Page 66 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

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SES Closes US$450 Million Acquisition of DRS’ Satellite Communications

Business

Communications satellite operator SES Earth orbit satellites. The company expects constellation which the company designed
announced Aug. 1 it completed the to leverage the DRS customer base to with military and government customers in
acquisition of DRS Global Enterprise grow its U.S. defense and government mind. As is required for U.S. government
Solutions, a business acquired from business. SES said it plans to serve “multi- and defense contractors owned by a
Leonardo DRS for $450 million. DRS GES orbit satellite communications needs foreign parent company, the combined
will be part of SES Government Solutions, of the U.S. government and supporting SES and DRS business will operate under
based in Reston, Virginia. The acquisition missions anywhere on land, at sea or in the direction of the SES GS proxy board of
was announced in March. Before it was the air.” Following this acquisition, the directors. The combined business is led
sold to SES, DRS GES was a business unit U.S. government is expected to become by former DRS senior vice president David
of defense contractor Leonardo DRS and “SES’s largest data business segment in Fields, who assumed responsibilities Aug.
one of a handful of network integrators terms of revenue,” said the company. DRS 1. He succeeds Pete Hoene as president
that provide managed satcom services as an integrator was vendor agnostic and and CEO of SES Government Solutions.
to the Defense Department and other provided satcom services from multiple Hoene is retiring after 11 years at the
government agencies. The Pentagon relies operators of satellites in geostationary, company. Billy Bingham, a retired U.S.
on integrators to stitch together networks medium and low Earth orbits. SES said Air Force brigadier general, was named
from multiple vendors. SES, headquartered the new business will offer “multi-operator chairman of the SES GS proxy board.
in Luxembourg, operates a fleet of more network solutions” but particularly focus
than 70 geosynchronous and medium on SES’s soon-to-be launched O3b mPower

ARSAT Will Use SES-17 to Expand Satellite Broadband Connectivity in
Argentina

ARSAT, Argentina’s leading the capacity of SES-17, ARSAT will improve band satellite currently operating in the
telecommunications company, will take access to affordable and high-quality Americas region with full coverage over
advantage of SES’s recently launched high satellite broadband services for business the Argentine mainland. The satellite’s
performance geostationary (GEO) satellite, and residential applications. In addition, 200 fully flexible beams also make it ideal
SES-17, to deliver high-quality connectivity ARSAT will use SES-17 to accelerate for bringing quality connectivity services
services. “We want to reach all areas of the internet connectivity in public schools across underserved communities across
country,” SES and ARSAT announced today. throughout the country in the framework of the country. “It is widely recognized
The multi-year agreement will allow ARSAT an agreement signed with the Ministry of that improved connectivity services
to provide reliable broadband satellite Education. Operating at 67 degrees West, change people’s lives and transform
services starting in mid-2022. By leveraging SES-17 is the only high-performance Ka- the way industries operate, bringing far-
reaching economic and social benefits.
This agreement will allow us to continue
providing high performance broadband
services to improve digital inclusion
throughout our country,” said Matias
Tombolini, president at ARSAT. “ARSAT and
SES have enjoyed a fruitful and strategic
relationship for more than a decade. We are
delighted to support ARSAT in its mission
to generate a positive social impact,
connecting unserved and underserved
regions in Argentina and supporting the
needs of young people throughout the
country,” said Omar Trujillo, Vice President
of Networks Sales for Americas at SES.
“We’re delighted to further strengthen
the cooperation between ARSAT and SES
and look forward to working together for
decades to come.”

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