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New TS2 project for the US Army in Afghanistan
TS2 Satellite Technologies has completed the tender documentation for JCC-I/A and a satellite network project for the Marines new bases in Afghanistan. The government contract concerns establishing and maintaining full communication in new locations for two years for all soldiers stationed there. The USA are going to transfer 4.5 thousand Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan as early as at the beginning of 2009.
President Bush has obtained the necessary recommendations from the most important representatives of civil and military authorities in the Pentagon. An official decision should be taken soon. Future actions concern a transfer of an army brigade and a Marines battalion in a total number of 4500 soldiers. According to military commanders, to provide successful protection against the Taliban actions the needs are even greater.
“We were among the first telecommunications operators in the satellite technology in the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan and as such we have enjoyed a successful cooperation with the US Army for several years now. The Afghan project could be another big government order in the company’s history” – says Marcin Frąckiewicz, CEO of the TS2 Technologie Satelitarne. “Our military network in Iraq has already over 10 thousand regular users for everyday broadband connections” – adds Frąckiewicz.
TS2 specializes in providing global satellite communication services in areas with poor telecommunications infrastructure. Its basic transmission medium is a two way transfer of data which provides not only the Internet access and transfer of information within the network but also voice communications. This type of services is very often used by defense industries, Special Forces and Army.
TS2 communication among the bases is possible thanks to the simultaneous lease of bands on the Intelsat 10-02, Intelsat 901 and ArabSat Badr-4 satellites whose coverage enables configuration of connections between any place in Europe, Middle East and Southwest Asia. TS2 additionally equips its customers with Thuraya and Iridium satellite telephones which are often the only means of communication in this region of the world.
TS2 provides telecommunication services for the United States Marine Corps as well as for the Iraq police training institutions in the following locations: West Ramadi, Warrar, Tal-Aswad, Saqlawiyah / Saqlawiah, Rutbah, Rumanah, Ramadi District HQ, Qatanna, Mulaab, Kubaisa, Khaladiah, Karmah, Jazeera, Hit, Haqlaniyah, Hamdiyah, Habbaniyah, Forsan, Ferris, East Ramadi, Barwannah, Anah, Ameriayah and Al Qaim.
The provider of the new network for the Marines is to be selected by the end of 2008 within the applicable procedures of JCC-I/A (the Joint Contracting Command-Iraq/Afghanistan).
The most significant clients of TS2 Technologie Satelitarne include: the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Australian Defense Forces (ADF), the Polish Navy Headquarters, GROM Operational Mobile Reaction Group, the First Special Commando Regiment from Lubliniec, Lockheed Martin Information Technology, Halliburton Energy Services, KBR, General Dynamics Information Technology, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace, US Naval Research Laboratory, ITT Corporation Aerospace / Communications Division, Technest Holdings / EOIR Technologies, North Eastern Aeronautical Company (Neany), EchoStorm Worldwide, Jorge Scientific Corporation, Erinys International and Aegis Iraq.
Largest satellite military networks are in:
FOB Iskan, Iskandariyah
FOB Orgun-E
Camp Taji / FOB Bennett
FOB Hammer / Butler Range Complex
Camp Striker BIAP / Baghdad Airport
COB / FOB Speicher / Tikrit Airbase / FOB Summerall
Camp Habbaniyah
LSA Adder / Tallil Air Base
PRT Sharana
Kandahar Airfield / Tarin Kowt
Camp Ramadi / Camp Blue Diamond / Camp Junction City
Camp / FOB Warrior / Kirkuk
FOB Bagram / Bagram Air Base
FOB Waza Khwa
FOB Normandy
Al Taqaddum Airbase
Camp Echo / Ad Diwaniyah
Camp / FOB Bucca / Umm Qasr
FOB Marez / Mosul / LSA Diamondback
Camp Slayer / Baghdad Airport
International Zone / Baghdad
Camp Liberty / Baghdad
Camp Victory South
FOB Sykes
LSA Anaconda / Balad Airbase / FOB Paliwoda
FOB Endurance, Q-West / Qayyarah Airfield West
Camp Fallujah
FOB Falcon, Baghdad / Rasheed Airbase
Camp Al Asad
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
CSC Scania
FOB Solerno / FOB Salerno
Al Kasik Military Base
Camp Duke / Najaf
FOB Prosperity
Supported military locations in Iraq
Supported military locations in Afgahanistan
TS2 News of 21.05.2007 Internet for the US Army soldiers in Iraq
Inmarsat Eyes Growth Across The Spectrum
Andrew Sukawaty, chief executive of satellite operator Inmarsat, has been waiting for nearly two years for an event that may never happen.
