SES Demonstrates Ground Breaking New O3b Satellite
Technology for U.S. Government Customers
SES Government Solutions (SES GS) hosted a
capabilities demonstration of the O3b satellite
constellation for U.S. Government customers at MacDill
Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Members of the armed
forces witnessed the enhanced communications
capabilities available to them through the new O3b
satellite fleet, including increased information
throughput and significantly reduced latency.
The satellite network, consisting of Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
satellites flying 5,009 miles above the Earth’s surface, was
able to backhaul and disseminate multiple channels of HD full
motion video and simultaneously stream 4K real-time video at
fiber-like speeds in a remote field of operations with no fiber
infrastructure.
“O3b is a ground-breaking technology that will greatly
enhance government capabilities. This is not just an incremental
boost in network performance, but offers the potential to change
the way users operate, providing communication capabilities not
previously available,” said President and CEO of SES Government
Solutions, Tip Osterthaler. “It gives the warfighter fiber-like
connectivity on day one of operations."
The applications for this technology include backhaul and
forward distribution of Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR) data, as well as enhanced, real-time
command and control. O3b satellites can facilitate the immediate
distribution of high resolution maps, weather data and other
processed information for use by deployed forces. Since O3b has
fiber-like performance, it will allow deployed commands to
optimize the current architecture of deployed communications
networks, enabling them to leave latency-sensitive applications
in the rear and lighten their IT infrastructure footprint with
no loss of capability.
O3b also offers steerable spot beams which can be repointed
on short notice or follow a moving asset. O3b system operations
and narrow spot beams can make communications difficult to
intercept and jam, enhancing security for the government user.
By steering an O3b satellite beam to remote locations, customers
can also acquire the superior performance, including lower cost
per bit for higher throughputs, at locations specified by
customers. O3b’s satellites include Ka-band coverage of +/-45°
over major world conflict hotspots, Latin America, Africa,
Middle East, South and East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
SES GS was the first government distribution partner to
include O3b on their General Services Administration (GSA)
Schedule (as of June 30, 2014), making them the first
distribution partner to offer O3b capability directly to the
U.S. Government. The equipment used at the demonstration is
currently available on their GSA Schedule. Additionally, O3b
products and capacity are available for purchase through the
Future COMSATCOM Services Acquisition (FCSA) contract jointly
administered by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).
