{"id":79074,"date":"2013-12-17T21:33:22","date_gmt":"2013-12-17T13:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/via-satellites-2013-excellence-awards-the-winners\/"},"modified":"2013-12-17T21:33:22","modified_gmt":"2013-12-17T13:33:22","slug":"via-satellites-2013-excellence-awards-the-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/via-satellites-2013-excellence-awards-the-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"Via Satellite\u2019s 2013 Excellence Awards: The Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Via Satellite\u2019s 2013 Excellence Awards salute the innovative companies, technologies, campaigns and people who\u2019ve helped shape the success of the global satellite industry. We believe our 2013 Excellence Award Recipients are the most outstanding people and technologies in satellite and set a benchmark for what can be accomplished in this storied marketplace.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Via Satellite is well known for its Satellite Executive of the Year award which has been going strong for more than 30 years. However, with so many outstanding nominations every year, we felt the need to recognize more of the great work and talent in our industry. In a major new initiative, we have created a series of awards that cover the length and breadth of the satellite industry. These are the winners of the first edition of Via Satellite\u2019s Excellence Awards.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Humanitarian Satellite Company of the Year:&nbsp;On Call Communications<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-134426\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"FM_and_kdis\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/FM_and_kdis.jpeg\" width=\"200\" height=\"120\">Our first ever Excellence Award winner for its humanitarian efforts goes to On Call Communications for its work in Haiti after one of the worst earthquakes in recent times hit the country in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Jim Gilbert, CEO, On Call Communications says the company is honored to win this award, although adds that it \u201ctruly belongs to a number of individuals and companies who have given their time, equipment, and services to support our vision of improving the lives of children in Haiti.\u201d Intelsat, which provided space capacity, was particularly involved in this project. On Call has played a key role in galvanizing the industry to provide a solution that brings better healthcare and education to the children of Haiti.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-134428 alignright\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"IMG_0683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_0683.jpeg\" width=\"117\" height=\"53\">The story starts around six years ago when Gilbert met Father Marc Boisvert who was soliciting donations for Free The Kids, Inc to support his orphanage in southern Haiti. \u201cHis vision for helping the Haitian children has grown over the years to provide a secure and caring environment for the world\u2019s poorest of the poor and forgotten children. Father Marc and his staff houses some 450 orphans and provides meals and education for an additional 1,500,\u201d says Gilbert.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-134432\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"IMG_0844\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_0844.jpeg\" width=\"247\" height=\"66\">The opportunity for On Call Communications to make a difference in Haiti came in 2012. \u201cThey have a clinic, but their medical staff\u2019s capabilities are limited and very basic, there is a school, but the curriculum is outdated and the staff under qualified. The most glaring problem is that they were cut off from the rest of the world. That difference would be in the form of a satellite link and a wireless network throughout the campus which would provide free voice circuits, Internet access to provide current lesson plans for the school along with HD video conferencing to be used between the clinic and teaching hospitals in the United States and abroad,\u201d Gilbert says.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-134434\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"IMG_0883\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/IMG_0883.jpeg\" width=\"117\" height=\"66\">When asked about an anecdote from his time in Haiti, Gilbert says, \u201cThe memory that sticks out the most for me was the little ones at the orphanage. They locals call them \u2018the watermelon kids\u2019 because the color of their school uniforms. When I travelled over to their school area, I was engulfed by about 50 of the littlest ones at the orphanage. They all just wanted interaction and lined up to be hugged. I\u2019m hoping that what we\u2019re doing will make a difference in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Woman in Technology:<\/strong> <strong>Amiee Chan<\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-134450 alignright\" alt=\"Amiee_Chan_2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Amiee_Chan_2.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Amiee_Chan_2.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Amiee_Chan_2-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\"><\/p>\n<p>Norsat International\u2019s CEO Amiee Chan is an inspiring example to young women in the satellite industry, and a worthy winner of Via Satellite\u2019s Woman in Technology Excellence award.&nbsp; She says it is a \u201ctremendous honor\u201d to win and that this award was of particular delight because it recognized her experience in technology rather than just her business and leadership skills which have bought other awards. In terms of her career highlights so far, Chan says that leading Norsat from near insolvency in 2006 to the \u201cthriving\u201d company it is today is something she incredibly proud of.