April 29, 2021

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Globalsat Group is again bestowed the Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award

The company is the first Pan-American MSS provider to receive this award for a third time, having received it first in 2016, again in 2017 and now in 2020.

Globalsat F&S 2020 Award

Globalsat F&S 2020, 2017, 2016 Awards

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA, USA, April 22, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This is the third time the mobile satellite service (MSS) consortium has received the Latin America Satellite Communications Company of the Year award from the highly recognized growth partnership company Frost & Sullivan.

J. Alberto Palacios, CEO of Globalsat Group, said “We once again thank Frost & Sullivan for granting us the unprecedented honor of this award for a third time, validating our long-term vision of agile collaboration with business partners and client-oriented market access through local offices, which allows us to provide best-of-class specific market-optimized service.”

Devoting remarkable diligence to helping customers configure the optimal solution deployment and coverage structure, Globalsat is the premier boutique for satellite communications in Latin America.”
— Nicholas J. Baugh, Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst

Nicholas J. Baugh, a Research Analyst from Frost & Sullivan comments that “with remarkable attention to detail to unique transmission requirements and device needs, the Globalsat Group tailors deployments to help clients realize their communications goals and achieve the best value. Its experience developing, delivering, and optimizing satellite systems throughout the Americas provides Globalsat the flexibility to meet customers’ needs across verticals ranging from transport to defense, energy, agriculture, relief, and communications-on-the-move.”

For context, Baugh adds that “amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the crash in oil prices in 2020, decision makers are feeling the burden of uncertainty, while distributed communications plans only seem to become more important. As the usefulness and capabilities of satellite communications expand, more potential customers are exploring adoption; however, the diversity of use cases and deployment environments pushes service providers to offer an extensive portfolio that is highly adaptable”

According to Palacios, “despite the unprecedented challenges during 2020, we have been a provider of certainty to our clients in uncertain times, proving not only the resilience of the systems and products which are for the kernel of our services, but also validating our innovative and highly adaptive organizational structure”.

With over two decades of experience and a customer base that includes verticals like government, NGOs, finance, oil and gas, maritime, mining, agriculture and tourism, Globalsat Group is, according to Frost & Sullivan “one of the top satellite communications service providers”.

The human factor:

The Globalsat Group “impresses Frost & Sullivan with the importance it places on trust and clarity. From its close and collaborative relationships with customers to direct relationships with network operators, Globalsat is unrivaled in its ability to adapt the latest technology and service structures to the local context–making it our Company of the Year for Satellite Communications providers in Latin America.”

To maintain a high level of efficiency and client satisfaction, the Globalsat Group borrows a concept from telecom technology and considers itself a mesh network: customers in each territory are served by the nearest team, and each team has experts in specific areas. If non-local expertise is needed, there is direct contact from team to team without going through a centralized bureaucracy. If this requirement extends over time, the organization adapts; specialists relocate. This allows for streamlined management and also gives all clients access to experts in all areas, including standard telephony, data / networking, M2M IoT, streaming media and land mobile radio.

The land mobile radio - satellite integration boom:

Regarding fundamentals which fuel this award, Frost and Sullivan focuses on an important project in Brazil where the company “will be the key local solution provider to Rumo SA, the largest transport and logistics company in the region, to connect Rumo’s railway infrastructure with satellite connectivity. With the first phase including 2000 km of rail tracks, and Rumo managing 14,000 km in total, the solution will improve reliable communication and live data updates for drivers and engineers, as well as transport managers overseeing the broader logistics picture that translates directly to operational costs. GlobalSat will furnish 300 cargo trains with terminals and gateways that supply uninterrupted connectivity and real-time tracking, along with highly reliable voice and data traffic. Eventually, approximately 2,000 trains will gain satellite connectivity with GlobalSat and transform the way Rumo functions and plans with a new level of visibility, safety, and efficiency.”

April 06, 2020

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Globalsat Argentina and the Fortuna III sail at full speed with Iridium Certus®

The Argentine Navy's Fortuna III yacht has had an exemplary participation in the Regatta Buenos Aires Rio de Janeiro, finishing in first place in its category.

One of our main values at GLOBALSAT GROUP is innovation, so, we wanted to celebrate our first year of operations in Argentina by providing the most advanced equipment of the Iridium product ecosystem”— J. Alberto Palacios, CEO of GLOBALSAT GROUP BUENOS AIRES, FL, ARGENTINA, March 5, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- GLOBALSAT ARGENTINA, a local subsidiary of GLOBALSAT GROUP, the first Pan-American mobile satellite services group, carried out the first South American installation of an Iridium Certus mobile satellite system on a regatta yacht belonging to the Argentine Navy. Iridium Certus is the latest service offering enabled by the upgraded Iridium® satellite constellation, the most modern global satellite network of its kind.

The Argentine Navy's Fortuna III yacht has had an exemplary participation in the XXVI Oceanic Regatta Buenos Aires - Rio de Janeiro 2020, finishing in first place in its category.

The requirements of this highly technical sport demand competent and reliable information and telecommunication systems. Having an IP-based satellite terminal allows the crew to access meteorological applications, nautical charts, send images, videos and in general be in permanent communication for mission success and safety.

Iridium Certus is the first and only MSS (Mobile Satellite Service) with truly global maritime telecommunications coverage and offers simultaneous provision of high-speed data and multiple voice lines through a compact antenna.

GLOBALSAT ARGENTINA installed a Thales VesseLINK™ terminal which allowed the crew of the Fortuna III to access data connections of up to 704 kbps.

