ESA’s ARTES programme has been instrumental in helping Newtec (BE) to win a contract with UAE-based satellite operator Yahsat for the delivery of service platforms and operating systems to support Yahsat's entry into the Brazilian satellite broadband services market. Yahsat’s third satellite, Al Yah 3, which will carry a payload of 58 Ka-band spot beams, is scheduled for launch in early 2017. Once operational, this High Throughput Satellite (HTS) will enable the delivery of affordable broadband services to a region that encompasses more than 95 percent of the population in Brazil and 60 percent of the population in Africa.
Yahsat has awarded the contract to Newtec for use of the Newtec Dialog multiservice VSAT platform including VSAT broadband hubs, user terminals, Operating Support System (OSS), and Business Support System (BSS). The contract also caters for the supply of various types of Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). The turnkey solution provided by Newtec, in partnership with Tech Mahindra, is integrated with an Oracle platform, bringing Tier-1 capabilities to the OSS/BSS layer. Tech Mahindra comes with over 20 years of experience in delivering OSS/BSS solutions to global telecom operators and has a strong presence in Brazil.
Yahsat’s collaboration with Newtec provides the operator with the opportunity to adopt best-in-class products, given Newtec’s commitment to its 30 years of continued R&D in the field of satellite communication, and the development of new features and functionalities that future-proof Yahsat’s platform investments.
The Newtec Dialog system has been developed within the scope of the ARTES 5.2 Beamsat and ARTES 3-4 Beamsat B2X activities. Newtec's patented return technology Mx-DMA is the successful outcome of the ARTES 3-4 Pleiades project.
"Both Artes 3-4 projects have been instrumental in realising the Newtec Dialog solution, which is the cornerstone of the partnership contract between Yahsat and Newtec,” says Geert Adams, VP R&D Programs & Competence Centers at Newtec.
“This contract award represents an important milestone for Newtec in delivering an end-to-end ground system broadband solution for an HTS. It demonstrates how the high innovation technology supported by the ARTES programme has a significant impact on the competitiveness of ESA Member States Industry in the worldwide commercial satcom market,” says Domenico Mignolo, Head of Ground and User Segment Technologies and Products Section at ESA.
