Military SATCOM Coverage for Regional Armed Forces
Airbus has added Planet Communications Asia (PlanetComm) to its channel partner programme for SKYNET 5 military satellite communications (SATCOM) services and expanded its recent partnership with Speedcast. Both companies will be offering SKYNET X-band and UHF services within their extensive sitcom portfolios.
Speedcast has been delivering tactical secure communications services to the Australian and New Zealand governments since September 2016; the partnership has now been extended to cover customers in the Philippines. In addition Speedcast manages the Asia anchor station facility for the SKYNET 5A military satellite, at its teleport in Adelaide, Australia.
The new partnership with PlanetComm covers Thailand, and expands the company’s product offering into the military market. PlanetComm is a leader in telecommunications and digital TV technologies in the ASEAN region, with over twenty years of experience in delivering resilient communications.
Relocation of SKYNET 5A in September 2015 was initiated to extend the X-band coverage and services from 178 West to 163 East, including the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific region. The SKYNET network now offers global military coverage, expanding core service reach for the UK military and augmenting coalition capabilities in the region.
Airbus owns and operates the hardened SKYNET X-band constellation of seven satellites and the ground network to provide all Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications to the UK Ministry of Defence. The contract also allows other NATO and allied governments, including members of the five-eyes community (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US in addition to the UK) to use the SKYNET system to augment existing services.