One of our main values at GLOBALSAT GROUP is innovation, so, we wanted to celebrate our first year of operations in Argentina by providing the most advanced equipment of the Iridium product ecosystem”
— J. Alberto Palacios, CEO of GLOBALSAT GROUP

“Being able to visualize, in the context of a competition, constant and real-time updates of meteorological information, nautical charts and positions of the other competitors was decisive for the achievement of the result we obtained”, said Argentine Navy's Luis Sgrilletti, Captain and Commander of Fortune III. He also referred to the "surprising speed" at which they accessed the information.

GLOBALSAT ARGENTINA installed, optimized and provided the necessary assistance so that Fortuna III crew members could use and take full advantage of all the advantages of the Iridium Certus solution.

J. Alberto Palacios, CEO of GLOBALSAT GROUP, commented: “One of our main values at GLOBALSAT GROUP is innovation, which is why we wanted to celebrate our first year of operations in Argentina by providing the most advanced equipment of the Iridium product ecosystem, along with the professional attention of our local team, which has more than 15 years developing the satellite market in Argentina.”

As part of the turnkey solution for the regatta, GLOBALSAT ARGENTINA incorporated airtime solutions and applications from AST, another important partner in the satellite ecosystem on the GLOBALSAT GROUP roster. With the IRIS and INTEGRA applications developed by AST and optimized by GLOBALSAT GROUP, Fortuna III was monitored in real time and bandwidth provided by the satellite system was intelligently optimized.

Through the GLOBALSAT GROUP AirtimeSat portal, the system was adjusted to limit unwanted data traffic and control the use of bandwidth, thus maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs. This provided the user of the system with an excellent experience, combining reliability of the IRIDIUM service, the detail of the AST applications and the constant commissioning and assistance offered by the local GLOBALSAT ARGENTINA team.

About Globalsat Group:

Founded in 1999, Globalsat Group is the first Pan-American mobile satellite services consortium (MSS) and the leading provider of voice, data, M2M / IoT, software and hardware solutions throughout the Western Hemisphere. The group has offices in the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico and Mexico, as well as distributors in the most important cities in the region

Continuously and efficiently, Globalsat's land, sea and aeronautical solutions provide mission-critical communications to thousands of clients in all sectors, including energy, government, defense, media, mining, banking, agriculture, NGOs and tourism.

Recently, Globalsat Group was awarded the "Top Land Mobility Satcom Innovation Award" by the Mobile Satellite Services Users Association (MSUA). Globalsat was also named as the "Satellite Communications Company of Latin America of the Year" for two consecutive years (2016, 2017) by the highly recognized international consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan.

March 25, 2020

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Globalsat Group COVID-19 Announcement

Dear Friends,

As a consequence of the international crisis we are all experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies that comprise the Globalsat Group, have launched special actions in order to ensure that we continue to operate as usual, that we continue to be fully available to answer any of our customers concerns, and that we can continue to provide uninterrupted satellite services. We know our customers rely on us in order to maintain their operational activities, which in some cases involve critical services.

As we currently rely on a highly dynamic organization and focused on interactions through highly available platforms, we have been able to quickly implement home office operations for most of our staff. In this way, we are able to protect our personnel’s health and at the same time keep providing the attention and added value our customers have come to expect from us. However, please keep in mind that phone access may be modified (phone calls may arrive from different phone numbers) and some processes may be slightly altered in speed, particularly when some of the requirements might require an on-site interaction.

We are also working with our business partners to ensure that we receive the same commitments from them as were providing, especially from operators for satellites constellations and land infrastructure, which are also working in a proactive way to protect their employees and operations, strengthening their potential impact situations towards reducing risk of interruptions.

Accordingly, the actions we have taken should prevent any interruptions to your activities, we are fully committed in providing your business with the same customer service and attention that you’ve have come to expect from us.

Globalsat Group staff wishes all of you to stay safe during the following days, next to your loved ones, and to keep counting on us.

Best regards,

J. Alberto Palacios,
CEO Globalsat Group

February 23, 2018

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The Low-Cost Mini Satellites Bringing Mobile To The World

Large chunks of the planet are still of out of reach of mobile phone signals - billions are still without access to digital communications. But this could change thanks to shrinking satellite sizes and costs.

By Tim Bowler

Business reporter, BBC News


Lower-cost, space-based mobile phone services will soon be a reality thanks to one firm's fleet of nano-satellites that will bounce your voice or text signal from one spacecraft to the next and finally down to the person you're calling.

"People were thinking of using nano-satellites for Earth imagery but nobody had thought of using them for voice or text communications," says Israeli former fighter pilot Meir Moalem, the chief executive of Sky and Space Global (SAS).

"We were the first."

His firm is aiming to offer customers mobile phone connections via a constellation of 200 shoebox-sized satellites weighing just 10kg (22lb) each.


Sky and Space Global's Meir Moalem wants to bring affordable mobile services to the world

The fleet is set to be operational by 2020 and will provide text, voice and data transfer services to the Earth's equatorial regions - including much of Latin America and Africa - to a market of up to three billion people.

"Affordable mobile services are critical for the economic and social development of many developing countries," says Mr Moalem, who believes SAS's nano-satellites will shake up the space-based communications market.

"Our total constellation costs just $150m (£108m). That's less than the cost of a single standard communications satellite. This is what we mean when we talk of a disruptive technology."

But SAS is just one of a number of companies with big plans for space right now.

