Latin America

Cinecolombia Selects IDC for Digital Cinema Solutions

Cinecolombia has selected International Datacasting Corporation’s digital cinema distribution technology SuperFlex Pro Cinema for its movie theater chains. IDC’s Latin American digital cinema partner, Grupo ChileFilms and their affiliate, Cinecolor Colombia, managed the sale to Cinecolombia.

Cinecolor Colombia is a part of IDC’s partner Grupo Chilefilms, which operates digital cinema networks throughout Latin America. ChileFilms owns and operates the CinecolorSAT digital cinema satellite distribution network.

Mexican Oil and Gas Reform Opens Up Satellite Opportunity for Jaba Satellite Engineering

Javier Barrera, CEO of Jaba Satellite Engineering.
Credit: Jaba Satellite Engineering

Changes to Mexico’s policies surrounding its oil and gas sector have opened up new opportunities for the satellite industry. Jaba Satellite Engineering, a fixed and mobile satellite solutions provider based in Mexico, has been following these developments closely. The company sells its satellite communications products to a diverse list of market verticals, but recent changes to laws surrounding foreign investment in energy have made this sector a targeted area for growth.

“We expect big growth next year because the congress already passed the law that allows Mexico to accept private investments in the energy industry, so the market is going to be able to exploit oil and gas and the whole energy industry overall,” Javier Barrera, CEO of Jaba Satellite Engineering, told Via Satellite.

Mexico’s congress recently passed an energy reform measure that modifies articles 25 and 28 of the country’s constitution. Private companies are now allowed to receive contracts and licenses from the Mexican government to explore and drill for oil and gas. This is expected to trigger investments from the international community, and especially the United States, which is one of Mexico’s top export destinations for crude oil. Increased oil exploration is expected to carry with it a surge in demand for satellite telecommunication, which is already a major interest for companies like Jaba Satellite Engineering.

“We are exploiting Latin American opportunities in mining and construction, and also the energy industry,” said Barrera. “That’s a top market. It has everything to do with satellite communications for voice, data and video. We’ve grown about 35 percent of our client space portfolio. We’ve made a great improvement in the tracking business and telemetry, [and] everything that has to do with offshore and maritime terminals, and also with satellite phones and fixed terminals.”

Jaba Satellite Engineering uses satellites from Inmarsat and Iridium, in addition to its own VSAT network called JabaSat. “Aside from being a provider of services, we actually integrate technology,” Barrera added. “We work hand in hand with different providers and lots of manufacturers. We are able to give clients the solutions they need, and actually support that with many constellations. We’re not married to a provider, so if they need Inmarsat or Iridium or any other constellation, we can offer our clients whatever they need. We have global coverage by integrating that service.”

Comtech Systems Receives $4.4M in Satellite Upgrade Purchases from Brazilian Military

Comtech Systems military VSAT. Credit: Comtech Systems

Comtech Systems military VSAT. Credit: Comtech SystemsComtech Systems, the Fla.-based subsidiary of Comtech Telecommunications, has received a $4.4 million contract for satellite products. The Brazilian Military provided the award for an upgrade to its satellite network.

Comtech Systems specializes in system design, integration, supply and commissioning of turnkey communication systems including over-the-horizon microwave, line-of-sight microwave and satellite.

Hughes and Aruba Networks Partner to Provide Retail Wi-Fi Service

Hughes Network Systems has teamed with Aruba Networks to offer retailers a new managed Wi-Fi service that optimizes network traffic from the in-store wireless local area network (LAN) to the corporate wide area network (WAN).

HughesON Mobility leverages Hughes ActiveQoS and ActiveCompression — the same performance optimization technologies that turbocharge broadband WAN networks — and applies them to the in-store wireless LAN through Aruba’s instant access points.