Harbinger Capital, the investment fund controlled by Philip Falcone, informed in July 2008 it was considering a bid for Inmarsat . Harbinger owns a 28 per cent stake in the company, which is close to the bid threshold.
It also owns Inmarsat’s US peer SkyTerra and holds a stake in another, TerreStar.
Inmarsat’s share price – though on a long upward trend – twitches up and down as investors try to read the runes on whether a Harbinger deal is coming or not.
Following Harbinger’s announcement last week that it is planning to create a costly next-generation wireless network across the US, the likelihood of a bid for Inmarsat has receded. Shares in the company fell 5.6 per cent on the news.
Mr Sukawaty, an American who has spent the past 17 years in the UK, will not comment on a potential bid. But it is understood that a takeover attempt would not be welcomed by the management. Inmarsat has plans of its own, including the launch of its first hand-held satellite phone in June. The company has more than tripled in value from £1.12bn when it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2005, to £3.55bn today.
“When I came in it was about accelerating growth and there is still a lot more we can do,” Mr Sukawaty informed.
Inmarsat was founded by the UN in 1979 as the International Maritime Satellite Organization to establish a satellite communications network to cover the oceans. It went private in 1999.
Before it floated in 2005, Mr Sukawaty, a telecoms industry veteran whose CV includes time at Sprint, the US telecoms operator, was brought in to turn a staid, quasi-government organisation with sales growth of about 3 per cent a year into something racier.
So far, he has succeeded, with sales growth rates over the past five years averaging 20 per cent.
The shipping industry still accounts for more than half of Inmarsat’s revenue. However, it also delivered broadband satellite connections to aircraft and the military, as well as to journalists and aid workers who use the company’s laptop-sized broadband terminals – which cost between $1,500 (£984) and $5,000 – in disaster areas and war zones.
The big screen inside Inmarsat’s London headquarters shows exactly where the business is – Haiti, Chile and Afghanistan are highlighted, showing heavy activity. Events often show up early on this screen. In 2006, Inmarsat was alerted to the death of Anna Nicole Smith when the Bahamas suddenly lit up with scores of journalists reporting over satellite links.
The June launch of a hand-held satellite mobile phone will open a new market for Inmarsat, but Mr Sukawaty is keeping expectations modest.
“It’s a niche market. The phone is targeted at maritime, aero and government customers. That is code for ‘it won’t fit in your pocket’ “, he informed.
“The global satphone market is worth about $360m and we are aiming to take 10 per cent of that within two years. It’s not the biggest opportunity known to man, but it adds up.”
Analysts say Inmarsat might have had more market share if the launch had not been delayed for two years by technical problems.
Now, it will face greater competition from Globalstar and Iridium , which are launching satellite constellations for mobile satphones. Because their satellites orbit much closer to the earth than Inmarsat’s, the calls on these systems may be clearer and cheaper.
There is also growth available elsewhere, with commercial airlines – such as Emirates – starting to install phone and internet access, and smaller ships, such as fishing fleets, beginning to install broadband. In a maturing telecoms market, such organic growth is rare.
What is more, Inmarsat still sits on potentially valuable spectrum. Though it may never make a bid, Harbinger will pay Inmarsat a $336m lump sum and $115m a year just to rearrange spectrum more conveniently between the two.
And in Europe, Inmarsat owns rare S-band spectrum across all 27 EU member states. The S-band sits next to the spectrum that mobile operators use for 3G, so it could be useful for them if they start to run out of capacity as 3G usage grows.
“Mobile networks are under stress and the only way to relieve it is to increase spectrum. Up to now there have been other ways to get spectrum, for example auctions in the US. But there isn’t any more spectrum being created,” Mr Sukawaty informed.
Still, he wants to distance himself from too much speculation.
“There will always be people speculating, but you have to keep a level head. A shareholder recently said to me how pleased he was that we had always done what we had said we would. For me that was the highest compliment. Call us old-fashioned but there is some value in stability and delivery.”
Globecomm’s Strategic Movements Concerning Carrier Telecom BV And Evolution Communication Ltd.
Globecomm Systems Inc., a leading global provider of satellite-based communications infrastructure solutions and services, informed that the Company has acquired Carrier to Carrier Telecom BV (C2C) and the assets of Evolution Communication Ltd. (Evocomm) from Carrier to Carrier Telecomm Holdings Ltd (C2C Holdings).