Perhaps the most ambitious is Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is aiming to build a huge 4,400-satellite constellation offering global internet coverage. It will be using its own Falcon-9 rockets to launch its fleet and plans to have the network operating by 2024.


SpaceX has ambitious plans of its own for space-based communications

And OneWeb has an 800-satellite constellation set for 2020, again focused on global broadband, while Google and Samsung are also mulling similar initiatives.

With all these satellites, low-Earth orbit - an altitude of 2,000km (1,200 miles) or less above the planet - is becoming an increasingly crowded space. This could make future launches potentially difficult and dangerous with space debris.

Then there is the issue of finance. Not every planned constellation is going to find the investors with deep enough pockets to back it, though David Fraser, research director at APP Securities, says SAS could be "an attractive alternative option" given its low capital costs.

 

 Why firms are spending millions to beat each other into orbit

Vincent Chan, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, believes that satellite miniaturisation and cheaper launch vehicles mean that the "nano-sat is ready to serve the public".

Such lower-cost infrastructure could bring much-needed mobile communications to the world's poorer regions, he says, helping to reduce the digital divide.

But, he adds, SAS's focus on voice and text services rather than broadband internet, suggests that "the digital divide will be narrower but not disappear".


Virgin Orbit's modified 747 will carry a launcher rocket that will blast the satellites into space

For its part, SAS is using a non-traditional method of getting its satellites into orbit. They will be air-launched in batches of 24 by Virgin Orbit, part of Richard Branson's Virgin group.

Virgin's modified Boeing 747-400 will fly up to 35,000ft (10,000m), then LauncherOne, a two-stage liquid oxygen-powered expendable rocket, will blast the payload into orbit.

It's one of a number of air-launch-to-orbit systems under development.

The advantage of launching from an aircraft is that the rocket can be launched in exactly the direction to suit the satellite's planned orbit. Virgin is planning its first launch later this year, while SAS's craft will be launched in 2019.

Launch costs will typically be about $12m, much less than a traditional launch, says Virgin. It is "all about helping the small satellite community get into orbit," says Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit's president and chief executive.

Such lower-cost launch services will open up space to "a whole host of communications [and] remote sensing applications," he says.

SAS has already proved that its communications systems works with three pilot satellites, and is now signing deals with partners in Africa and Latin America - including one of the biggest satellite-communications providers in the Americas, Globalsat Group.

Nano-satellites are not much bigger than a shoebox

Globalsat's chief executive, Alberto Palacios, says his firm's current customers - in the mining, energy, defence banking, and government sectors - can afford the costs of traditional satellite phone calls.

But he believes nano-satellites are a game-changer.

"Some customers invest several hundreds of dollars in the hardware for a satellite phone terminal and will pay $50 a month for the service. But if you can offer a solution for half of that - then the price can be compared to conventional mobile phones," he explains.

SAS says it is going for the gap in the market between existing satellite communications operators, such as Iridium, Inmarsat and Globalstar, and land-based mobile networks such as Vodafone, Telefonica, Airtel and Safaricom.

It is targeting customers earning less than $8 a day.

SAS's satellites will help Ghana monitor cocoa production across the country

In Ghana, the company has just signed a five-year deal with telecoms provider Universal Cyberlinks to help government agricultural projects and public services, including monitoring cocoa production across 5,000 buying centres and checkpoints.

"When you travel outside of a city in Africa, often you lose your phone signal because it is not cost-effective to put up phone masts everywhere. That's where we come in," says Mr Moalem.

"In the West, we tend to forget that in many parts of the world people are not concerned about high-speed internet, they want to make simple phone calls, texting or money transfers. It's a basic need."

Africa is certainly becoming a key market for mobile services. There were 420 million mobile subscribers in 2016 and by 2020 there will be more than 500 million, around half the population, Says Industry Body GSMA.

THE LOW-COST MINI SATELLITES BRINGING MOBILE TO THE WORLD.

January 29, 2018

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Frost & Sullivan recognized Globalsat Group with the “2017 Latin America Communications Company of the Year” award.

 

The Globalsat Group is the first Pan-American satellite communications consortium to receive the award for two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, respectively

DAVIE, FLORIDA , USA, November 2, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Not only is Globalsat Group the first Pan-American mobile satellite service (MSS) provider to receive this award, but the consortium is also the first such company to receive the award for two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

J. Alberto Palacios, CEO of Globalsat Group, said “We proudly thank Frost & Sullivan for granting us this unprecedented honor, which greatly validates our strategic vision, organizational structure and tactical business decisions, all of which have allowed us to provide best-of-class service to our customers across the western hemisphere, especially in times and places of need where our presence can make an enormous difference.”

In its assessment of Globalsat Group’s operation, Frost & Sullivan mentioned that despite conditions of favorable demand for satellite connectivity, the convergence of mobile and fixed satellite solutions and growing competition from the expanding coverage of terrestrial technologies is forcing providers to cater to increasingly complex client needs and very high service-level requirements. Globalsat Group has continued to grow despite these challenges and beyond competitors.

The Company of the Year award recognizes Globalsat Group's performance in several key parameters including:

• anticipating scenarios, 
• customer purchase experience, 
• addressing unmet needs, 
• brand equity, and 
• financial performance.

