Page 93 - SAMENA Trends - September 2019

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DOCOMO Selects Gilat to Provide LTE Satellite Backhaul to Improve Rural

Coverage

Japan’s NTT DOCOMO has selected Gilat that end will use Gilat’s satellite backhaul leading broadband fiber network to islands,
Satellite Networks to supply it with LTE supported by SKY Perfect’s JCSAT-4B destinations, and areas where terrestrial
satellite backhaul, as part of plans to orbiter to deliver DOCOMO’s service in coverage is not available … We are pleased
expand its 4G footprint in rural areas, a ‘selected areas’ of Japan. Takumi Togi, to be partnering with Gilat, the recognized
press release revealed. The Japanese senior manager of DOCOMO’s Radio satellite backhauling leader in Japan as
cellco is looking to ensure ‘secure Access Network Engineering Department, well as worldwide, for materializing our
and robust coverage even in the most commented: ‘NTT DOCOMO sees great cellular network vision.’
challenging weather conditions’, and to value in satellite backhauling to extend its

Iridium and OneWeb to Collaborate to Deliver Services in L-Band and Ku-Band

A unique Memorandum of Understanding orbiting networks. Adrian Steckel, CEO of is ideal for applications including Inflight
was established between Iridium OneWeb added that they believe the new WiFi, Government, and Maritime networks
Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM) and offering can bring many benefits for their that require global reach, high speed and
OneWeb establishing that they will work distribution partners. By combining the low latency. Iridium’s crosslinked satellite
together toward a combined service strengths of their services, they can ensure constellation brings seamless truly
offering. This combined service offering their partners are able to deliver the most global connectivity with highly weather
would be designed to make it easier for innovative, seamless services to their resilient L-band user terminals, making it
their mutual partners to offer unique subscribers across many markets, and in uniquely suited to provide safety services
bundling and co-marketing opportunities all the places that don’t yet have access to for ships, aircraft, vehicles and deployed
for the Iridium Certus® L-band services the internet Due to the physics associated personnel, and can be a regulation-
and OneWeb’s Ku-band service. The with L-band and Ku-band spectrum, the required capability. The combined power
offering would leverage the strengths of two come with different yet complementary of these two networks can work together
their respective low-Earth-orbit (LEO) attributes. The OneWeb network will deliver to deliver capacity, resiliency, and high-
networks. This is the first time that LEO very high-speed broadband connectivity speed connectivity to customers anywhere
operators have collaborated to deliver that transfers large amounts of data. It in the world.
services in L-band and Ku-band. The MoU
also creates opportunities for companies
that manufacture both OneWeb and Iridium
Certus™ terminals. Such new options
could include Iridium-OneWeb companion
packages in addition to providers being
able to offer combined equipment or even
new dual-constellation terminals. While
both are LEO constellations, Iridium®
and OneWeb services have different
capabilities on their respective bands
(L-band and Ku-band), which can create
a complementary, full-service option
for applications such as heads of state
comms, critical tactical services, maritime,
disaster response and more. Matt Desch,
CEO of Iridium said that it’s an exciting
time for the industry, and they see great
potential for this offering. Their services
are unique and complementary, and they
know that customers are looking for
the capabilities of both our low-Earth-

93 SEPTEMBER 2019