North America

Iridium  Finalizes Aireon Joint Venture with Nav Canada

Nav Canada has finalized the terms of its participation in the joint venture with Iridium Communications, Aireon LLC.

Aireon aims to provide air navigation service providers (ANSPs) around the world with satellite-based surveillance capability and to deliver it via Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receivers, built as an additional payload on the Iridium NEXT constellation scheduled to be launched in the 2015-2017 period.

The new capability aims to deliver consumer fuel savings, an estimated $100 million per year, and avoided greenhouse gas emissions, estimated 263,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year, for the world’s airlines due to the ability to use more optimal altitudes and routes because of expanded airspace capacity previously limited to less efficient procedural separation.

Under the agreement, Nav Canada will purchase Series A preferred membership interests representing up to 51 percent of the diluted equity of Aireon, totaling up to $150 million, and also intends to participate as a customer and utilize Aireon in its North Atlantic airspace operations. Once Aireon’s data service is established, other ANSPs will be able to subscribe to the service for their own flight information regions.

MTN  Launches Nexus Hybrid Maritime Solution

MTN has unveiled its next-generation satellite and terrestrial hybrid network solution Nexus, which aims to deliver content, social media and voice solutions developed specifically for maritime consumer markets.

The MTN Nexus hybrid network was also designed to deliver computing, caching and security infrastructure to deliver connectivity and communications.

Rockwell Collins  Wins $35 Million U.S. Army Satcom Contract

Rockwell Collins will provide satellite services to the U.S. Army Communication-Electronics Command under a $35 million contract.

Rockwell Collins will deliver Army satellite communication services with operations maintenance, upgrades, and training and will perform these services under the FlexForceTM Life Cycle Service Solution. The award is the largest under an $88 million indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract.

These services include operating and maintaining critical satellite communication equipment that provides data, voice and video communications from remote areas to enhance the situational awareness of the warfighter.

Telesat  Inks Expanded Capacity Agreement with Panasonic Avionics

Panasonic Avionics Corp. has signed an additional long-term contract for Telesat satellite capacity, the global fixed satellite services operator announced.

This newest agreement follows a previous June 2012 contract Panasonic signed for Telstar 11N capacity over the North Atlantic and is a significant pre-launch sale for Telesat’s new Anik G1 satellite. According to the agreement, Panasonic will combine Telestar 11N capacity with the South American coverage of the Anik F1, aiming to expand its aeronautical broadband service over Latin America.