Intelsat satellite broadband capacity enables ITC Global services in Russia, Australia

An announcement by satellite services provider Intelsat S.A. unveiled its two recently-signed multi-year satellite broadband capacity agreements with ITC Global.

For the first deal, ITC will use C-band capacity from the Intelsat 18 platform at the 80 degrees East orbital slot to deliver satellite communications services to its customers in the mining industry who operate in eastern Russia.

For the second agreement, ITC Global will use capacity from the Intelsat 906 satellite (located at 64 degrees East) to provide satellitebroadband services to a major provider of natural resources in Western Australia.

ITC uses Intelsat's C-band capacity to power its newest customized satellite communications solutions. The company caters to the needs of clients in the mining, energy, and maritime sectors, which operate in some of the most challenging and remote locations in the world.

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SpeedCast announces acquisition of Australian Satellite Communications

A December 6, 2012 announcement from Hong Kong-based SpeedCast revealed its recent acquisition of Australian Satellite Communications (ASC.)

SpeedCast is a global network and satcom services provider. The Company and its majority shareholder, TA Associates, jointly acquired ASC.

ASC delivers satellite communications services to customers across Australia. It serves the mining and oil & gas industries, as well as construction, government, and maritime sectors.

According to a statement by Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast, the Company is implenting a strategy of organic and acquisitive growth. Acquiring ASC allows SpeedCast to consolidate its leadership in the Asian market. It can also deepen its inroads into the oil & gas, mining and other verticals of the the Australian market.

In turn, ASC can provide a bigger variety of satellite communications products and services to its customers. It can also serve clients on a global scale instead of being limited to Australia. 

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Mining sector turning to Ka band technology

As data traffic volume around the world surges, many industries are looking to upgrade their satellite communications capabilities to handle the changes, and avoid strain on their networks. In particular, the mining sector is understanding the benefit of transitioning to Ka band satellite technology. Unlike C band and Ku band, this new spectrum delivers increased capacity and flexible payloads that can answer changing customer demands. Ka band also allows for smaller and more mobile terminals to be used, making them a more cost-effective and ideal alternative to industries with remote business operations.

The mining industry, for example, cannot always rely on terrestrial networks, such as fibre optic cables. In Australia and South Africa, some mining sites are simply to remote for fibre or even fixed wireless services to reach. In these locations, the last mile problem can be answered via satellite coverage, and preferably through the Ka band satellite which employs multi-spot beams with Ku band-like coverage. This extends the range of a covered area, allowing customers to uplink and receive signals from almost anywhere. New generation Ka band satellites can also have the advantaged of higher-throughput capacity allowing for services like Internet from satellite, SCPC, broadcast networks, military satcom services, and VoIP. 

There is still a long way to go for the new technology to be in full use, not only in the mining sector, but also in the resource industries. However, as more organizations understand the unique advantages of Ka band, the satellites of the future are ready to play a more crucial role in delivering powerful communications anywhere, and any time. 

ITC Global acquires Spidersat Communications in African SATCOM deal

Florida-based satellite communications provider ITC Global, Inc. recently reported that it has finally acquired Spidersat Communications Limited. The combined SATCOM companies can now provide mining and mining-related customers in Africa with seamless satellite coverage, service, and local support.

Spidersat Communications Limited is based in Tanzania. The Company has established offices and technical support personnel in Ghana, Mwanza, Accra. It also has a presence in Australia by way of its Perth and Belmont offices.

The integrated global communications solutions provided by Spidersat are dedicated to delivering mission critical satellite-based communication services to African mining, exploration, and mining services companies. Spidersat also provides enterprise customers with custom networks and Internet-by-satellite bandwidth access wherever they may be in Africa.

ITC Global will be aided in its plans to expand its African satellite services by the newly-acquired Spidersat's many years of experience in installing and delivering satellite communication solutions in the remote regions of the continents. The broad range of SATCOM services that Spidersat offers includes fixed VSAT (very small aperture terminal) solutions and mobile satellite solutions.

Australian satellite company exhibits at Diggers and Dealers 2012

The Goldfields Arts Centre in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia hosted one the leading annual mining conferences in the country, the Diggers & Dealers 2012, last August 6 to 8. Aside from bringing together investors, miners, suppliers, and those involved in the mining sector, the event also welcomed companies and organizations which deliver services that make mining operations more efficient.

NewSat at the Diggers and Dealers Forum

One of the exhibitors at Karlgoorlie was NewSat Ltd, Australia's leading independent satellite communications company. Alongside the mining boom, the satellite sector has also seen increasing demand for their services and technologies. The mining industry has been taking advantage of satellite communications for the successful operations of many remote mining locations.

NewSat's booth at the mining conference

NewSat showcased its many products and services, including Internet, data, voice and video conferencing perfectly suited to mining operations. The company also discussed how its world-class teleport facilities can provide the necessary communications platform for entertainment systems in the mining sites. With satellite communications, the FIFO scheme in the industry has been given an alternative, and along with operations efficiency, employee welfare has been improved. 

