Tag Archives: Speedcast

News, Telecoms

Seadrill Renews Speedcast Connectivity Partnership with Three-Year Service Agreement

Contract renewal affirms Speedcast’s innovation and market leadership, ensures latest technology delivered across global deepwater drilling fleet

Aberdeen, United Kingdom — May 10, 2022 — Speedcast, a leading communications and IT services provider, today announced that the company has been selected by Seadrill to continue providing services for its global fleet via a three-year contract. Under the terms of the agreement, Speedcast will deliver the latest connectivity solutions to best serve Seadrill’s deepwater drilling fleet in operation across the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, North Sea and African Coast regions. Seadrill is a global drilling contractor operating drill ships, jack-ups and semi-submersible assets for shallow and deepwater oil and gas projects.

As part of the renewal, Speedcast will ensure ongoing connectivity across the fleet via provision of customized, fully managed networking solutions, incorporating VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) satellite technology, as well as onboard network support for equipment. The solution also includes LTE services for specific regions of the global fleet.

Beyond corporate connectivity, Speedcast will also continue delivery of crew Wi-Fi via its LAUNCH Internet offering. Seadrill has relied on Speedcast’s crew welfare solutions for more than five years aboard its global fleet, and this contract renewal solidifies ongoing technology evolution benefitting its crews.

Seadrill’s commitment to partnering with an industry leader in advanced technology and innovation allows for its future growth, as well as continued collaboration via Speedcast’s consultative approach.

“We’re honored to have Seadrill’s continued commitment with Speedcast as we build upon our partnership spanning more than 10 years,” said Richard Elson, Executive Vice President – Energy at Speedcast. “We thrive on providing turnkey connectivity solutions for our customers, utilizing a specific blend of technologies to ensure we best meet their operational needs. In this very competitive industry landscape, this renewal speaks to our ability to execute on that, while also upholding the long-term trust of valued partners such as Seadrill.”

“Speedcast has historically brought a consultative approach in partnering with us on our fleet connectivity needs,” said Greg McGavin, Vice President – Supply Chain at Seadrill. “Because of this, along with the delivery of high-quality service and support for our assets and teams across the globe, we had no hesitation when it came to the decision of renewing this contract. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Speedcast team and the advanced technologies they offer to fully equip our fleet.”

“To ensure we’re providing technologies that maximize the success of our fleet operations, we continuously evaluate our IT portfolio and services at Seadrill,” said Jennifer Hohman, Chief Information Officer & VP at Seadrill. “We understand the critical role that connectivity solutions play in an effective and efficient drilling campaign, and Speedcast is a trusted partner to deliver on these requirements.”

To learn more on Speedcast’s LAUNCH internet and entertainment offering for crews, visit our website at www.speedcast.com/launch.

News, Transport

Speedcast Signs Partnership Agreement with Lars Thrane to Deliver Iridium® Safety Solutions

Speedcast portfolio addition offers certified safety communications services for maritime customers

Aberdeen, United Kingdom — April 5, 2022 — Speedcast, a leading communications and IT services provider, announced today its partnership with Lars Thrane, offering a suite of terminals and the ability to deliver Iridium® Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services. Following Iridium’s launch of the GMDSS service in 2020, this contract formalizes the addition of the service to Speedcast’s Managed Services portfolio.

As part of the agreement, Speedcast will offer the full range of Lars Thrane terminals – models LT-3100, LT-3100S and LT-4100, with the LT-3100S as the only Iridium GMDSS certified terminal available today. Connectivity service for the terminals will be delivered through Iridium’s low-latency global network, providing reliable coverage even in adverse weather around the entire globe, including over the Arctic and Antarctic waters. As the most advanced mariner safety service in the market, Iridium GMDSS encompasses a set of protocols, equipment, and communications systems designed to ensure that if a ship is in distress, aid can be dispatched from anywhere in the world. The contract scope also provisions Speedcast as a strategic partner for Iridium GMDSS, with trained engineers ready for deployment worldwide.

