Intelsat and Airbus to provide global satellite communications with secure access to Ku-band channels

LUXEMBOURG, 22 March 2014. Intelsat S.A. (NYSE:I), a provider of satellite services, has entered into a new agreement with Airbus Defense & Space that bridges maritime very small aperture terminal (VSAT) services to Intelsat’s High Throughput Satellite (HTS) EpicNG platform.

The new agreement will provide global, high-throughput satcom services with secure access to Intelsat’s global Ku-band satellite capacity and terrestrially managed network, IntelsatOne.

Airbus Defense and Space is extending the use of these new high-performance solutions in its services portfolio, which is upgradable to the new Intelsat EpicNG platform.

This agreement is part of Airbus Defense and Space’s newly launched AuroraGlobal, a suite of new high-throughput satcom services. AuroraGlobal further enriches Airbus Defense and Space’s multi-band global network and is available to customers now, bringing them one step closer to next-generation satcom, officials say.

For Airbus Defense and Space’s maritime customers, Intelsat EpicNG brings the potential for new services that enable throughput in the range of 25-60 Gbps, roughly 10 times that of traditional satellites, officials say. Each Intelsat EpicNG spot beam can support Airbus Defense and Space maritime users with 1m antennas featuring downlink speeds of up to 290Mbps and uplink speeds of up to 225Mbps.

Intelsat’s open-architecture, flexible, backward-compatible EpicNG platform, which works with the existing Ku-band wide beam fleet, enables customers to achieve higher speeds without having to replace existing onboard hardware. When the Intelsat EpicNG platform becomes available, shipping companies will be able to easily upgrade to Intelsat’s HTS technology.

Under the new agreement, Airbus Defense and Space will grow its current and future requirements for maritime Ku-band VSAT services with Intelsat. This combination of traditional and HTS satellite capability, integrated into Airbus Defense and Space’s connectivity agnostic network, will allow shipping companies to benefit from unparalleled service throughput and service flexibility, whether transiting the busiest shipping routes or exploring the most remote ocean regions.

“Our Intelsat agreement is an important part of our new AuroraGlobal offering, which provides the best value next generation satcom-enabled solutions using our global multi-band network. This will allow Airbus Defense and Space to deliver the future to its customers starting now,” says Evert Dudok, head of communications, intelligence & security at Airbus Defense and Space.

“As a leader in value-added connectivity solutions for the global commercial shipping markets, Airbus Defense and Space will be able to grow on the most reliable, highest capacity, global maritime broadband network available,” notes David McGlade, chairman and chief executive officer, Intelsat. “The combination of our satellite fleet and IntelsatOne network provides Airbus Defense and Space with the optimal combination of space and ground assets to capitalize on the commercial maritime sector’s burgeoning demand for broadband services. Together, we will deliver the next generation of broadband services that enable our customers to have the same levels of availability, quality of service and connectivity regardless of whether their ships are travelling in remote or heavily congested locations.”