January 28, 2008 - Volume 5, No. 13

Send this email to a colleague

SATELLITE 2008 Sneak Peek: An Interview with Ramiro Banderas, Director Media Services for Rollins-Orkin, Inc., on Corporate Satellite Networks

Scott Chase

SATELLITE 2008 is shaping up to be the biggest event of our long history of serving the satellite-enabled global communications marketplace, with more than 270 exhibitors, thousands of registrants, and hundreds of expert speakers and industry leaders. With just four weeks to go, we took a brief time-out to get to know Ramiro Banderas, architect of Orkin’s 350-site interactive satellite-based learning network. Ramiro will present his experiences and vision at the Corporate Satellite Networks: Building Value on the Bottom Line session, Wednesday, February 27, 1:45 to 3 p.m. 

SATELLITE 2008: How did you get involved in satellite-enabled interactive learning networks? 

Ramiro Banderas: For over 10 years, Rollins and Orkin were looking at alternative delivery methods for training, other than classroom lead training, and satellite based learning networks were always on our radar, but the technology and the cost had to get to our level. The Helius/OneTouch solution, brought all the components we needed together, at the right price, so we went for it. Absolutely one of the best decisions we have made. It not only allowed us to deliver high quality training, as good or better than classroom, but it created a platform from which we are launching other initiatives, that include communications, business sales strategies, mobile support, and digital enterprise messaging, that we did not think it was going to be feasible this quickly.

SAT08: What has been the one key lesson learned about satellite networking from the Rollins-Orkin experience?

RB: How reliable the solution is, and how easy it was to implement.

SAT08: What is the biggest challenge you encountered when building the Orkin network? How did you overcome it?

RB: The IT component was probably the most difficult to overcome. As most other companies, our IT department is overwhelmed with keeping the critical enterprise support software and operating systems running. So when we showed up with a completely different, powerful solution, that required them to think outside the box, it wasn't an easy partnership to get off the ground, but we did it, and I can attest that today we are working closer than ever with IT.

SAT08: What will attendees at your session, Corporate Satellite Networks, take away from the panel that they can use in their own professional environments?

RB: First of all, give satellite based learning networks a chance. A lot of companies write the technology off without even taking a closer look, and assuming that it's old technology, it's too expensive, or too difficult to adopt. I'd like them to see how reliable, user friendly, and powerful it is ... And how affordable it can be as well.

SAT08: What does the satellite industry need to do to stay robust and relevant over the next decade?

RB: Rollins-Orkin as a company, is moving toward more international markets, and for what I've seen, the challenges accommodating a 24/7 channel across the world are more than I expected. So offering a world-wide solution would be one area to pay attention to.

SAT08: What do you do when you're not building networks?

RB: My passion is diving and videotaping under water. I guess you could say that I love video above and below the water. But, diving gives me an opportunity to completely change my frame of mind and makes me humble, realizing how insignificant we can be in the deep ocean. But at the same time, it makes me sad to see what we are doing to it. Diving truly is my "number one" thing.

Can't get enough of Corporate Satellite Networks? REGISTER TODAY for SATELLITE 2008 and sign up for the Enterprise Forum! 

 SATELLITE 2008 Pre-Conference Luncheon and Keynote Address Announced

While there's been a lot of attention paid to the merger of Sirius and XM in North America, across the Atlantic the satellite radio business is getting ready to take off. At the center of this new market is Ondas Media, with satellites on order, initial automotive deals in place, and content deals in development to address the diversity of the European market and the technical issues raised by its geography. Dave Krueger, a satellite industry veteran, will discuss the challenges and opportunities inherent in bringing this innovative service application to market in today's financial environment. 

Moderators: Scott Chase, Chairman, SATELLITE 2008 and Peggy Slye, Director, Space and Telecommunications Division, Futron Corp.
Speaker: Dave Krueger, COO, Ondas Media

The SATELLITE 2008 Pre-Conference Luncheon and Keynote Address is included with SATELLITE 2008 Full Conference, or Pre-Conference only registration packages. Register Today! 

