Canada’s Telesat won a contract from the Canadian Coast Guard to provide ship-to-shore communications via satellite.

Telesat will provide satellite equipment to selected Coast Guard vessels, including a satellite terminal with a full-motion antenna system and modem. The system will provide e- mail, television and Voice-over Internet Protocol services.

The contract represents the second commercial phase of the European Space Agency (ESA)-supported Marine eCommerce Applications project. In phase two, which began in April, a vessel in the Coast Guard’s Maritimes region has been equipped with the satellite equipment. In the third and final phase, the system will be introduced in the four remaining Coast Guard regions: Newfoundland, Quebec, Central and Arctic, and Pacific. Full system rollout is expected to be completed within 30 months.