“Speedcast strives to continuously provide the latest advancements in technology to best equip our customers for operational success,” said Jeffrey Irwin, Vice President, Product Management at Speedcast. “We’re pleased to offer certified safety solutions via our partnership with Lars Thrane. By combining the delivery of Iridium GMDSS services via Lars Thrane’s best-in-class terminals, with corporate and crew connectivity provided by Speedcast’s global mobility network, customers can realize ubiquitous communications to meet all their fleet needs. This is a game changer for maritime industry safety.”

“The decision to partner with Speedcast was straightforward, given its global footprint, maritime expertise, professional field engineers and status as a long-term partner with Iridium,” said Thomas Flinth, Sales Manager at Lars Thrane. “We look forward to revolutionizing maritime safety by joining forces to deliver the communications tools necessary to keep mariners safe.”

To learn more about Iridium GMDSS service, visit www.speedcast.com/Iridium-GMDSS or email info@Speedcast.com.

IT Services, News

Speedcast Adds Software Path Certification from AWS to Its Cloud Qualifications, Bringing New Value to Customer Solutions

  • Technical validation of Speedcast SIGMA adds to the company’s credentials within the APN, including Advanced Tier Services and AWS Public Sector Program
  • Speedcast’s SIGMA platform runs on AWS to provide customers with simplified network management and quick adaptation for changing operational needs
  • Speedcast subject matter experts collectively hold more than 32 AWS certifications and 84 AWS accreditations to help customers navigate a secure and flexible path to cloud and application modernization

Houston, Texas — March 22, 2022 — Speedcast, a leading communications and information technology (IT) services provider, announced today that it has been recognized as an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Software Path partner and its SIGMA cloud-based platform has received technical validation from AWS. The designation follows an AWS Foundational Technical Review of the company’s cloud implementation of SIGMA, its smart network management platform, allowing quick adaptation for changing operational needs. The SIGMA platform enables seamless integration of very small aperture terminals (VSAT), cellular, 4G/5G satellite backhaul, and L-band connectivity to deliver high capacity and high reliability for even the most remote operations.

SIGMA on AWS unites Speedcast’s fully managed, end-to-end network management solution, which creates a unified and adaptive network environment from multiple and changing transmission paths, with the flexibility and scalability of AWS. It includes advanced cybersecurity as a service, the ability to run value-added applications in virtual machines, and automated traffic prioritization and management. In its AWS implementation, SIGMA provides an even more cost-effective and secure connection to a company’s cloud and on-premise applications and data without adding new hardware or deploying new resources. The combination delivers improved business continuity, reduced costs, and increased flexibility.

“This latest Software Path accreditation is a reflection of our successes delivering cloud-based solutions in AWS to drive digitalization for customers,” said Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at Speedcast. “Leveraging our SIGMA software-defined smart network management and AWS services, we can deliver full value to the edge for customers to maximize what their remote sites can achieve.”

The Software Partner certification is the latest in a line of AWS designations, dating back to 2019 when Speedcast became one of the first satellite service providers to achieve Advanced Tier Partner status. Speedcast secured the designation in part due to the company’s demonstrated capability and success in delivering multiple cloud-based solutions to customers. The Advanced Tier Partner status also required Speedcast employees to achieve the following individual certifications: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty, AWS Certified Security- Specialty, and AWS Certified Database-Specialty. Today, Speedcast employees collectively hold more than 32 AWS certifications and 84 AWS accreditations, demonstrating the scale of their cloud expertise, capabilities, and engagement in the AWS ecosystem to deliver unsurpassed knowledge to customers in technology selection, application support, routing and acceleration, and service design.

Speedcast is also designated as an AWS Public Sector Partner, validating the company’s solutions for their sound architecture and adherence to AWS best practices, which translates into reduced technology risks for customers.

The implementation of SIGMA on AWS allows networks to further scale and grow to meet customer needs, letting Speedcast connect any customer site to AWS through SIGMA with a satellite-optimized Virtual Private Network as part of an existing service. No additional hardware or connectivity is needed because SIGMA becomes the on ramp to the cloud.