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I became CEO, Norsat was losing millions of dollars per year, and had significant debt, so it was a sink or swim situation for me as a leader. I had to turn the company around, and so I made a lot of tough decisions to reduce operating expenses. Enacting major change is never easy and I faced a lot of opposition, but it has certainly been worth it,\u201d she recalls. \u201cAnother highlight would be our acquisition of Sinclair Technologies in 2011. Our revenues have basically doubled; it\u2019s been so gratifying to see this success against the backdrop of our past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In terms of getting more women into the space industry, Chan says, \u201cI think people make assumptions because women are underrepresented in these fields. It\u2019s the same for the underrepresentation of women in the boardroom. I know that attitudes and stereotypes will only change over time as more women take on roles of increased responsibility, profile and leadership,\u201d she says. \u201cI have high hopes for the women of the future, because young women now have more strong female role models than ever, and I know that this will only encourage them to pursue careers in non-traditional fields. I also like to keep in mind that success speaks for itself. If you can work hard and get results, you will always command respect, so I try to focus on getting the job done and ignoring the rest. As people see how great women are as engineers, scientists and leaders, stereotypes will melt away.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_134448\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-134448\" style=\"width: 237px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-134448\" alt=\"Olympics_demonstations_at_UBC\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Olympics_demonstations_at_UBC.jpeg\" width=\"237\" height=\"192\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-134448\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amiee Chan is the recipient of Via Satellite\u2019s first ever Woman in Technology Excellence Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>Chan volunteers as a mentor for the Ms. Infinity Program with Women in Science and Technology, which is devoted to encouraging women to develop careers in science and technology. She also serves on the National Advisory Committee on Girls and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), which introduces girls of all ages to opportunities in these fields. And she also participate often in speaking engagements for young people at various local schools and universities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to take risks!\u201d is her advice for young women starting out today. \u201cEarly in your career it can be difficult to have the courage to make decisions when the stakes are high, especially when you see few other women doing so. But when you\u2019ve done the research and you\u2019re passionate about a project, you just need to dive in head first. There is no better teacher than experience, and even when I\u2019ve failed, that experience has driven me forward to better things,\u201d she says. \u201cI hope my experience can give young people the courage to take career risks, and achieve great things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lifetime Achievement Award: Ali Ebadi<\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-134460\" alt=\"Ali_Ebadi_pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ali_Ebadi_pic.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ali_Ebadi_pic.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Ali_Ebadi_pic-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\"><\/p>\n<p>Ali Ebadi, Measat\u2019s SVP, Space Systems Development, is one of the most recognizable faces in the space industry. It is for his role in developing the space industry in Malaysia that Ebadi has been selected as Via Satellite\u2019s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award winner.<\/p>\n<p>Measat has gone from launching its first satellite back in the late 1990s to an operator that is now present in many markets across Asia, as well as having an expanded African play.<\/p>\n<p>Ebadi\u2019s career spans many decades, but talking about the highlights, he goes back to 1991 to remember the challenges in setting up Malaysia\u2019s first satellite system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt this time, I was responsible for the technical aspects of the development of Measat from building the team to training Malaysian engineers to seeing through the successful launch of Malaysia\u2019s first satellite. I was also responsible for setting up Measat satellite operation stations in Langkawi and later the Measat Teleport and Broadcasting Center located outside of Kuala Lumpur, which provides the technical hub for the Measat satellite system today,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>One of the other highlights for Ebadi was working closely with the government of Malaysia to file and coordinate several strategic orbital positions with the ITU for the future Measat system. Ebadi says these filings have allowed the company to expand from an operator focused on supporting the ICT requirements of the country, to a global satellite operator with a footprint covering more than 150 countries representing 80 percent of the world\u2019s population.