ST Engineering Subsidiary Augments Highly Secure Satellite Solutions

ST Technologies announced on 17 September that its subsidiary, iDirect Government, LLC, has acquired 100% ownership of Mountain View, CA-based Glowlink Communications Technology, Inc.

The $20 million (€18.2 million) acquisition brings with it carrier and spectrum monitoring, interference detection and mitigation, geolocation, and satellite capacity planning which will augment iDirectGov’s advanced bandwidth-efficient, scalable and highly secure satellite solutions. Glowlink delivers innovative solutions that mitigate satellite interferences and improve the quality of satellite communications (satcom). Its satellite network management solutions are able to detect and remove satellite signal interferences in an increasingly dense satellite space. As more satellites are launched in the coming years to meet the exponentially growing demand for connectivity in smart cities, there will be a significant increase in demand for anti-jam capabilities.

“This acquisition builds off the strengths of both teams to expand our satcom offerings with technology tailored to protect mission-critical communications, especially in an increasingly dense signal environment with the advent of many small satellites and 5G. The complementary product suite provides immediate benefit to iDirectGov’s user community as it enhances product resilience against signal interference,” commented President of the Electronics sector at ST Engineering, Ravinder Singh.

The acquisition also offers opportunities to leverage market adjacencies, by harnessing Glowlink’s advanced technologies to deliver add-on features in ST Engineering’s existing satcom products and solutions for commercial customers. The acquisition is a timely one, as it complements the proposed acquisition of Newtec Group NV, announced on 27 March. These acquisitions align with ST Engineering’s strategy to enhance its core satcom business and strengthen its position as a leading global satcom business group.