Gilat Secures New SkyEdge IV Orders from Intelsat, SES

Gilat Satellite Network headquarters in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Gilat Satellite Networks has signed agreements with global satellite operators Intelsat and SES to provide its new SkyEdge IV very-high throughput satellite (VHTS) platform in support of new satellites.

SES will use the SkyEdge IV platform to simultaneously operate with its SES-17 satellite and its upcoming second generation NGSO constellation, O3b mPOWER, both providing end-users with fixed and mobility services. SES-17 is a GEO VHTS satellite serving the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Intelsat will use the SkyEdge IV platform to provide expanded capacity from the Intelsat IS-40e satellite for in-flight connectivity and cellular backhaul services in North America.

Under these new agreements, Gilat will also provide both operators with its Elastix-Total network management system (NMS) to support unification and management of current and future satellites.

“Through our collaborative work with Gilat’s SkyEdge IV platform on IS-40e, Intelsat will expand the capacity of our network serving North America,” Intelsat Vice President of Systems Innovation Carmel Ortiz said in the announcement. “Its standards-based interfaces enable seamless integration with Intelsat’s unified space and ground network, thereby elevating the service levels for thousands of aircraft and leading mobile network operators across North America.”

“Gilat’s SkyEdge IV … is built to lead the satcom industry’s next generation, known as the Elastix Era, supporting cloud infrastructure, an Elastix-Access Scheme, and working in harmony with software-defined satellites,” said Amir Yafe, vice president of Mobility and Global Accounts at Gilat.

Financial details of the contract orders were not disclosed.