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US Navy Beefs Up Commercial Satellite Capacity for Ships
In the early weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the US military satellite communications capacity was overwhelmed by the demand from US troops for satellite bandwidth to transmit voice and data communication. In response, the US military dramatically increased its use of commercial satellite capacity to meet the explosion of demand.
A study by the Satellite Industry Association found that 80% of all US military satellite communication during the Iraq invasion was carried on commercial satellites. Then-US assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration, John P. Stenbit, estimated that the US military purchased between $200 million and $300 million worth of commmerical satellite services during the first year of the war.
Recognizing the military’s reliance on commerical satellites, the US Navy undertook an effort, called the Commercial Broadband Satellite Program (CBSP), to develop and deploy satellite communication terminals specifically designed to increase the Navy’s commercial satellite communications capability…
Terminal Velocity
Harris FLV TerminalThe Navy expects to eventually deploy 200 of the high capacity terminals, which will be able to send data at a speedy 21.4 Mbps as opposed to the current Inmarsat and Comercial Wideband Satellite Program terminals, which can only send data at 4 Mbps.
Companies manufacturing the terminals are CVG, which is supplying the small ship variant (SSV) terminal, and Harris, which is supplying the unit level variant (ULV) terminals for cruisers and destroyers and the force level variant (FLV) terminals for aircraft carriers and other large deck ships.
The terminals, however, are only half of the story. The other half is the commercial satellite capacity. To supply satellite communications capacity to the terminals, the Navy is turning to Intelsat, the largest commercial supplier of satellite capacity in the world. The Navy awarded Intelsat a contract worth up to $542.7 million to provide commercial satellite communications services in the C-, Ku-, and X-bands.
Intelsat was an international organization founded in 1964 to provide then exotic and expensive satellite communication service. The US government was the largest owner. Then, after a multi-year process, the governments sold off their stakes and in 2005 a group of private investors purchased the company. Intelsat is the world’s largest commercial satellite provider with a fleet of 51 communications satellites.
Beyond the commercial satellite communication requirement of the US Navy, there is also considerable demand from NATO countries for broadband terminals.
ATCi Integrates 3 Fly Away Broadcast Systems for Large Iraqi Broadcaster
Antenna Technology Communications Inc., a provider of commercial satellite communications systems, today announced that it has integrated 3 complete Fly Away Broadcast Systems for a major Iraqi broadcaster. ATCi provided 3 fully redundant, state-of-the-art Fly Away systems that this broadcaster will use to transmit news, sports and video throughout Iraq and surrounding countries.
ATCi customized these 3 packages to meet this broadcaster’s unique applications and budgetary requirements. The systems are completely agile with extreme flexibility for broadcast and IP requirements. Training for the systems took place at the customer site and was included in the packaged price.
Priced aggressively with systems available well under $100K, ATCi has provided these Fly Away systems to customers worldwide. ATCi will be showcasing its Fly Away Systems and related IP satellite communication products at the following upcoming conferences: AFCEA West, San Diego, Feb. 2-4, Cabsat, Dubai, March 2-4, Mobile Backhaul Asia Bangcock, March 9-10 and Satellite 2010, Washington DC, March 16-18.