The initial purchase price is approximately $15 million in cash, funded through $2.5 million of Globecomm’s current cash position and approximately $12.5 million through the Company’s existing credit facility with Citibank. C2C Holdings may also receive up to $10.9 million of additional cash consideration, through a two-year earn-out, based on reaching certain earnings milestones. Arcadia Securities, LLC acted as financial advisor to Globecomm on this transaction and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel delivered legal advice.
C2C, based in the Netherlands, delivers satellite services across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, and maritime services in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Gulf of Mexico and the Indian Ocean regions through its robust teleport facility located in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands. Evocomm’s wholly owned subsidiary, Evosat SA Pty Ltd, is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa and maintains an office in Johannesburg. Evosat and Evocomm primarily provide Inmarsat land-based BGAN and maritime-based Fleet Broadband services, along with mobile communications through C2C.
The combined companies had audited revenues of approximately $19.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2009. The companies have a high concentration of recurring managed service revenues across multiple vertical markets in which Globecomm operates, including Maritime, Enterprise and Government. The transaction is anticipated to be accretive to Globecomm’s fully diluted earnings for its fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, including the impact of amortization of intangibles relating to the transaction, and excluding the non-recurring charge for acquisition costs.
Pursuant to a change in accounting principles relating to buy accounting for acquisitions, which was effective with respect to Globecomm on July 1, 2009, Globecomm anticipates a non-recurring charge to earnings of approximately $0.03-$0.04 per share in the Company’s third quarter earnings ending March 31, 2010 relating to acquisition costs.
David Hershberg, Chairman and CEO of Globecomm, informed, “With this acquisition, Globecomm continues to execute on its long term plan of building the industry’s finest end-to-end managed services company. The natural cultural fit of the engineering talent of C2C, Evocomm and Evosat, coupled with a robust teleport in Biddinghuizen, Netherlands were the primary factors in our decision to move forward with this transaction. Pier du Plessis, CEO of C2C, and Harry Tayler, Managing Director of Evosat, both share very similar philosophies to Globecomm as it relates to the high value added experience we deliver to our customers. Globecomm believes that both of them will be a natural fit in working with the executive management team of the Company as we execute on our combined vision. Furthermore, this transaction broadens the Company’s continued growth of higher margin recurring service revenues, which have been critical in providing greater financial stability, predictability and visibility as the organization navigates the current economic downturn. I would like to welcome Pier, Harry and the entire staffs of C2C, Evocom and Evosat to the Globecomm family.”
Pier du Plessis, CEO of C2C, informed, “This partnership takes C2C to the next level as it becomes a major player in the provisioning of fixed and mobile satellite networks as well as terrestrial networks. The combined group network infrastructure and unsurpassable technical expertise will prove to be the competitive edge in going forward.” Harry Tayler, Managing Director of Evosat, continued, “Joining forces with Globecomm creates excellent opportunities for Evosat and provides the platform needed to take the business to the next level of global mobile Internet Protocol (IP) offerings. Globecomm’s market-leading IP infrastructure will facilitate Evosat’s entry into several new market sectors and we look forward to expediting the anticipated revenue and earnings growth that this will bring.”
Keith Hall, President and COO added, “The acquisition of C2C will vastly expand the Globecomm footprint on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. C2C will provide Globecomm with a permanent foothold in Europe to service customers in its traditional as well as new markets in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia. I look forward to working closely with Pier and Harry as we continue to execute on our Global Managed Services vision.”
About Globecomm Systems
Globecomm Systems Inc. provides end-to-end value-added satellite-based communication products, services and solutions by leveraging its core satellite ground segment systems and network capabilities, with its satellite communication services capabilities. The products and services Globecomm offers include pre-engineered systems, systems design and integration services, managed network services and life cycle support services. Globecomm’s customers include communications service providers, commercial enterprises, broadcast and other media and content providers and government and government-related entities.
Based in Hauppauge, New York, Globecomm Systems also maintains offices in Washington, DC, Maryland, New Jersey, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and observations. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Our forward-looking statements are based on the information currently available to us and speak only as of the date of this press release. Over time, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, and such differences might be significant and materially adverse to our security holders. In particular, there are numerous risks associated with acquisitions, including integration risks, management turnover, the acquired companies being unable to achieve their anticipated results of operations, distraction of senior Company management and risks of significant international operations.
We have identified some of the important factors that could cause future events to differ from our current expectations and they are described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Report of Form 10-Q, including without limitation under the captions ”Risk Factors” and ”Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in other documents that we may file with the SEC, all of which you should review carefully. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light of those risks as you read this press release.