Rivada Space Networks Expands U.S. Team

 31st July 2024

Rivada Space Networks has strengthened its U.S. team through several key new hires. John Guiney joins as Chief Operations Officer; Michael Abad-Santos is Head of Sales for the U.S. and deputy Chief Commercial Officer; and Jeffrey Chandler has joined as Director of Sales, U.S.

As the first unified global communications network, Rivada’s Outernet is transformative. A global low-latency, point-to-point network of 600 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, it is a unique next-generation constellation combining inter-satellite laser links with advanced onboard processing and routing to create a ubiquitous optical mesh network in space. This “orbital network,” in which data stays in space from origin to destination, creates an ultra-secure, private satellite network with pole-to-pole coverage, offering end-to-end latencies much lower than terrestrial fiber over long distances. And by routing traffic on a physically separated network, it provides a layer of defense for any enterprise or government organization that needs to securely share data.

For enterprise and government customers, the key attributes of the Rivada Outernet are ideal for a variety of applications: It will give banks and other global businesses a secure network within a single domain to connect distributed offices, provide significantly more bandwidth for remote oil & gas operations, enable seamless connectivity for shipping & fleet management, and provide 5G satellite backhaul connectivity network expansion for cellular operators. Connectivity providers around the globe can gain a competitive advantage by expanding these markets, enabling new opportunities through secure, multi-gigabit bi-directional performance, combined with worldwide reach.

John Guiney has over 40 years’ experience in mission-operations leadership in the space sector, including direct participation in mission readiness for more than 50 satellite launches. John was previously with LEO satellite operator OneWeb, where he played a key role in satellite operations center design and integration of network operations, and telecommunications systems testing and evaluation. John has also worked on mission readiness and operations for Orbital ATK, Iridium, Lockheed, GE and the U.S. Air force.

Michael Abad-Santos has over 25 years’ experience in the space and telecommunications industry, including key roles with Inmarsat, Trustcomm, LeoSat and BridgeComm, where he developed a deep understanding of the market trends, customer needs, and technology opportunities that drive the future of connectivity. Michael is also an independent Board Member of GoGo Business Aviation, the driving force behind breakthrough ideas and technology that connects business aviation passengers, pilots and operators.

Jeff Chandler joins Rivada as Sales Director, U.S. with over 20 years’ experience in IT infrastructure and communications. Having previously held positions at Inmarsat, Cobham Satcom and Marlink, Jeff specializes in connectivity for the maritime, enterprise and oil & gas markets.

Declan Ganley, CEO of Rivada Space Networks, said: “Rivada is building our Outernet to provide a new and transformative solution to today’s biggest data networking challenges, and we will deploy a highly secure global communications backbone to power a new wave of innovation in digital communications. With now over $10 billion of business globally for our unique LEO network, we are seeing enormous appetite for Rivada’s Outernet. Our strengthened U.S team allows us to move forward rapidly to achieve our goal of becoming a connectivity disruptor, at the forefront of satellite and terrestrial convergence.” ENDS