Just recently, the company snagged a lucrative teleport contract along with BAE Systems, to deliver offshore and onshore communications to the Wheatstone Project in Western Australia. 

Gilat presents Suricate, Iridium Tactical Radio satellite communications solutions at Eurosatory

Mining company representatives may want to drop by Gilat Satcom's booth at the Eurosatory convention in Paris this June. The Israeli satcom solution provider will be introducing two new satellite communications solutions: SuricatePRO - Wireless Iridium Link and the Iridium Tactical Radio - Dynamic Relay System.

Suricate provides complete coverage for Iridium satellite devices  in underground and other closed facilities (i.e. mines) without the typical satellite phone's need for a view of the sky. It also allows Iridium sat pones to communicate within secure surroundings such as military operation rooms, bunkers, etc.

In addition, Suricate can handle up to three calls at the same time. It also improves signal quality, eases installation, and extends GPS signal indoors.

A Suricate solution also enhances the security of its users. Satellite antennas can be placed up to 6 kilometers away from the facility, which helps conceal said facility. This makes Suricate ideal for military facilities, high-security installations, and skyscrapers. It is also of great use to miners, expeditions that explore remote regions, and sailors.

Gilat's Suricate solution is already operational. It is available in either wired (Suricate) or wireless (SuricatePRO) configurations.

Meanwhile, Iridium Tactical Radio uses the Iridium communications satellite network to link the headquarters and the tactical radio network despite the great distance between them. Gilat based its satellite radio solution on a Dynamic Relay System (DRS) unit, which grants IP Mesh Radio features to any tactical radio communication system on any frequency range or modulation method. A network of satellite-linked DRS devices can provide tactical echelons with ad-hoc networking capabilities.

"We are pleased to introduce two new solutions at Eurosatory," said Ami Schneider, Gilat Satcom's Head of Mobile Satellite Division. She described SuricatePRO and Iridum TRS to be "the end result of a process of R&D whose goal was to ensure reliable, continuous communications for military and governments, anytime, anywhere. We are dedicated to supplying our customers with complete satellite communications solutions, for every location," she explaind, "whether on the battlefield, at their headquarters, or in the bunker."

Gilat provides communication solutions for satellite and fiber-based connectivity services around the world. They will debut their Suricate and Iridium Tactical Radio solutions at Eurosatory booth #CD671 in the Israel national pavilion, Hall 6.

iDirect SatManage network management systems ready to serve Elara Comunicaciones

VT iDirect announced that Elara Comunicaciones will be leveraging iDirect's SatManage network management system to provide its customers in the mining, oil and gas, and maritime sectors with greater network monitoring functionality.

Based in Herndon Virginia, VT iDirect provides satellite communications and IP network technology to customers around the world. Its current customer, Elara, is a Mexico-based satellite service provider that operates over 2,000 active remotes serving different verticals in the mining, oil and gas, and maritime sectors.

Elara needed an optimized network management system that would provide customers with comprehensive insight into their network operations. iDirect responded by installing its SatManage suite to manage Elara's numerous remote assets.

A sophisticated suite of Web-based tools that automate, monitor, and integrate hybrid networks and NOC-based applications, SatManage can provide traffic usage information, create customized reports on  the performances of IP networks, and monitor location and health status of their remotes via a Web-based portal. SatManage will let a company directly share its network performance data and management tools with its customers. The software suite was designed to be easily accessed and understood.

SatManage will reduces issue response time for Elara, which will improve the rate at which the Mexican company retains and acquires customers. Elara will also be able to focus on its core competencies, allowing it to provide more value-added services to both new and retained customers.

Elara installed SatManage back in March of this year. The iDirect software will ostensibly achieve operational status this August.

If SatManage works out for Elara, it might be interested in VT iDirect's recently-released upgrade. The enhanced SatManage 5.2 network management software will have new features like an automated SLA Manager and Web Service APIs.

NewSat: Mining industry woos workers with satellite communications, broadband amenities

Mining companies are wooing potential and current remote site employees with a host of amenities that include satellite broadband and communications services.

The mining industry employs thousands of workers at remote sites. It is one of the biggest clients of NewSat, a satellite services company that provides high-speed broadband and communications to remote Goldfields mine sites through its resellers.

Perth-based NewSat sales manager Ashley Neale elaborated on the similarities between the closely-linked satellite and mining industries. “The satellite business is a lot like the mining industry," he said. "You need to get your ducks in a row and find enough people to invest in the infrastructure to sell the product." According to Mr. Neale, satellite services are "a high-demand product and the demand is only going up in these regions.”

In the past, mining companies used high salaries as the main driver to attract and retain staff. But accommodation, facilities, food, rosters, and especially entertainment and communications have now become major factors in ensuring the loyalty and productivity of employees.

The growing importance of staying in touch with the wider world and maintaining access to the Internet has prompted many resource companies to invest millions of dollars on modern comforts -including virtual five-star hotel entertainment and other satellite-based communications and Internet services- for its remote site employees. "There always has been a strong demand from the Goldfields,” Mr. Neale explained. “That’s why we’ve been going to Diggers and Dealers for probably eight or nine years."