<\/p>\n<p>Ebadi is now focused on nurturing the next generation of talent for the space industry in Malaysia. \u201cThis includes introducing satellite communication subjects (and setting up satellite communications laboratories) at two of Malaysia\u2019s leading universities, Universiti [sic] Malaya and Universiti [sic] Teknologi [sic] MARA Shah Alam. It also includes my work at Measat aimed at furthering the professional and personal development of our engineers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>With a career that has been at the center of Malaysia developing a space capability, Ebadi says his key learning has been \u201cto seek opportunities to work in a cooperative manner, and seek win-win opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI remember the first frequency coordination meeting I attended in 1992, from which I came back without any progress. At that time, Measat\u2019s prime orbital slot of 91.5 degrees east seemed almost impossible to coordinate,\u201d he says. \u201cGradually, I learned to be more realistic in terms of actual usage of satellite parameters and what we try to obtain during coordination procedures. Concurrently, I learned to have a certain degree of flexibility in the design of satellite payloads and antenna to avoid potential incompatibility with adjacent satellites,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>From his lifetime experience in the industry, he advises young satellite engineers \u201cto first get an overall view of the satellite industry, chose your area of interest, and then see the company\u2019s goals in their short and long term plans. Aim for the best and never be afraid of failure. Challenges can be overcome, and once you do, it makes you stronger and a better engineer and person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-134474\" alt=\"Colin_Marker_pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Colin_Marker_pic.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Colin_Marker_pic.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Colin_Marker_pic-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Young Engineer Award:<\/strong> <strong>Colin Marker<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Colin Marker, engineering project manager for spacecraft bus at Boeing Satellite Systems is our youngest winner taking home the Young Engineer Excellence award. Marker said the announcement came as a \u201ccomplete surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am honored to be included in a group of such high achievers, particularly since I know the amount of amazing talent we have just at Boeing, and this award extends to the entire industry. I hope to be able to live up to the title as I continue forward in my career, to age 30 and beyond,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Marker cites his biggest achievement as obtaining his current positions as a spacecraft bus lead after only six years at Boeing. He believes he was able to get to this point in part because he was afforded an opportunity to experience a wide breadth of the satellite industry.<\/p>\n<p>Marker was initially hired into a rotation program where he experienced mission operations, financial operations, systems engineering, unit area manufacturing, and software development. \u201cIn my time, I have worked closely with customers, program managers, VPs, subject matter experts, technicians, and new hires. These experiences allowed me to continually challenge myself and grow as a young engineer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>One of the big issues for the satellite industry currently is attracting new talent like Marker. He cites an early childhood passion as one of the reasons why he entered the aerospace field. \u201cGrowing up in Houston, I have fond memories of climbing through the Johnson Space Center shuttle mockup and the huge Saturn 5 rocket. My love of space and planes led me to obtaining a bachelor\u2019s degree in aerospace engineering. After graduating, I initially worked for an oil and gas company in Texas but soon chose to pursue a career in aerospace instead, which was my original area of interest. I realized that it is important for employees to have passion in the work they do. I left that job to take the rotation program at Boeing in California. I often walk through the high bay and remind myself that very few people get to work on things that go into space,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Marker admits that it is a challenge to attract young people to the industry, and says media coverage in recent times has not helped the space industry, although he is encouraged by the recent coverage of the Mars Curiosity Rover. \u201cBaby boomers are beginning to exit the work force. The hardest part is getting in the door. Today the space industry is not as sexy or popular as it was during the space race. Shuttle launches used to be shown on the major news networks and the entire country celebrated at the giant scientific leaps made by mankind. Now, media tends to focus on failures,\u201d he says. \u201cI was encouraged by the press coverage on the Mars Curiosity rover, which is a good start for positive media coverage. It is up to the engineering community to promote through science and math volunteerism to encourage the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With Marker yet to hit 30 and already a key part of Boeing\u2019s space programs, the world is his oyster. In terms of what he hopes to achieve next, he says, \u201cMy current position as bus lead is challenging and has exposed me to half the spacecraft. In my next position, I plan to focus on payload design and manufacturing to prepare myself for a future program manager assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-134480\" alt=\"Rick_Simonian_pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Rick_Simonian_pic.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Rick_Simonian_pic.