With SIGMA on AWS, customers future-proof their networks and operations, gain instant scalability and increased agility, and can seamlessly control their operations. SIGMA is just one of Speedcast’s unique network management applications now running in AWS. Others include Speedcast TrueBeam, which combines smart satellite beam-switching and software-defined traffic steering to maximize network performance, and Speedcast’s SD-WAN solution, which creates a virtualized network from the capacity of all the circuits available to it. To learn more about the Speedcast SIGMA platform visit www.speedcast.com/sigma.

News, Telecoms

Speedcast and OneWeb Sign Partnership to Bring LEO Capabilities to the World’s Largest Network

Technical testing and assessments validate LEO as a connectivity pathway, joining GEO, MEO and 4G/5G for high-demand applications

Houston, Texas – March 21, 2022 – Speedcast, a leading communications and IT services provider, announced today that it will become a OneWeb Distribution Partner, integrating OneWeb’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity into Speedcast’s Unified Global Platform (UGP).

OneWeb is set to enter customer trials in mid-2022, bringing in LEO service for Speedcast’s energy and enterprise customers followed by maritime mobility in 2023. The agreement will add OneWeb’s enterprise-grade, high-speed LEO connectivity to the Speedcast platform, which is one of the largest technology-agnostic networks in the world, seamlessly adding LEO as a connectivity pathway, joining GEO, MEO and 4G/5G for high-demand applications.

Making this integration possible is Speedcast’s substantial investment in network management technologies, with future-ready, software-defined services to help evolve customer operations and maximize what remote sites can achieve. Speedcast’s UGP monitors and automatically selects the right network path based on changes in operating environment, switching among satellites and between space and terrestrial routes to enable any device to choose the right communications path and connect sites and sensors to headquarters, cloud networks and other remote operations. Together with OneWeb services, Speedcast’s global platform will ensure customers in the maritime, energy and enterprise industries benefit from a multi-path, multi-orbit future that includes new LEO connectivity options.

Speedcast is already partnering with OneWeb on live service demonstrations, and this collaboration will extend further in the coming months as Speedcast plans to participate in trials relating to the constellation’s antenna tracking, handovers and related ground equipment.

“Thoroughly testing and evaluating new technologies is at the forefront of how we innovate and deliver advanced solutions for our customers,” said Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at Speedcast. “Our collaboration with OneWeb speaks to both organizations’ alignment in meeting customers’ needs for comprehensive solutions enabling the highest levels of performance. LEO will be an important component in our Speedcast portfolio of managed communications paths, from GEO and MEO to 4G and 5G terrestrial wireless.”

Neil Masterson, CEO at OneWeb, commented on the partnership, sharing: “We are absolutely delighted to enter into a distribution agreement with Speedcast, further extending our mission to provide connectivity to the remotest places on Earth. This agreement will enable Speedcast to expand its expertise in integrated connectivity services for the maritime, energy and enterprise industries with OneWeb’s LEO satellite innovations. Speedcast and OneWeb are looking forward to the results of forthcoming trials this year, where we’ll demonstrate real progress on our maritime mobility and land enterprise offerings.”

Speedcast has also recently been commissioned to develop critical ground infrastructure for OneWeb to support the fleet operator’s Earth Station requirements in parts of Latin America. This agreement reaffirms OneWeb’s ongoing commitment and mission to deliver enterprise grade connectivity for those hardest to reach. OneWeb’s LEO constellation currently includes 428 satellites in orbit, representing two-thirds of its planned fleet, with launches planned to continue later in 2022. OneWeb already has an operational network for the remotest parts of the world above 50 degrees north.

For updates on Speedcast’s non-geostationary (NGSO) satellite testing and assessments as OneWeb prepares to enter service, sign up for the company’s quarterly Speedcast Source newsletter or visit www.speedcast.com/NGSO.