We proudly thank Frost & Sullivan for granting us this unprecedented honor, which greatly validates our strategic vision, organizational structure and tactical business decisions.”
J. Alberto Palacios

With over 20 years of experience and a customer base that includes verticals like government and NGOs, finance, oil and gas, maritime, mining, agriculture and tourism, Globalsat Group is, according to Frost & Sullivan one of the the top satellite communications service providers”. Globalsat Group has created a leadership positioning in satellite telephony, Internet and data communications with a strong focus on user experience, achieved through an innovative organizational structure uniquely suited to its diverse market footprint.

The mesh network advantage:

To maintain a high level of efficiency and client satisfaction, the Globalsat Group borrows a modern concept from telecommunication technology and operates as a mesh network: customers in each territory are directly served by the nearest team, and within each team there are experts in specific areas. When expertise from another team is required, there is direct contact from team to team without going through the central organization. If this requirement extends over time, the organization adapts dynamically; the required expert relocates and becomes part of the local team for the duration the project. This allows for streamlined management and also gives all clients access to all experts in all areas, such as standard voice / telephony and data / Internet networking, IoT / M2M, software & hardware development and integration, aviation and maritime satellite technology, streaming / media and even land mobile radio.

Most clients use these services in mission critical applications, when infrastructure or lives are at stake, under extreme conditions or exceptional circumstances, where other means of communications cannot operate. To meet these needs, the company currently operates offices in USA, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as well as business partners throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, all overseen from head offices in the United States.

About Globalsat Group LLC:

Globalsat Group is the first multi-entity Pan-American mobile satellite service (MSS) provider and an industry leader delivering standard voice and data, M2M / IoT, software and hardware in the region since 1999. The consortium provides satellite telecommunications solutions for thousands of customers through a flexible organizational structure, powered by extensive and specific expertise in multiple vertical sectors such as energy, government, defense, media, mining, banking, agriculture, NGOs and tourism.

Most clients use these services in mission critical applications where infrastructure or lives are at stake, under extreme conditions or exceptional circumstances, when or where other means of communications cannot operate.

For more information about the consortium please visit: http://www.globalsatgroup.com

About Frost & Sullivan:

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation, and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages more than 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the investment community from 45 offices on six continents.

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies throughout a range of regional and global markets for superior leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Frost & Sullivan's industry analyst team benchmarks market participants and measures their performance through independent, primary interviews, and secondary industry research in order to evaluate and identify best practices.

For more information, please visit http://www.frost.com.

January 29, 2018

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Globalsat Group acquires stake in Peruvian telecommunications provider ST2

Globalsat Group has entered a definitive agreement to purchase a majority stake in the Peruvian connectivity provider ST2 for an undisclosed amount.

LIMA, LIMA, PERU, January 24, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Globalsat Group, the multi-company entity specializing in mobile satellite service (MSS) throughout the western hemisphere, has entered a definitive agreement to purchase a majority stake in the Peruvian mconnectivity provider ST2 for an undisclosed amount.

The existing ST2 team will mostly remain intact and continue to hold a significant role in the company following the deal’s completion, and Globalsat Group's Country Manager for Peru Jack Yañez will assume the local leadership role at ST2, while also leading Globalsat Perú.

The company will continue to use ST2 as its brand name and will add the complete Globalsat Group satelli services lineup to its portfolio of solutions for the Peruvian B2B market, while Globalsat Perú will be the brand for the group’s B2C local presence.


By joining Globalsat Group, ST2 will now be able to offer its customers a wider portfolio of products and services and better serve them across the country.”
Jack Yañez, Globalsat Peru
Country Manager

As part of the Globalsat Group mesh network structure, ST2 will add value to the group by incrementing expertise and product development in turnkey solutions for corporate, maritime and rural telephony, Internet and M2M / IoT networks and VSAT, as well as increasing and streamlining market access in Peru and neighboring countries for partners such as Inmarsat, Iridium, Cobham, Hughes, Orbcomm and others.

Current and future customers in Peru will benefit from Globalsat Group’s extensive roster of experts, services, brands and turnkey solutions, and will be able to access the advantages of being served by a multi-country wholesale vendor and Inmarsat Tier 1 Distribution Partner, Iridium Value

Added Reseller, Iridium PTT Service Provider and Iridium Certus Launch Partner as well as a Cobham Certified Partner, among others strategic partnerships.

“By joining Globalsat Group, ST2 will now be able to offer its customers a wider portfolio of products and services and better serve them across the country. The ST2 experienced team will continue to deliver best-in-class services to ST2 customers while enhancing Globalsat’s expertise,” said Jack Yañez, Globalsat Peru Country Manager.

Globalsat Group CEO J. Alberto Palacios said: “This deal brings into place an important piece of the Globalsat Group presence map; our friends at ST2 were exactly the shape to fit right into the group, and this deal will allow our shared vision to provide Peru with the excellence which has made our brand a synonym of state of the art satellite service in neighboring Brazil, Chile and Colombia.”

“The ST2 team has an unsurpassed understanding of the local B2B market and together with our international team will continue to raise the bar of MSS and FSS (Fixed Satellite Service) in the region”, Palacios added.

About Globalsat Group:

Funded in 1999, Globalsat Group is the first Pan-American Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) consortium and a leading provider of voice, data, M2M / IoT, software, and hardware development throughout the western hemisphere.

The group has offices in the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Mexico as well as distributors in the most important cities in the region.

Continuously and efficiently, Globalsat land, maritime and aero solutions provide mission-critical communications to thousands of clients across sectors such as energy, government, defense, media, mining, banking, agriculture, NGOs, and tourism.