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Rick_Simonian_pic-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Vertical Impact \u2013 Maritime Award:<\/strong> <strong>Harris CapRock<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Harris CapRock wins our Vertical Impact Excellence award for maritime, having had a strong year across this vibrant marketplace. \u201cBeing recognized as part of the inaugural Excellence Award winners is a huge honor for our maritime team and for our entire business at Harris CapRock,\u201d says Rick Simonian, president, maritime solutions, Harris CapRock Communications.<\/p>\n<p>Certainly, one of the most eye-popping deals in this vertical involved Royal Caribbean, one of the most globally recognized cruise ship operators, which has been working to provide on-board connectivity.<\/p>\n<p>Harris CapRock hit a major milestone within its maritime business when it completed the fleet transition for Royal Caribbean. The company installed 89 of its SpaceTrack stabilized antenna systems and removed more than 50 legacy antenna systems on 33 of Royal Caribbean\u2019s vessels in less than nine months. Deployments and installations spanned across more than 16 ports in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific and in most cases, four or five lifts were done in a single turn-around day with all voice and data services converted to Harris CapRock infrastructure before departing port.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-134482\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"HC-Mariner_of_the_Seas_Install_in_TX\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/HC-Mariner_of_the_Seas_Install_in_TX.jpeg\" width=\"236\" height=\"156\">However, this was just the beginning. A further win with cruise ship operator Carnival Cruises, cemented Harris CapRock\u2019s position as a major player in the maritime and nascent cruise ship sector. \u201cThe agreement is the largest of its kind in scale, with service to 103 vessels, and represents a unique commitment across all of the Carnival brands to improve the level and quality of communication service for guests and crew,\u201d says Simonian. \u201cThe ships are already transitioning into our network, and during Q4 of 2013 we\u2019ll be transitioning one ship a day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Simonian admits that the consistent request from every segment of the maritime market has been for more bandwidth with better coverage at a lower cost. \u201cThe migration from L-band service to VSAT continues to accelerate and we are finding that even ships with a crew of 20 or 30 are asking for bandwidth levels over 512 Kbps. Three years ago they would have been satisfied with a 64 Kbps service, so this demonstrates the trend for constant connectivity and an exceptional amount of capacity over the major shipping routes. Passenger vessels have moved from a typical 1-2 Mbps to double or triple that level in the past two years,\u201d he says. \u201cOne of the roles that Harris CapRock plays in this market is to take our global forecast of the maritime demand and help shape the solutions that the satellite operators are designing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The company currently services more than 400 commercial shipping and supply vessels and Simonian says they would like to see that continue to grow globally. \u201cLeveraging our scale across the maritime market and across Harris\u2019 communications resources and expertise, creates an organization with unsurpassed satellite and terrestrial network capabilities, end-to-end service offerings and an experienced service team to provide customers with unsurpassed global field support,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-134486\" alt=\"iDirect-Tony-Lee-Rudnicki\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/iDirect-Tony-Lee-Rudnicki.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/iDirect-Tony-Lee-Rudnicki.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/iDirect-Tony-Lee-Rudnicki-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\">Social Media Company of the Year: iDirect<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For its creative social media efforts, iDirect was selected as Social Media Company of the Year. Toni Lee Rudnicki, iDirect\u2019s CMO, described social media \u201cas a key element of our strategy to provide industry thought leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>iDirect has implemented innovative strategies to promote and participate in different social media outlets. For example, it produced two viral videos for its new X7 remote. The goal of the videos was to implement the capabilities of the X7 within a narrative that could explain the features at a high level.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign consisted of two parody videos. The first was \u201cByte rider,\u201d which played off of the movie \u201cKnight Rider.\u201d The other was \u201cFaster, Better, Stronger,\u201d which was inspired by the \u201cSix Million Dollar Man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft  wp-image-134484\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"Screen_shot_2013-12-02_at_5.09.20_PM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Screen_shot_2013-12-02_at_5.09.20_PM.jpeg\" width=\"253\" height=\"134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Screen_shot_2013-12-02_at_5.09.20_PM.jpeg 361w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Screen_shot_2013-12-02_at_5.09.20_PM-300x159.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 253px) 100vw, 253px\"><\/p>\n<p>iDirect used both videos to show parallels to the movie and the TV show it spoofed, while integrating the remote\u2019s capabilities and functionality. Since the initial release, the X7 landing page has seen an extensive amount of traffic. From October 2012 through August 2013, the X7 landing page received 8,677 views.