Satellite service provider offers standardized ground services in many regions of the world

Remagen, Germany, 2 February 2011 - German satellite service provider atrexx has confirmed that it is finalizing its largest ground services contract, aimed at connecting a major European country’s embassy sites in Africa and the Middle East with VSAT technology via satellite. The dispersed nature of embassy buildings means that they are often difficult to connect by terrestrial means and therefore VSAT provides governments with the ideal communication solution as it is cost-effective, scalable and can be deployed anywhere.

Serving as sub-contractor to the satellite service provider, atrexx is currently completing installation works that include the setting up of redundant antennas at each site in Ku- and C-band.

The company has experienced a surge in demand for ground services that includes all supporting services such as site survey, choice of antenna location, planning of installation, installation itself, commissioning, as well as preventive and corrective maintenance. As a response to this demand, atrexx has focused on standardizing its offerings and has developed specific products that can enable them to deliver best-in-class products to their clients.

Over the past few years, atrexx has placed great emphasis on recruiting and training many installers in Africa and Asia, with a special focus on the African Continent and the Middle East so that projects like the one above can be handled no matter where in the world they are required. Markus Schäfer, Managing Director of atrexx commented: “atrexx is pleased with the ongoing project. It shows that our installer network can handle the request with professionalism.”

Deployments such as these are not without their complications. Mr. Schäfer explained: “The security measures of the embassies and the safety regulations regarding the statics have sometimes been a challenge for our staff in the field, but we have overcome these challenges with professional project management and flexibility.”

atrexx’ near ten year experience in the VSAT market and knowledge of the provision of remote connectivity solutions gives the company a unique edge. Experience with regulatory and licensing issues in different regions is essential, as is a good degree of familiarity with the region where deployment is taking place. This coupled with a high level of technical expertise and a relationship with installers in different countries, enables atrexx to deliver the complete package so that the client can be sure of a high quality service.

Mr. Schäfer continued: “We recognize that the ground service element of VSAT communications is not necessarily the most attractive to satellite service providers. It is often viewed as the ‘dirty work’. However, without it there is no VSAT service. Good ground services are crucial to our clients in terms of winning large contracts, and we are proud to be able to offer these types of services at such a high standard. We plan to extend our standardized VSAT ground services further East to the Asian region in the near future.”

*** An image showing a typical VSAT installation at a European embassy in Africa is available from http://www.atrexx.com/downloads/ground_services_embassy.jpg ***