Globalsat Group was named Latin America Satellite Communications Company of the Year in 2016 and 2017 by the highly recognized international consulting firm Frost & Sullivan and was also named "Company to Watch" in the category Emergency Response Mobility Satcom Innovation by the Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA).

For more information about the consortium, please visit: http://www.globalsatgroup.com/

About ST2:

Founded in 1997 ST2 is a VSAT solutions provider serving businesses nationwide in Peru which offers design, integration, implementation, field services, operations, and support for satellite networks. ST2 specializes in turnkey satellite solutions for Corporate, Maritime and Rural Telephony networks.

For more information about the consortium, please visit: http://www.st2sat.com/

Silvina Graziadio
Globalsat Group LLC
+1 (561) 419 9856
email us here

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November 01, 2017

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Globalsat Group has been authorized by the FCC to provide telecommunications services in the US

Globalsat Group is pleased to announce that its US affiliate has been authorized by the FCC to provide telecommunications services originating within the US

Globalsat Group was from the beginning conceived as a multinational organization. Now we can easily work together with our global business partners who also have offices in the US.”
— J. Alberto Palacios - CEO Globalsat Group

DAVIE, FLORIDA, USA, October 26, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Globalsat Group, the leading pan American consortium providing an array of satellite communications solutions across the western hemisphere, is pleased to announce that its US affiliate has been authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide telecommunications services originating within the United States. 



The group of companies has been fulfilling satellite voice and data solution needs to customers throughout the Americas since 1999 and the consortium's corporate office has been located in the US for several years, supervising the operation of other affiliates and managing logistics and relationships with satellite operators. With the awarding of the FCC license, the group's US affiliate can now market satellite communications solutions for sales within the US.



J. Alberto Palacios, Founder & CEO of the consortium, comments: “Globalsat Group was from the beginning conceived as a multinational organization. By its very nature, any business based on satellite service tends to be global or at least continental. However, it has been a significant operational advantage to have a local presence in the US, a territory where we can easily work together with our global business partners who also have offices here. And being here, it only makes sense to be able to sell here, and serve local partners with all the added value we have acquired working in other countries”.

The consortium is well known in the MSS (Mobile Satellite Service) community for its award-winning work in disaster prevention and mission-critical communication systems, as well as extensive M2M / IoT work and presence in other sectors including tourism and FSS (Fixed Satellite Service) for business and governments.

In 2016 Globalsat Group was named “Company to Watch” in the category of Emergency Response Mobility Satcom Innovation by the Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA), for its role in the tsunami detection and early warning system operated by the government of Chile.

The Globalsat Group affiliate registered with the FCC operates in the US as Globalsat Group LLC and is currently based in Davie, Florida.



When Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean in 2017, the company was able to work with their local partner in Puerto Rico and contract private charter flights in order to transfer equipment and specialized personnel to the island, enabling early access to satellite-based communications for emergency responders and aid workers. Providing these services within the territory of Puerto Rico was possible thanks to the FCC license granted just a few months ago.

About Globalsat Group LLC:



Globalsat Group is the first multi-entity Pan-American mobile satellite service (MSS) provider and an industry leader delivering standard voice and data, M2M / IoT, hardware and software in the region since 1999. With offices in the United States, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Mexico as well as distributors in the region’s most important cities, the consortium provides satellite telecommunications solutions for thousands of customers through a flexible organizational structure, powered by extensive and specific expertise in multiple vertical sectors such as energy, government, defense, media, mining, banking, agriculture, NGOs and tourism. Most clients use these services in mission-critical applications where infrastructure or lives are at stake, under extreme conditions or exceptional circumstances, when or where other means of communications cannot operate.


 

October 20, 2017

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MSUA Member Interview | J. Alberto Palacios, CEO Globalsat Group

Globalsat GroupJ. Alberto PalaciosMSUAPuerto Rico

Catherine:  I had a chance to catch up with MSUA member, J. Alberto Palacios, CEO Globalsat Group at the Satellite Innovation Symposium in Silicon Valley.  Recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the “2016 Latin America Satellite Company of the Year”, Globalsat Group is a mobile satellite services (MSS) with offices in the United States, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Peru, Argentina and Mexico.  Globalsat Group has expertise in a wide range of vertical markets and is heavily involved in both the disaster response and recovery of areas recently impacted by natural disasters.  We talked specifically about Puerto Rico and the support Globalsat has been providing to the people of that region.    

Puerto Rico is still struggling to communicate after Hurricane Maria.  According to the latest update from the Federal Communications Commission, more than 90 percent of the island’s cellphone towers are still out of service. The communications infrastructure is shattered thwarting recovery efforts throughout the island. However satellite communications have been deployed and are playing a critical life and death role.  What is your understanding of the situation today and how, specifically, is Globalsat Group involved?

J. Alberto: As soon as information came in about what was happening on the island, it became quite clear that MSS was going to play an important role. We were able to anticipate this to some extent, and working in tandem with our local partner we delivered equipment on chartered flights, some of it in the form of explicit aid and some to make available on a commercial basis. We provided extra support to our partner by sending Robert Bradshaw, part of our Globalsat US team and an ex-US Navy member. This allowed us to make sure users on the ground were trained to make good use of the equipment and services. I've also scheduled a visit myself in the next days to continue with our support and have a deeper understanding of this kind of event.

Catherine:  Is mobile satellite connectivity still needed and for what purposes?

