Page 79 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Intelsat Selects SpaceX to Launch Intelsat 40e Satellite

Intelsat has selected SpaceX as its launch are honored Intelsat, one of the world’s number of customers that depend on
partner for Intelsat 40e (IS-40e). The launch premier satellite operators, has selected Intelsat’s managed services and solutions
is planned for 2022 on SpaceX’s American- a flight-proven Falcon 9 to deliver its next to easily integrate satellite into their
built Falcon 9 launch vehicle. “We look geostationary communications satellite overall networking and communications
forward to working with SpaceX to launch to orbit,” said SpaceX Vice President of strategies. Intelsat announced in February
Intelsat 40e in 2022,” said Intelsat Chief Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero. Intelsat that Maxar Technologies will manufacture
Services Officer Mike DeMarco. “IS-40e 40e is an advanced geostationary satellite IS-40e. This is the second launch for
will join the Intelsat Epic high-throughput that will provide Intelsat’s government and Intelsat and SpaceX. In 2017, SpaceX
satellite fleet and integrated IntelsatOne enterprise customers across North and launched Intelsat 35e, a satellite currently
ground network to provide our customers Central America with high-throughput, providing high-throughput coverage for
with the managed hybrid-connectivity they “coast-to-coast” services. The satellite’s Intelsat customers in portions of North
need in today’s ever-changing world.” “We capabilities will support the growing and South America, Europe and Africa.

Satellite Network with Fastest L-Band Speed Could Open Up Northern Sea

Route

Passage through Northern shipping routes Telecom’s clients operating in the Northern CertusTM 700 will also be beneficial to
and Arctic waters has received a boost Sea region have recently switched to the the oil and gas sector, which has been
following the doubling of the connectivity Iridium Certus service. “Vessels operating expanding in the Arctic region. With more
speed of the Iridium CertusTM network, in this region require robust solutions than 40 billion barrels of oil produced
says maritime communications specialist that can be relied upon under harsh over the past 40 years and 184 active
IEC Telecom. As the shortest sea route weather conditions. Iridium Certus is the rigs in 2018, the industry is increasingly
between Europe and the Asia-Pacific only global network able to meet these focusing on innovative ways to reduce
region, the Northern Sea Route holds requirements,” explains Alf Stian Mauritz, costs with sustainable practices. Satellite-
immense potential to compete with Managing Director, IEC Telecom Norway. based technologies are excellent drivers
conventional trade lines. There has been “With this new speed, Northern operators of operational efficiency with optimized
a significant increase in maritime traffic can share greater levels of data with their navigation, decreased fuel consumption,
across the main transport corridors in the shore offices, avail VOIP calls, and access and better crew welfare options.
Arctic, Northern Sea Route in the Russian faster email exchange,” he adds. Iridium
Federation, the Northwest Passage in
Canada as well as the Arctic Bridge from
Canada to Europe. In fact in the Canadian
Arctic, traffic has tripled between 1990
and 2015. Moreover, cargo volume in the
Northern Sea Route has increased by
40% between 2016 and 2017. With the
Iridium CertusTM 700 service becoming
commercially available at speeds of 700
kbps – the fastest L-band speed in the
industry, Iridium’s network with pole-to-
pole coverage can only serve to further
unlock new opportunities for the fleets
operating in the North. Fishing fleets,
commercial ships, and other vessels
transiting Arctic waters can benefit from
enhanced connectivity in these remote and
potentially hazardous waters. Many of IEC

79 MARCH 2020