News
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Better Satellite World Podcast: Bridging the Broadband Gap, Episode 2 - The Joy of Connecting the World
Hellas Sat is in a unique position to eliminate the digital divide in many areas around the world. The company received an award from the International Telcommunication Union (ITU) in 2022 and a Better Satellite World Award from SSPI in 2021 for enabling broadband connectivity to 127 public clinics and hospitals in Zimbabwe and for its efficient collection and distribution of health data to policy makers. Hellas Sat is making a difference, and it does so with a genuine passion for making the world a better place through satellite. In this second episode of the Bridging the Broadband Gap podcast series, we hear from Ken Karantonis, Space Programs Manager at Hellas Sat, who has been with the company for nearly 20 years. Ken tells us a bit about the company’s approach to closing the digital divide in places that have particularly suffered due to lack of connectivity and how Hellas Sat makes such goals financially feasible to pursue. Kendeas Karantonis is Space Programs Manager at Hellas Sat, a position he has held for over 7 years. In his current role, he is responsible for managing business development and technical feasibility for the company’s new satellite program. Ken also manages the company’s ESA and EU research and innovation strategic programs dedicated to space and ground systems development. He managed the Hellas Sat 4 program end-to-end, from initiation all the way through launch and in-orbit commissioning phases. Before becoming Space Programs Manager, Ken served for 11 years as Senior Satellite Operations Manager, a role in which he supervised the engineering team responsible for fleet monitoring and anomaly resolution and worked closely with support manufacturers to assist in contingency investigation and implementation of corrective actions. Prior to joining Hellas Sat, he spent 3 years as a Project Manager working on Voith turbo Variable Speed Drives systems and 3 years as an R&D Engineer for Wyle Laboratories. This podcast series is sponsored by The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners -
Better Satellite World Podcast: Bridging the Broadband Gap, Episode 1 - The Post-COVID Enterprise
Broadband connectivity is only the foot of the bridge built by satellite networks. In a world shaken and stirred in ways unimaginable, connectivity has been revealed as THE primary economic enabler and the glue to a connected economy and the corporate enterprise. The “hybrid” workforce and the rise of video and massive uses of data among even the smallest companies has made enterprise broadband increasingly essential. So where are the gaps and the opportunities within this sector? What changes have taken place within the company that pioneered and made consumable online access? In this first episode of the Bridging the Broadband Gap podcast series, we take a look at the universe that Hughes created for the current and future enterprise. We speak to executives who discuss the global trends in satellite broadband, the strategy going forward and how broadband is shaping the world’s most dynamic economy: that of the United States. Randy Anders, Vice President of North American Sales at Hughes, leads the team responsible for the company’s enterprise sales in the U.S and Canada. In his role, Mr. Anders heads sales of the HughesON™ suite of managed services, including managed SD-WAN, as well as satellite solutions using high-throughput capacity from the Hughes JUPITER™ fleet, EchoStar fleet and OneWeb low Earth orbit satellites, to enterprises, franchisers, resellers and aeronautical service providers. Over his 20+ year career in the satellite industry, Mr. Anders has assumed increasingly senior sales positions, working at both operator and service provider companies. Prior to joining Hughes, Mr. Anders was Vice President of Sales at Intelsat, responsible for Media, Mobility and Broadband Sales. Mr. Anders served in the United States Marine Corps from 1984 to 1990 and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and a Master of Business Administration degree from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Vaibhav Magow, Vice President of the International Division at Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), leads the company’s broadband systems sales effort in the Asia Pacific, Middle East/Africa, Europe and Russia/CIS regions. Mr. Magow works closely with satellite operators, mobile network operators, and national and local government agencies to tailor and implement high performing and efficient satellite solutions to help connect the unconnected and enable enterprise digital transformations. A satellite communications and IT professional with more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Magow has held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, product development, marketing and program management over the course of his career. Prior to joining Hughes in his regional role, Mr. Magow focused on the Indian satellite market at Hughes Communications India, Ltd. (Hughes India). Mr. Magow obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Pune in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He speaks frequently at regional industry conferences and panels. This podcast series is sponsored by The Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign is underwritten by SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign is made possible with the support of our corporate partners -
SSPI Launches Bridging the Broadband Gap, a Multi-Week Online Exploration of the Space & Satellite Industry’s Potential to Shrink the Digital Divide
(January 23, 2023 – New York City) – Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today announced the beginning of Bridging the Broadband Gap, a multi-week campaign featuring videos, podcasts, live online conversations and a new issue of SSPI’s digital magazine, The Orbiter. The campaign explores the expanding role of satellite broadband in bringing education, connection, humanitarian relief and business services to the unserved and underserved regions of the world. Bridging the Broadband Gap is underwritten by Hughes. The campaign begins today with a podcast interview with Hughes VP of North American Sales Randy Anders and Hughes VP of the International Division Vaibhav Magow. SSPI will feature videos on how satellite provides the benefits of connectivity to places never thought possible in SSPI’s Better Satellite World campaign on the same day. New content will be published weekly at www.sspi.org/cpages/bridging-the-broadband-gap. About Bridging the Broadband Gap Now more than ever, humans need connection to thrive. Satellite has the potential to massively shrink the digital divide in a generation. Will we succeed? Satellite has been used to deliver the internet since the 1990s. Today, technology change, new orbits and new delivery models offer the potential