iDirect + SeaTel + Intelsat

by Business Wire on 28 Feb 2008 Intelsat, Ltd., the world's leading provider of commercial satellite services, Sea Tel Inc., the leading provider of marine stabilized antenna systems for satellite communications and satellite television at sea, and iDirect Inc., a company of VT Systems Inc (VT Systems), a leading provider of satellite-based IP communications technology, today jointly announced a product enhancement of Intelsat's Network Broadband Global Maritime service that will enable a broader sector to take advantage of communication services at sea.

The Intelsat offering, built on iDirect's Intelligent Platform (TM), now operates on Sea Tel's 9707 C-band antenna, extending global broadband service to Sea Tel customers across the commercial shipping, military, oil and gas, cruise and yacht industries.

The integrated solution combines Sea Tel's widely-used 2.4 m global maritime antenna with iDirect's automatic beam switching technology and global network management features. As a marine vessel crosses Intelsat's satellite footprints, the iDirect technology automatically re-establishes the remote and antenna onto a new beam or network, thereby providing seamless global connectivity. The challenges of maritime operations demand always-on connectivity, and Intelsat's Network Broadband Global Maritime service provides a cost-effective solution for linking operations at sea to land-based corporate networks, resulting in improved crew welfare and business operations.

'Including Sea Tel as one of our distributors will bring Intelsat's Network Broadband Global Maritime service to its existing and future customer base,' said Jay Yass, Vice President, Network Services, Intelsat. 'Sea Tel will enable our solution to expand into growing maritime sectors, such as cruise ships and luxury yachts.'

'Sea Tel is proud to be partnering with iDirect and Intelsat to make broadband connectivity more accessible to the maritime industry,' said Peter Broadhurst, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Sea Tel. 'This is an important new offering for our customers, especially as they seek to replace by-the-minute plans with services that provide constant connectivity.'

'As satellite broadband becomes the de facto standard for communications at sea, the maritime industry is seeking heightened connectivity that can be seamlessly maintained around the world. The iDirect platform was engineered to achieve this and we are proud to join Intelsat and Sea Tel in advancing a truly global maritime network,' said David Bettinger, Chief Technology Officer, iDirect.

Intelsat is the leading provider of fixed satellite services (FSS) worldwide and is the leading provider of these services to each of the media, network services and government customer sectors, enabling people and businesses everywhere constant access to information and entertainment. Intelsat offers customers a greater business potential by providing them access to unrivalled resources with ease of business and peace of mind. An extensive customer base, including some of the world's leading media and communications companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/military organizations, utilizes our services. Real-time, constant communication with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.

Sea Tel Inc. is a marine stabilized antenna manufacturer founded in 1979 and based in Concord, California, USA. There are additional offices in Southampton, UK, Bergen, Norway and Florida, USA. Sea Tel manufacturers marine antennas in L, S, X, C, Ku and Ka band for receive and transmit/receive applications. Distribution is through an approved and trained global dealer network. For more information go to www.seatel.com or contact pbroadhurst@seatel.com.

iDirect, a subsidiary of VT Systems, is transforming the way the world gets and stays connected. The company's satellite-based IP communications technology enables constant connectivity for voice, video and data applications in diverse and challenging environments. These include extending private networks to remote offices; supporting mobile connectivity across land, sea and air; providing rural telephony and Internet broadband; and maintaining communications in the wake of disasters and network failures. The iDirect Intelligent Platform (TM) integrates advanced technology into iDirect's portfolio of hubs, routers and network management software to address the growing complexity of deploying and managing global IP networks. With more than 13 years of global satellite communications experience, iDirect serves customers in 30 countries through a diverse network of channel partners, including some of the largest satellite providers, operators and carriers in the world and seven of the World Teleport Association's Global Top Ten. Headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, iDirect has offices in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Please visit www.idirect.net.

VT Systems, Inc., and its subsidiaries are preferred providers of engineering solutions, products, integrated systems, and services in the Americas across the core business areas of marine, aerospace, electronics and land systems. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, VT Systems operates throughout North America and offers a broad range of proven innovative services to both the commercial and government sectors. VT Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. Please visit www.vt-systems.com.