J. Alberto: Very much so. Coordinating help efforts and getting the island back to some semblance of normal requires real-time communications among the people and organizations involved, and also requires contact with the mainland. Ten days after the start of the disaster 90% of the cellular infrastructure continued to be non-functional, both because it was directly affected physically and also as the result of power lines being cut and backup fuel being scarce. In contrast, L-band mobile satellite terminals have internal batteries, can be charged from solar panels and do not rely on any local infrastructure, so they are precisely what the community needs to get the area back on its feet, and will continue to need for a few days at least. Services are not being restored at a quick rate.

Catherine:  Satellite mobile connectivity is available in multiple forms from handheld voice communications to high-speed data connectivity. What type of connectivity is still needed?

J. Alberto: Satellite phone service, especially with the convenience of being interoperable with PTT systems and the traditional landline and cellular networks as they come back online, is an essential need for so many things, but society is also increasingly reliant on Internet-based services. Aid workers need to fill in web-based forms for aid to make it where it is most needed, people need to be able to signal to their families that they are all right and ask for the support which family can provide in times of crisis, media needs to be able to show what has happened and relay instructions from authorities, government and business needs to rebuild and function, banks especially need to provide service, so mobile satellite Internet can make this possible and enable fast recovery. Several different technology offerings are available, ranging from highly portable low bandwidth (less than 500 Kbps is often quite enough) to multi-megabit per second portable VSAT solutions, which can provide enough bandwidth for a bank central office, a hospital or the command center at City Hall.

Catherine:  What are the challenges getting satellite terminals into Puerto Rico and into the hands of emergency response crew? 

J. Alberto: At this time logistics are extremely challenging. For obvious reasons priority is going to basics like food, fuel, and medicine because lives depend directly on those, but we have been able to get through with equipment, and we trust things will get much better soon.

Catherine:  How can satellite mobile connectivity suppliers lend additional support at this time?

J. Alberto: Demand is still high, and aid organizations and government should be the priority. The media has shown how severe conditions are on the island, so clients can understand why they might have to wait a little more than anticipated for their terminals, and that by being patient they are helping equipment go first into the hands of people and institutions which can help the most at this time. Also, some service plans are priced in tiers where price increases after certain thresholds, in many cases we can deactivate said thresholds. Providers can tell where phones are being used, so it is easy to distinguish between aid and recovery efforts and standard tourism.

Catherine:  What’s the best way for satellite phone suppliers to collaborate with emergency response crews such as FEMA and The National Guard?

J. Alberto: Organizations which operate in disaster response do not have time to deal with issues that may arise such as expired prepaid cards or traffic thresholds or geofences, so the more we can relax those kinds of limits or anticipate them and offer quick solutions then the better they will be able to do their job, which is really urgent. In the specific case of Globalsat Group, we operate the AirtimeSat billing & provisioning platform; this cloud-based system allows us to look up call records, provision SIM cards, download invoices, set traffic alerts and many other time saving features.

Catherine:   What can the satellite mobility community learn from Puerto Rico? 

J. Alberto: Actually, the MSS community has a clear vision of what is needed. What has happened in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico has been very visible because we live in a US-centered media landscape, but disasters are unfortunately happening very often -almost all the time- in other parts of the world, so we have learned quite a bit already. Perhaps this kind of exposure can help the rest of the community understand the value of preparedness. This is key because even though the technology is readily available, getting it into the right hands before disaster strikes can be a challenge.

Catherine: How does the mobility community get ahead of the next natural disaster to guarantee that supplies are available and readily accessible for emergency response and reconstruction needs? 

J. Alberto: There are undoubtedly things we can do, like increase stock in a geographically spread out kind of way. Actually in our case we already do that, because Globalsat Group operates as multiple connected but separate entities in 9 countries. But I believe we all need to help our customers understand how important it is for them to be prepared, and this means not only having the technology in their hands when the time comes, it also means being familiar with it, tests and drills need to be routine so the use of MSS is second-nature and not something that gets in the way during an emergency.

September 22, 2017

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VALEC TAPS INTO THE POWER OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS PROVIDED BY GLOBALSAT GROUP AND INMARSAT TO CONNECT BRAZIL FROM NORTH TO SOUTH

Valec is a Brazilian railway construction and operation company with 550 employees. The public company manages three railways: the North-South Railway, the West-East Integration Railway and the Centre-West Integration Railway.

The organisation plays a major role in developing infrastructure across a very large territory with far-flung cities and complex geography, and is linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Transport.

Challenge:

Valec is currently in the process of building and operating the North-South Railway, which will run from Belém in the North to the southernmost city in Brazil, Río Grande, enabling the movement of valuable commodities. 1575 km of this railway is already in operation, but Valec is still building round 700km of the track. A Central Operations facility coordinates work across the entire span of the railway, controlling the movement of goods trains and other rail vehicles, ensuring that all building and engineering tasks run according to plan. Meanwhile, mechanics, engineers, builders, and other workers are all posted at different points down the length of the track to do construction work and maintenance on specific sections of the railway. Numerous maintenance vehicles drive up and down the line, managing the railway, delivering vital raw materials and moving workers.

Considering the sheer distances involved and the scale of the work at hand, communication between their vehicles, trains and Central Operations is key. Despite this, Valec’s communications previously relied almost completely on a paper system, whereby drivers would be given a ‘license’ from Central Operations, which would specify a beginning and end point for their journey and cargo.