New Booths Added at SATELLITE 2008!

Due to increased demand, we have added several new, prime booth locations in the SATELLITE 2008 exhibit hall! While the event is 4 weeks away, it’s not too late to capitalize on the largest gathering of end-users and solutions providers of satellite-enabled communications technology.

To view the updated floor plan, please click here [PDF]. Don’t let this unique opportunity pass you by! To discuss how you can position your company and gain invaluable exposure to thousands of decision-makers in the satellite-enabled communications marketplace, contact Michael Cassinelli today @ +1 301-354-1691 or mcassinelli@accessintel.com.

The SATELLITE 2008 Press Room is the one-stop shop for the latest news, product launches and trends in satellite-enabled communications. Here’s just one of the recent headlines:

Quintech Announces RF Engineering and Collaborative Research Center at UPARC in Pittsburgh

Indiana, Pa, USA - Wednesday, January 23rd 2008 - Quintech Electronics and Communications, Inc., an Indiana, PA based manufacturer of RF (Radio Frequency) signal management and matrix switching equipment for the broadcasting and communications industry, announced today that it has established an R&D office at the UPARC campus in Harmar, PA. Read more.

Read all the exhibitor press releases.

The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition provides our international participants an excellent venue for networking with prospective business partners, as well as maintain a current awareness of the issues and opportunities facing the global satellite-enabled communications marketplace. SATELLITE 2008 is a proud member of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program.

The exhibition will feature a Center for Global Commerce to help international delegates with their important exporting and purchasing needs. In addition, SATELLITE 2008 will participate in the U.S. Department of Commerce's matchmaking service, which will match our pre-screened international buyers directly to the largest and best global satellite service providers!

Learn more about the International Buyer Program here.   

Boeing Receives Pentagon Launch Contract
Boeing Co. has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force for three launches, the service announced Jan. 24.
The $503.3 million contract covers the purchase of launch services using Delta 4 rockets under the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program for launch of three satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. 

In December 2006, Boeing combined its government launch operations with those of Lockheed Martin Corp. under the United Launch Alliance LLC joint venture.

SES Global Makes Offer For Israel’s Spacecom
SES Global, the world’s second largest communications satellite operator, has made a bid to acquire Israel’s Space-Communication Ltd. (Spacecom), both SES and Spacecom have confirmed to Satellite Today. 

Spacecom operates the Amos-1 and Amos-2 satellites, which are co-located at 4° West to provide direct broadcast satellite services, digital TV distribution to cable headends, video services to broadcasters and communications services to government entities. Amos-2 also offers a beam to the U.S. East Coast, creating a vital link for VSAT operators, government agencies and other service providers. 

Spacecom is publicly traded on the Tel Aviv stock exchange, and its major shareholders include Israeli Aerospace Industries, Eurocom, General Satellite Services Co. and Mer Services Group. “It is a complex offer and we will take our time when studying it,” Motty Slomovitz, vice president of marketing and sales at Spacecom, told Satellite Today.

Telespazio Wins Iraq Contract
Telespazio won a contract to build a satellite services center to support the activities of Italian organizations, companies and institutions working in Iraq, the company said Jan. 22. 

Under the contract from the Italian Foreign Ministry, Telespazio will provide broadband satellite communication services that enable data and voice transmission, Internet, videoconferencing, telemedicine and distance learning.
Financial detail of the contract were not released.

L3 Wins $13.8 Million U.S. Navy Contract
L3 Communications Systems-West has been awarded a $13.8 million contract to provide the U.S. Navy with life cycle sustainment of the Deployable Multi-Channel Satellite Communications System, the Navy announced Jan. 18.
The contract includes quad-band satellite terminals, terminal IP upgrades, IP baseband interface modules, Ka-band upgrades, critical spares and replacement components. 

The contract includes options which could bring the value up to $65.7 million.