses based in remote locations to the outside world. Healthcare professionals will use satellite connectivity to access the platform’s medical applications such as e-training, accessing patients’ e-medical records, virtual consultation, and video conferencing. SATMED is also aimed at supporting regional development programs and humanitarian operations in cooperation with both governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Connectivity is enabled by the SES satellite fleet, while the SATMED web-applications and the encrypted back-ups are hosted in a secured data hosting facility in Luxembourg. Once deployed, the platform is delivered as a fully-managed service and includes helpdesk, maintenance of terminals and continuous user training.

“Since 2014, we had ten SATMED deployments across Africa and Asia. The contract extension will help SATMED reinforce its positions as an internationally recognized e-health platform and, what is paramount for us, continue to bring innovative e-health solutions to remote communities,” said Gerhard Bethscheider, Managing Director of SES Techcom Services. “We are also looking forward to integrating new tools in the platform.”

“Extending the contract with SES will enable us to develop healthcare through the SATMED platform on a global scale,” said the minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Romain Schneider.

“The platform we are providing together with partner NGOs has already helped improve healthcare in countries like Benin, Niger, Philippines and Bangladesh, among others. With the provision of satellite connectivity over other regions, we hope to open the doors to new deployments and further enable accessibility to healthcare for all, in line with SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) no.3 and leaving no one behind.”

Luxembourg-based satellite company SES announced new satellite capacity deals with Gogo, a provider of in-flight broadband Internet service for commercial and business aircraft, to meet the growing demand for high-speed in-flight connectivity services on travel routes over the US and Canada. The new contracts with Gogo include capacity on 12 additional Ku-band transponders, as well as supporting ground infrastructure.

With these latest agreements, Gogo has now signed important capacity deals across 11 SES satellites around the world, including significant long-term agreements for Ku-band high throughput (HTS) capacity onboard two SES satellites (SES-14 and SES-15) scheduled for launch this year.

SES continues to build a global network of multi-layered, multi-band capacity to meet the specific needs and requirements of the evolving aeronautical market.

“We’ve always said that our 2Ku solution is the most future-proof solution on the market because it allows us to improve the experience without touching an aircraft. This latest capacity deal with SES allows us to add bandwidth over some of the busiest air travel routes over the US and Canada, where our airline customers continue to see passenger demand for high-speed connectivity on the rise,” said Anand Chari, Gogo’s Chief Technology Officer.

“SES, with its global satellite fleet, intelligent ground infrastructure, and nimble approach to meeting our evolving needs, is playing a pivotal role in how we are leveraging satellites to meet the needs of global aviation.”

“SES has a robust, global network of multi-layered, multi-orbit and multi-band satellite capacity that is enabling leading in-flight connectivity providers, such as Gogo, to create exciting new services. This allows airlines to offer their passengers a great connected experience anywhere they go,” noted Elias Zaccack, Senior Vice President of Global Mobility for SES.

“This latest capacity agreement signals Gogo’s trust and confidence in SES’s global Mobility solutions to deliver the high-speed connectivity and high quality entertainment Gogo’s airlines customers are looking for.”

Two of Europe’s leading satellite firms, France-based Eutelsat and Luxembourg-based SES, announced they are in a high state of readiness for imminent launches.

Eutelsat’s 172B satellite is in the final stages of preparation, according to the company, at the Airbus Defense and Space facility in Toulouse. The satellite will be boarded onto a special flight to French Guiana on March 20. Weighing 3.5 tons, it is the first European-built high-power all-electric satellite, scheduled for an Arian launch on April 25 from the European Spaceport.

The purpose of Eutelsat’s 172B satellite is to deliver increased capacity for fast-growing applications that include video distribution. The satellite will be located at 172° East, which will provide key coverage for Asia Pacific over land and sea, from Alaska to Australia.

The new satellite will replace the previous 172A satellite to provide service continuity and improved performance via C and Ku-band payloads connected to a range of footprints. It will feature an additional new Ku-band multi-beam payload delivering 1.8Gbps of throughput to serve the world’s fastest-growing region (Asia Pacific) with in-flight entertainment and connectivity services.

Meanwhile, the SES-15 satellite has reportedly arrived at the European Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, in preparation for its launch by a Soyuz vehicle in April this year. The new satellite was designed and manufactured by Boeing. It will carry a hybrid payload, with additional Ku-band wide beams and Ku- as well as Ka-band high throughput satellite (HTS) capacity.

SES’s new satellite will feature an electric propulsion system for orbit-raising and in-orbit maneuvers. It is the company’s first hybrid satellite to be launched and will be equipped with 16 Ku-band transponders (36MHz equivalent) and also a 10GHz high throughput payload. The all-electric satellite in contrast to Eutelsat will cover the new orbital position of 129° West and will serve North America, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

SES announced a record uptake of its satellite capacity for the Olympics as compared to previous Games.

“This record demand illustrates how broadcasters continue to view satellite as an ideal and cost-effective way to broadcast excellent image quality of sporting events live to millions of viewers around the world.”

A total of 23,000 hours of capacity has been booked on four SES satellites -- NSS-806, SES-4, NSS-7 and SES-3 -- to enable transmission of the Games to broadcasters in The Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. SES is serving a total of 10 leading broadcasters based in the US, the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Brazil and Japan, which includes Eurovision, CNN / Turner and Nippon Television Network.

“SES has provided capacity for the Olympics since 2000, and we are pleased that the capacity demand for Rio Olympics far exceeds the previous editions. For the first time ever, we are using more capacity on more satellites to broadcast more hours of sporting events and news coverage of the Games to a truly global audience,” said Richard Lamb, General Manager of Occasional Use Services at SES. “This record demand illustrates how broadcasters continue to view satellite as an ideal and cost-effective way to broadcast excellent image quality of sporting events live to millions of viewers around the world.”