This system was problematic on several levels – for one thing, it did not allow the Central Operations facility to have any real feedback on what its vehicles were doing. It also restricted the agility of Valec

rather than being able to react flexibly to changing events happening along the line and being able to adjust resource allocation accordingly by communicating with drivers, it instead left them with only one reliable point of contact – the paper-based system. Moreover, not being able to see where drivers were in real time represented a safety and health issue, as these drivers were travelling very long distances to remote locations on a daily basis. There was also an economic cost involved with trains – which can be up to 1km long - more likely to consume the extra 800 litres of diesel it takes them to stop and re-start to accommodate unanticipated events on the line.

Solution:

Seeking a better way of working, Valec opened an RFP process, in line with Brazilian federal government procurement regulations. Globalsat Group, a provider of satellite communications and equipment, submitted a proposal combining its technical deployment and management knowhow with the reach and reliability of Inmarsat’s satellite constellation and ground network, at the lowest price provided by any supplier in the process. Inmarsat’s fleet of multiple geostationary satellites delivers seamless global coverage, and this hybrid solution leverages this industry leading network in several ways:

  • GPS tracking constantly transmits the rail vehicles locations back to Central Operations.
  • Drivers are also equipped with push-to- talk (PTT) handsets, enabling them to communicate with Central Operations regardless of where they are.

Both of these functions are enabled by BGAN terminals integrated into the vehicles by Globalsat Group through its affiliate Globalsat do Brasil, and connected to the highly reliable Inmarsat L-band network, which during initial testing proved to have more than 99% availability even on a moving vehicle.

Benefits:

Valec now operates a sophisticated traffic control system, based on the known position of maintenance vehicles and commercial trains. The capacity to see exactly where the vehicles are at any given time and to reliably communicate with drivers throughout the track has not only helped Valec to work more efficiently, but also much more safely.

Bruno Fontoura, from Valec Operations, commented on the hybrid solution: “The North-South Railway is a huge infrastructure project which will help drive our national economy. As a public company that acts for the wider social and economic good of Brazil, the railway must be completed on time and at the right cost, so we must use the right suppliers. Globalsat Group and Inmarsat met our needs very well – although the original project only involved PTT handsets, after we had begun putting in place the solution, it became clear that we needed the vehicles’ precise location to appear on our control panels. The two organisations adapted the solution to our requirements, and adjusted the hybrid solution to include the GPS tracking element that would prove to be such a vital part of the finished service.”

“Importantly, the hybrid solution was skillfully integrated into our existing systems, meaning that we didn’t have to make any major adjustments to control panels or in Central Operations facilities to ensure the whole thing functioned. And finally, all this was delivered on time and at the lowest cost that was offered to us during the RFB process. The system works reliably, saving us money and improving safety standards, and has become the bedrock of the North-South Railway project.”

Executive summary of solutions provided by Globalsat Group and Inmarsat:

  • Systems demonstrations, integration and testing.
  • Car kits containing a PTT device (Combox v2) and the satellite terminal (BGAN Explorer 325 BDU and antenna), for reliable hybrid communications.
  • Inmarsat high availability L-band service and redundant ground network.
  • GPS tracking for 15 maintenance trucks and for 4 commercial cargo maintenance trains.
  • Push to talk services for the 15 maintenance trucks and the 4 commercial cargo trains.
  • Globalsat Group PTT communications server located in a secure facility directly connected to the Inmarsat ground network.

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with   a range of services that can be used  on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat operates around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com.

About Globalsat Group

Globalsat Group is the rst multi-entity Pan-American mobile satellite service (MSS) provider and an industry leader delivering standard voice and data, M2M/IoT, software and hardware in the region since 1999.

With of ces in the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico as well as distributors in the region’s most important cities, the company is in charge of provide satellite telecommunications solutions for thousands of customers in sectors such as maritime, energy, government, defense, media, mining, banking, agriculture, NGOs and tourism. Globalsat Group has received the “2016 Latin America Satellite Communications Company of the Year” Award from the highly recognized international consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Globalsat Group was also named "Company to Watch" in the Emergency Response Mobility Satcom Innovation category by the Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA).

September 14, 2017

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SPACEWATCHME INTERVIEWS: J. ALBERTO PALACIOS OF GLOBALSAT GROUP

In the latest of our SpaceWatchME Interviews, we speak to J. Alberto Palacios, CEO of Globalsat Group

This forward-thinking company is at the very forefront of satellite connectivity across the emerging anddeveloped markets of the Americas. Here, Palacios explains the importance of being able to work with diversity across a fragmented market, the changes that this region is going through, and the opportunity the company has to work with some of the exciting new kids on the satellite block. As important, the Latin American market that GlobalSat operates in has many similarities to the Middle East market.

To begin with, can you give us an overview of the company?

Globalsat Group is a consortium of companies providing mission critical satellite communication services since 1999 across the Americas, mainly in Latin America, although our central office is located within the United States.

Our business is mostly centered around L-band satellite services, but this has been changing of late, both because of market trends and growth and also because of technical innovation. So even though our focus has traditionally been on mobile or COTM (Communications on the Move), there is an increasing overlap in MSS (Mobile Satellite Services) and FSS (Fixed Satellite Services), and our natural growth has also taken us organically into Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT), a technology traditionally more in line with FSS.

On the other hand, we are increasingly active in Machine-to-Machine/Internet of Things (M2M/IoT) which involves providing mission critical satellite links to fixed resources as well as tracking mobile ones. This usually includes large deployments and extensive systems integration.

So you could say we have grown beyond MSS but that is still where our core business is. In the end, it is all about providing communications links that are highly resilient and dependable; we are not in the business of serving the mass market, our clients come to us when lives and infrastructure depend on those links and it is through long term business relationships that we are best able to fulfill their satellite communications service needs.

