Augmented service will meet current and future growth requirements of global maritime and enterprise markets Herndon, Va., January 21, 2020 - ST Engineering iDirect, a company of ST Engineering North America, today announced that Speedcast, the world's most trusted provider of remote communication and IT solutions, will deploy the Newtec Dialog platform to provide worldwide satellite broadband services for its customers.
The deployment will enable Speedcast to respond to the exponential demand for high-speed connectivity on board cruise ships and may also be used for other vertical market segments with increasing bandwidth requirements, such as yachting, oil and gas and the enterprise market. This builds upon the long-term partnership that has been forged between ST Engineering iDirect and Speedcast, supporting mission-critical communications in the world's most remote regions.
The cruise market remains the biggest user of maritime satellite communications and is driving the sector with its increasing demand for connectivity. Cruise ships are essentially floating cities, and passengers and crew wish to experience the same connectivity at sea as at home. This supports the multiple devices that they have to keep in touch on social media and for their online entertainment needs. More essentially, connectivity brings about a plethora of operational benefits for operators, enabling them to manage their fleets and crew more effectively.
PJ Beylier, CEO, Speedcast Our customers are increasingly faced with the need to deliver a seamless, high quality, high-speed connectivity experience, which drives significant growth in demand for Speedcast services, said PJ Beylier, CEO, Speedcast. We were looking for a technology platform that could meet our current and future bandwidth challenges but also that was versatile enough to be used across other market segments where we were seeing similar demands. The Dialog platform, with its high throughput and efficiency capabilities, allows us to deploy high-end services and is ultimately a natural extension of our existing Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) network. The partnership with ST Engineering iDirect will enable us to deploy a unified platform for the cruise sector to drive network efficiencies and ultimately create a better customer experience. This world-class global maritime and offshore network will leverage the optimal satellite capacity over each region to deliver bandwidth to hundreds of cruise ships and yachts. This network will give us a competitive advantage and enable us to continue to support the growing connectivity demands of our customers.
Thomas Van den Driessche, President of the Executive Strategic Board and Chief Commercial Officer, ST Engineering iDirect To stay ahead in this highly competitive and increasingly digitalized market, fast and reliable connectivity is essential, said Thomas Van den Driessche, President of the Executive Strategic Board and Chief Commercial Officer, ST Engineering iDirect. The recent integration of ST Engineering iDirect and Newtec will ensure that Speedcast is able to maintain its lead in this high-value market with a forward-thinking, market-leading technology partner that will remain dedicated to protecting its investment across its entire VSAT network. We are proud to support Speedcast, a leading force in the maritime market, with the network capabilities that it needs to meet and exceed its customers' requirements, no matter how remote they are or what their business entails.
Dialog can be used as a single and multi-service VSAT platform that allows operators and service providers to build and adapt superior infrastructure and satellite networking according to their business or missions. It gives operators the power to offer a variety of mobile and fixed services on a single platform, all of which can be delivered to customers operating remotely.
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ST Engineering North America is the U.S. headquarters of ST Engineering, a global technology, defense and engineering group specializing in the aerospace, electronics, land systems, and marine sectors. Based in Alexandria, VA, it has major operations across 17 cities in 13 states and employs about 5,000 people providing innovative products and solutions to commercial and government customers across diverse market segments.
ST Engineering iDirect, a subsidiary of ST Engineering North America, is a global leader in satellite communications (satcom) providing technology and solutions that enable its customers to expand their business, differentiate their services and optimize their satcom networks. Through the merger with Newtec, a recognized industry pioneer, the combined business unites over 35 years of innovation focused on solving satellite's most critical economic and technology challenges, and expands a shared commitment to shaping the future of how the world connects. The product portfolio, branded under the names iDirect and Newtec, represents the highest standards in performance, efficiency and reliability, making it possible for its customers to deliver the best satcom connectivity experience anywhere in the world. ST Engineering iDirect is the world's largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer and is the leader in key industries including broadcast, mobility and military/government. In 2007, iDirect Government was formed to better serve the U.S. government and defense communities. For more information on iDirect platforms please visit www.idirect.net. For Newtec platforms please visit www.newtec.eu.
Speedcast International Ltd (ASX: SDA) is the largest provider of remote communications and IT services in the world. Speedcast's fully-managed service is delivered via a leading global, multi-access technology, multi-band and multi-orbit network of 70+ satellites and an interconnecting global terrestria
