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.