As a continent with a real mixture of developed and emerging markets, what are the main challenges of working in the Americas?

The real challenge is being able to work with such diversity. Our formula is to have a local presence, with local experts who not only know the technology, but also know the local culture and regulations. Since we run a lightweight and agile organisation this means there is no large-scale staff in any single country, but we work in a very horizontal fashion, travel often and have people from different territories working together dynamically; our clients have straightforward access to our multi-continental array of experts. We sometimes refer to this organisational structure as being a mesh network, using a network technology metaphor. This sits well with customers in all markets where we participate; our style of deep interaction with clients and high adaptability to specific technical needs has gained significant mindshare for our brand, at a speed which is surprising in the usually slow-moving satellite business, and has led to increasing long-term relationships as clients understand how much help we can be.

Can we talk about the overall demand for MSS in the Americas? In which countries are you seeing an increase in demand and why?

The increase is generalised because there is a widespread awareness that at least some degree of connectivity is an operational necessity and not a luxury. This translates not necessarily into broad bandwidth and utopian satellite Internet piped to every workers’ Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD), but M2M/IoT is making its way into everything, so we see an increase in demand across the Americas which involves making sure the “nervous systems” of organisations do not go dark. This kind of demand is driving growth which surpasses growth in traditional voice (satellite phones) and business FSS.

Which market sectors in particular are using Globalsat’s services?

We span multiple vertical sectors such as energy, government, NGOs, agriculture, banking, media, and tourism. Our solutions are present in all MSS areas including land, sea, and air, both directly and through distributors crossing the Americas, and we also serve an increasing number of FSS customers.

What makes Globalsat stand apart from other players in the MSS market?

We are a team of Internet-era geeks, which is not the usual mindset seen in the traditional MSS and FSS worlds. As a result, we do not focus as much on selling devices and airtime; our focus is more on user experience, customer satisfaction and developing a long-term relationship with our clients. We consider ourselves partners, not resellers, regarding satellite operators and equipment manufacturers; we are not here to “sell the stuff.” We are here to help them do efficient, sustainable and socially responsible business, by providing market access and adding value not only “down” to users but also “up” to associates such as Inmarsat, Iridium, Cobham, Hughes, and others.

Also, we are users. We try out and test every new gadget and service and mode and push it all to the limits; we write bug reports and blog about the products. Sometimes we even break devices making sure we know of any weaknesses before they affect our users, and sometimes even before the manufacturer or satellite operator is aware. This has earned us trust not only among our loyal customers but also recognition from our business associates, which have increased our involvement in beta tests and early trials of upcoming and experimental offerings.

On a more down to earth note, our focus on customer experience has led us to implement user-accessible web-based administration consoles for clients which need to manage a large number of user terminals. Our AirTimeSat self-service platform is increasingly popular, especially among our government customers, providing usage alarms, automated service limiting, geofencing and other functionalities which increase their level of cost control and granular management.

Tell us about the work that you are doing regarding emergency communications, including the tsunami warning system in Chile.

The tsunami early warning system in Chile is one of our proudest involvements in the last few years. Because of extensive public-private cooperation and the work of unmatched professionals, death tolls have gone down two orders of magnitude comparing similar events before and after the system was in place. Thanks to this, we were named “Company to Watch” by the MSUA (Mobile Satellite Users Association) in 2016.

The solution involves L-band services on several layers, including relaying real-time sea level information immediately after a quake and activating emergency procedures and evacuation alerts, as well as providing mission critical communications to authorities, making sure a coordinated and efficient response is not delayed by the usual problems with mass communications services which tend to happen after a quake, both because of increased user demand and as an effect of infrastructure damage.

You have recently signed an agreement with LeoSat and also a MoU with Sky and Space Global (SSG). This is an exciting time, with new companies and new possibilities. How are you working with the companies and what are you hoping will be the outcome of collaborating with these emerging satellite companies?

LeoSat is interesting because it combines several key innovations which can provide an entirely unprecedented level of high-end service, while at the same time being technologically closer in scale and form to current deployments than other “big LEO” projects which seem more like science fiction.

As part of our agreement, we will hold a seat on the LeoSat Customer Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC). The committee will advise on system configuration, product design and the launch of LeoSat’s upcoming satellite constellation.

SSG is also interesting but in a very different way: it innovates in the exact opposite direction by appealing to the needs of low-bandwidth M2M/IoT at a price point which cannot be currently met by any satellite system. We are now excited to see their first three experimental satellites in space and we are taking part of the first running tests in Latin America.

How are Mobile Satellite Services transforming Latin America and what are your hopes for the future?

We see a sustained increase in connectedness, consistent with 21st century reality: the Information Society is no longer just a concept, and we will continue to do our part in ensuring that our long term customers have access to easy to use, adaptable, customised and turnkey communications solutions with mission critical class of service and unmatched customer support, spanning from very low bandwidth M2M/IoT to multi-VSAT Non-GEO Virtual High-Throughput Screening (VHTS).

Because we are technologically agnostic, we are not limited to L-Band or particular LEO or GEO satellite fleets. We are already involved in mobile Ka-band VSAT and the coming years will see a fascinating mix of new kinds constellations, terminals, business models and usage cases; we will be there to help our current and future clients and partners mix, match and make sense of it all to fulfill their missions. This is consistent with our emphasis on long-term relationships with customers, a trend we hope to increase in the coming years because it is better for all parties involved.