<\/p>\n<p>Rudnicki admits the company sees social media as an important channel for dialogue. \u201cIt\u2019s a way to engage the industry in a valuable conversation, sharing our expertise and drawing insights from our partners and industry experts. Social media is an integral part of our overarching communications strategy. It is instrumental to reaching a very diverse audience, across the entire satellite industry and well as to end user markets,\u201d he says. \u201ciDirect was one of the first companies in the industry to adopt social media. We leverage this network to reach our global audience effectively, .\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The company is currently expanding its social media program, and aims to use it as a way of focusing on issues that are key to satellite\u2019s future such as High Throughput Satellites (HTS) and mobility. \u201cWe need to tap a broad range of social media channels, understand their unique advantages and go to market with a comprehensive communications strategy. This is critical to our business strategy because in the satellite industry there is an overwhelming need for education,\u201d Rudnicki says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-134488\" alt=\"Dave_Bettinger_iDirect_pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Dave_Bettinger_iDirect_pic.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Dave_Bettinger_iDirect_pic.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Dave_Bettinger_iDirect_pic-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\">Technology Company of the Year: iDirect<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In one of the most fiercely contested Excellence Awards, iDirect beat all comers to win this much-coveted award. David Bettinger, the company\u2019s CTO said they were \u201cthrilled\u201d to win.<\/p>\n<p>iDirect has had a busy 2013. To start, it expanded its platform capabilities through what Bettinger describes as an \u201cambitious development\u201d plan. The company has launched the X7 remote, the first in its next-generation family of remotes, which is built on an entirely new multi-core hardware for higher throughput. It has also introduced an upgrade to its Evolution operating system with iDX 3.2. \u201cWith the X7, service providers can introduce significantly faster data rates to answer escalating end user demand for high-speed bandwidth. iDX 3.2 delivers efficiency gains through Adaptive TDMA, waveform enhancements, roll off improvements and faster remote acquisition,\u201d says Bettinger.<\/p>\n<p>The company is also nearing the end of the development of its new product line, Velocity, which is designed to provide seamless mobility and high performance in a multi-spot beam HTS environment. Velocity will be deployed for Inmarsat\u2019s Global Xpress HTS service, which goes live early in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>iDirect has positioned itself as one of the technology leaders in the satellite industry. In terms of what it has coming up in 2014, Bettinger adds, \u201cWe will continue to develop our core platform for greater scale, throughput and efficiency. One significant area of focus will be developing our next-generation Network Management System. This will be a critical expansion of platform \u2013 one that will enable our partners to reach new levels of business and network performance, while giving them innovative tools to continually deliver differentiated value to their customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>iDirect is committed to enhancing its already diverse remote portfolio and introducing major processing gains as well as terminals that will be smaller, more cost-effective, easier to install and quicker to deploy. They will also become more integrated, as antenna manufacturers begin to build all the infrastructure and functionality into a more contained unit.<\/p>\n<p>Bettinger says he sees a \u201ctremendous opportunity\u201d for the company in many HTS initiatives throughout the industry, where iDirect is looking to play a key role. However, with so much happening right now, he believes we are in midst of a \u201cdefining time for iDirect and the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe demand for ubiquitous broadband connectivity will continue to explode,\u201d Bettinger says. \u201cToday, networks must converge voice, data and video on one platform, support any application, reach any geography and deliver unified global service plans. That can only be achieved with significant involvement from the satellite industry. VSAT is essential to the connectivity solutions of the future \u2013 not as a standalone network, not as a hybrid network, but a full element of a converged network. HTS represents a huge milestone in the satellite\u2019s transformation to becoming a more mature industry. And as we move into next year and beyond, the VSAT industry is poised to break out of its niche market and enter into a new era.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continues, \u201cHTS paves the way, but we need to do more. We need even greater advances in performance and economics. And we need to focus on making satellite integrate seamless with core networks and meeting today\u2019s demands for mainstream usability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-134496\" alt=\"Bill_Green_Hermes_Datacomm\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bill_Green_Hermes_Datacomm.