Bentley Walker Purchases iDirect Ka-band Hub for Middle East Services
By Jeffrey Hill | June 21, 2012
[Satellite TODAY 06-21-12] European VSAT network operator Bentley Walker has purchased a Universal 15000 series hub from iDirect to enhance the company’s satellite service offerings in Iraq and Afghanistan, iDirect announced June 20.
Bentley Walker will run the new hub on Avanti’s Ka-band Hylas 2 satellite, which is set to launch in June to provide new satellite capacity throughout the Middle East and Africa.
Bentley Walker also will provide the Ka-band satellite capacity through multiple service models, including a managed service model and a Virtual Network Operator (VNO) model. Bentley Walker said the VNO would provide flexibility for its partners to manage their own services without the ownership commitment of a complete iDirect hub.
“The upcoming launch of the Hylas 2 Ka-band satellite offers an important opportunity for Bentley Walker to enhance our services in the Middle East. With the consistently excellent and reliable technology of iDirect, as well as the new Ka-band capacity we’re getting from Hylas 2, we look forward to offering higher speed service packages on more affordable equipment with a smaller dish than previously possible with Ku-band service,” Bentley Walker CEO Anthony Walker said in a statement.