for revolutionary progress in connecting the unconnected. The race is on to deliver more bandwidth to levels never seen before – levels that can meet the needs of millions living beyond the network’s edge while providing an adequate return on the significant investment required. “After many years when satellite broadband was hobbled by high cost and bandwidth constraints, our industry is delivering revolutionary improvements in cost, bandwidth, quality of service and business models,” said executive director Robert Bell. “In Bridging the Broadband Gap, we will look at case studies, impacts on lives and economies and how broadband via satellite may even bring new levels of flexibility and security to the world’s network of networks.” You can learn more about the Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign on SSPI’s website. About SSPI Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is on a mission to make the space and satellite industry one of the world’s best at attracting and engaging the talent that powers innovation. The space and satellite business has never seen a time of greater experimentation and disruption than we see today. Investment is the fuel for transformation, but people are the engine. SSPI helps the industry attract, develop and retain the talented people it needs to keep the engine turning. People who connect through high-profile events and gain recognition from prestigious awards. People who rely on SSPI for a broader understanding of the industry as much as for individual networking and career mentoring. From young people seeking a career path to industry veterans with wisdom to share, SSPI connects them all. Talent, investment and opportunity flow to industries that make a difference. SSPI is the only organization that also promotes the enormous value of space and satellite through dramatic stories of our technologies and companies making a better world. Those stories overturn misconceptions about the industry that hold it back. They inspire our people and attract new ones to the industry. They help justify investment and give new customers a reason to care about our services and products. Through the stories we tell and the people we serve, SSPI inspires the growth of the $1 trillion space economy of the future. For More Information Victoria Krisman Communications Manager Space & Satellite Professionals International vkrisman@sspi.org -
New Better Satellite World Video from SSPI Explores How Connectivity Helps Make Mining More Productive, Safer and Greener
(January 12, 2023 – New York City) – Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today released Smarter Mining, its newest video in the Better Satellite World campaign. It tells the story of how mining companies around the world are improving operations, worker safety and environmental impact through satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things. Smarter Mining is made possible by funding from Speedcast. Modern life depends on a massive stream of minerals that go into everything from buildings and bridges to the phone in your pocket. Keeping the minerals moving takes never-ending attention to safety, efficiency and productivity. The mining industry is investing billions in making mines smarter with Internet of Things and asset tracking technology. Today’s mines use automated drills and self-driving trucks. Trackers monitor their location and operation. Automatic systems monitor air quality in tunnels and smart video surveillance can warn of dangerous conditions in advance. In the smart and connected mine, managers can see and understand the challenges their miners face. IoT systems share data with experts far away, who can advise on tough problems. Automated drills and trucks can work night and day while keeping people out of harm’s way. Most mines operate in remote places, far from communication networks. That’s why miners around the world turn to satellite companies like Speedcast. Speedcast brings advanced connectivity to the world’s most out-of-the-way places. That means building networks in tunnels, across vast open pits, in offices and crew quarters – and connecting them to satellite, because it is the only kind of communication that goes everywhere on earth. “In today’s smart and connected mine,” said executive director Robert Bell, “satellite-delivered IoT is saving lives, automating operations and improving how mines manage their waste. Our video tells the story of how satellite brings this advanced information technology to the most out-of-the-way places on Earth.” You can watch Smarter Mining on SSPI’s website and on Youtube. About SSPI Founded in 1983, Space & Satellite Professionals International (www.sspi.org) is on a mission to make the space and satellite industry one of the world’s best at attracting and engaging the talent that powers innovation. The space and satellite business has never seen a time of greater experimentation and disruption than we see today. Investment is the fuel for transformation, but people are the engine. SSPI helps the industry attract, develop and retain the talented people it needs to keep the engine turning. People who connect through high-profile events and gain recognition from prestigious awards. People who rely on SSPI for a broader understanding of the industry as much as for individual networking and career mentoring. From young people seeking a career path to industry veterans with wisdom to share, SSPI connects them all. Talent, investment and opportunity flow to industries that make a difference. SSPI is the only organization that also promotes the enormous value of space and satellite through dramatic stories of our technologies and companies making a better world. Those stories overturn misconceptions about the industry that hold it back. They inspire our people and attract new ones to the industry. They help justify investment and give new customers a reason to care about our services and products. Through the stories we tell and the people we serve, SSPI inspires the growth of the $1 trillion space economy of the future. For More Information Victoria Krisman Communications Manager Space & Satellite Professionals International vkrisman@sspi.org
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Featured Video
Better Satellite World: Smarter Mining
Mining operations around the world are improving productivity, safety and green practices with the help of satellite connectivity.
Featured Podcast
BETTER SATELLITE WORLD
Bridging the Broadband Gap
In this series, part of the Bridging the Broadband Gap campaign, we explore the expanding role of satellite broadband in the Enterprise and Humanitarian sectors. SSPI will speak with companies that are delivering fast, secure affordable Internet to businesses and institutions; schools and villages. These companies lead the changes that have established new orbits and new delivery models. The race is on to reduce the cost of service to levels never seen before so that the “middle of nowhere” will become no more!