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bill_Green_Hermes_Datacomm.jpeg 104w, https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bill_Green_Hermes_Datacomm-70x70.jpeg 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 104px) 100vw, 104px\">Vertical Impact \u2013 Oil &amp; Gas Award:<\/strong>&nbsp; <strong>Hermes Datacomms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The oil and gas sector has long been targeted by companies in the satellite industry, but Hermes Datacomms stood out among them to become the recipient of our Oil &amp; Gas Vertical Impact Award. Bill Green, global account director, Hermes Datacomms, says the company is \u201cdelighted to have received the award and, more importantly, be acknowledged as making a significant impact in this challenging vertical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hermes Datacomms has been particularly strong in developing its footprint in Africa, launching a satellite platform over the whole continent aimed at providing \u201cconsistent quality of service and user experience, allowing both producers and services companies to keep drilling,\u201d Green says. In April this year, the company signed a major deal with Tullow Oil, an oil company with an ever-expanding presence in Africa. The 24-month deal sees the company use its pan-African satellite platform to provide a connection from Tullow Oil\u2019s data center in London to its Ethiopian office Addis Ababa, extending core services to the continent and growing current services in Kenya.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-134494\" style=\"margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px;\" alt=\"Teleport_UK\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Teleport_UK.jpeg\" width=\"140\" height=\"96\">But Hermes Datacomms\u2019 ambitions don\u2019t stop there. In South East Asia, the company has been building its team in the region and understanding the nuance of the regulatory processes as well as the best-fit technology. \u201cWe\u2019ve delivered to new customers in the region and have used our enhanced knowledge to deliver service for current customers in new territories,\u201d says Green. Earlier this year, the company also announced it was now providing VSAT services in Yangon, Myanmar for a global oilfield service group.<\/p>\n<p>As part of this initiative the company has signed customers to its SPX service. \u201cWe call the management of services provided by a number of service providers by a single, trusted partner SPX (Service Provider X). Within this function, customers have access to Hermes\u2019 recent and current experience of managing global networks on behalf of their customers (for example a 31 x site global network for a large EPC company, encompassing VSAT, MPLS, Leased Line and Internet),\u201d says Green.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" alt=\"S_Jucken1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.satellitetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/S_Jucken1.jpeg\" width=\"104\" height=\"104\"><\/strong><\/strong><strong>Vertical Impact \u2013 Broadcast Award: ViaSat<\/strong><br \/>\nViaSat&nbsp; has been at the forefront of technology development in the satellite industry, particularly around its ViaSat 1 satellite. It is this satellite that has enabled the operator to bring its Exede live news and events service, and provide newsgathering operations tools for broadcasting. It is through these initiatives that ViaSat has won our first ever Excellence Vertical impact award for broadcasting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought we had new service that could be a great new tool for broadcasters, so we appreciate this recognition. It\u2019s an honor to be chosen for the award,\u201d says Stefan Jucken, director, strategic business development, ViaSat.<\/p>\n<p>The Exede news service is a sign of the company\u2019s innovation in a new market. The service leverages the 140 Gbps ViaSat 1 satellite to deliver HD-quality video over an 8 Mbps uplink plus a broadband downlink to increase productivity and interaction between field teams and production studios. Jucken says the service enables traditional news teams to enrich stories, incorporating images and footage received from the station and upload their packages. Social media feedback can be taken into the field to interact with the reporter, which adds to the news production experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA new breed of \u2018mobile weather vehicles\u2019 enables meteorologists to receive weather data from the station and weather centers to deliver the complete local and national report without needing to \u2018hand it back to the station.\u2019 Live event producers can stream concerts, local sporting events, and conferences in HD to serve wider audiences, entertaining and educating anyone with an Internet connection,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Jucken is optimistic for 2014, and that ViaSat will be able to target new elements of the broadcast market. \u201cWe see strong market expansion in 2014 for the Exede live news and events service. Our first applications have been with traditional news organizations; for these companies, the innovative satellite offering represents a displacement and\/or augmentation strategy and that limits the market opportunity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Via Satellite\u2019s 2013 Excellence Awards salute the innovative companies, technologies, campaigns and people who\u2019ve helped shape the success of the global satellite industry. We believe our 2013 Excellence Award Recipients are the most outstanding people and technologies in satellite and set a benchmark for what can be accomplished in this storied marketplace. Via Satellite is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79074"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}