{"id":17649,"date":"2020-08-18T22:31:14","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T14:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/kymeta-goes-beyond-antennas-with-acquisition-of-lepton-satellite-service-company\/"},"modified":"2020-08-18T22:31:14","modified_gmt":"2020-08-18T14:31:14","slug":"kymeta-goes-beyond-antennas-with-acquisition-of-lepton-satellite-service-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/kymeta-goes-beyond-antennas-with-acquisition-of-lepton-satellite-service-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Kymeta goes beyond antennas with acquisition of Lepton satellite service company"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A military-style Polaris RZR off-road vehicle plows through desert dunes with a Kymeta satellite antenna installed on top. Kymeta\u2019s acquisition of Lepton Global Systems is aimed at strengthening the company\u2019s offerings for government and military customers. (Kymeta Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kymeta Corp. \u2014 the satellite antenna venture that\u2019s based in Redmond, Wash., and backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates \u2014 has extended its reach into the service side of the satellite industry by acquiring Lepton Global Solutions.<\/p>\n

Executives for the two companies said the move should strengthen their hand as they pursue contracts for government and military communications systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a turnkey satellite service provider like Lepton accelerates Kymeta\u2019s ability to successfully penetrate U.S. military and government customers in partnership with a well-established brand, deep channel experience and network support for those verticals,\u201d Walter Berger, Kymeta\u2019s president and chief operating officer, said today in a news release.<\/p>\n

Rob Weitendorf, managing partner at Lepton, said he was excited to become part of Kymeta\u2019s corporate family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think the Kymeta antenna has changed the satellite marketplace, especially in the mobility world inside the government, whether it be for the U.S. Army or Coast Guard, or the Border Patrol or the U.S. Forest Service,\u201d he told GeekWire. \u201cThe need for connectivity in the government marketplace has never been stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weitendorf said Kymeta should now be well-positioned to take advantage of Lepton\u2019s communications network, which knits together coverage via 17 satellites. Lepton will contlnue to operate as a wholly owned Kymeta subsidiary, with headquarters in Tysons Corner, Va., and a staff of fewer than 15 employees. The acquisition boosts Kymeta\u2019s total workforce to nearly 200 people, said Bill Marks, Kymeta\u2019s chief strategy officer. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.<\/p>\n

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Kymeta\u2019s u8 flat-panel satellite antenna can be installed on top of a military-style off-road vehicle or a Toyota Land Cruiser. (Kymeta Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lepton has already been hosting Kymeta\u2019s satellite connectivity solutions, but bringing the two companies together meshes with Kymeta\u2019s long-term plan to be much more than an antenna manufacturer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving away from just a hardware company to a solutions company,\u201d Marks told GeekWire. \u201cThe solution means we need to bring best-of-breed hardware and we need to bring a connectivity solution, because customers want a one-stop shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kymeta is going in that direction with its next-generation flat-panel antenna and terminal system, known as u8. The hardware is bundled with hybrid satellite-cellular connectivity that\u2019s priced like mobile phone service on a per-gigabyte basis.<\/p>\n

Marks said the Kymeta Connect service is currently wrapping up alpha testing and getting ready to deploy beta-version hardware in several countries.<\/p>\n