According to Mr. Neale, the demand for satellite communications remained significant. "You might have thought the demand for satellite communications would go down," he noted before going on to admit that "That’s certainly what I thought four years ago when I joined the company." Mr. Neale related that the advent of wireless services and improved 3G on phones led to a prevalent opinion that demand for satellite services would decrease.

"But in fact it’s gone the other way around," he revealed. “I can tell you it’s because when people are without their phone they start going stir-crazy."

Mr. Neale described the current generation of workers -including mining site staff- to be "a different breed... Being in touch with the world and friends and families is much more important to them," he said.

Workers now evaluate mine sites based on the facilities available to them, with a premium placed on continued communications to the real world. "It’s a sellers market for the employees at the moment,” Mr. Neale said, as mining companies work to retain valuable workers by providing them with numerous amenities such as satellite broadband and communications.

Datasat: Communications infrastructure key to long-term value in mining industry

An optimized remote communications infrastructure can help mining companies control costs and increase business efficiency, according to a recently-released positioning paper by Datasat Communications

The mining industry is currently enjoying an eight-year commodities supercycle of growth. However, the slowdown of the Chinese market has prompted some speculators to predict that the supercyle is coming to an end. There are also fears that another twenty-year slump akin to the 1973-2003 "dark age" is looming in the horizon.

In order to make the most out of the possible downturn, mining companies must maximize the efficiency of their operations. One of the ways to do so is to optimize existing and planned remote communications infrastructure.

Datasat's positioning paper detailed the pivotal role played by remote communications in maximizing the value of a mining organization's technology investment. According to Bernie Branfield, General Manager of Datasat Communications, the communications infrastructure of a mine site is worth several times the initial investment.

Mining companies have unique business needs and budgets. Their communications solutions must be specifically tailored to those requirements. Effective cost management will maximize operations efficiency, which is important in these times of diminishing returns where mines require 50% more effort and expenses to extract the same amount of resources that they used to do ten or twenty years back.

To create a communications infrastructure that ensures high levels of performance and availability, mining companies may avail of a great range of network technologies. Satellite communications services can now provide high data rates and secure connections over inter-site and inter-country distances at affordable prices. Similar advances for wireless and mobile communications bring a wide range of applications that are used for intra-site and site-to-site communications.

An optimized remote communications infrastructure can provide innovative solutions. The idea is to increase the efficiency of mining operation during and after the mining supercycle. Remote communications can lower operational costs by allowing more remote operations to be performed on sites. It also adds long-term value to the project by allowing the infrastructure to perform tasks that it hitherto could not be used.

For example, communications infrastructure can be used to maintain a social licence with local communities through close communication. By expanding their existing communications infrastructure to encompass to nearby communities, mining operators can use it to educate and entertain said communities, which will improve their relations.

To this end, a mining company should be careful in selecting a network service provider. The mining company and the network service provider must work together to delineate the mine's specific requirements and create a communications infrastructure perfect for its needs and budgets.

Mining Sites in Australia rely on Satellite Communications

Many of today's mining companies face tremendous challenges accompanying their growth. In Western Australia, the sector has seen a boom but along with it, the rise of unique geographic and operational challenges. Rich mining sites are often found in remote regions, and the cost of bringing in equipment and human resources is quite expensive. The booming mining economy in Western Australia has also seen fierce competition among mining companies who hope to keep the best staff within their turf. To do this, companies invest greatly on employee welfare, trying their to best to ensure the safety of miners, and of course, their entertainment. However, the remoteness of mining locations often force the companies to spend on a costly FIFO or Fly-in Fly-out scheme, to help deter homesickness among employees. 

Mining boom in Western Australia presents unique challenges

An alternative to the FIFO scheme is an investment on satellite communications for mining. Due to geographic limitations, mining sites cannot fully rely on terrestrial communications infrastructure. Some of these sites are simply too-far flung for the reach of fibre optic networks and cables. What satellite communications offer is unbridled infrastructure that can be the groundwork of improved infotainment systems in mining sites for the miners. 

High-speed data carried by satellites allows entertainment systems to be built in this distant work locations even in the harshest environments. These robust communications systems give miners the opportunity to connect with their loved ones through voice and video conferencing, lessening the stress from an exhausting fly-in and fly-out scheme, as well as the emotional test of homesickness. Digital entertainment platforms can also be built to provide miners off-duty activities. They can stream movies, enjoy Skype, free-to-air TV, as well as make the most of room-to-room communications. 

Satellite broadband in place in mining sites

In Australia, the Mining Camp Entertainment Systems and R-Group has relied on satellite communications from NewSat to deliver real-time, streamlined, satellite communications to over 1,000 rooms across various mining sites. By providing miners connectivity, as well as entertainment, mining companies are focusing on improving employee retention and productivity, as well as reducing operational cost from employees constantly leaving and returning. Unique solutions such as these are crucial for a mining industry facing equally unique hurdles as result of the booming mining economy in WA. Innovative solutions are now the determining point in helping mining companies succeed in remote regions.