iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of VT Systems Inc (VT Systems), announced NewCom International, a global communications provider, has rolled out an iDirect-based DVB-S2 broadband satellite service in Colombia to bring 21st century communications to key government and community facilities in remote locations. The initiative, which is being funded by the COMPARTEL program through Colombia’s Ministry of Communications, provides high-speed Internet access to hospitals, schools, police departments, fire departments, city government offices and cyber cafes.

The communications project was launched in partnership with Colombia-based telecom provider Contecol. NewCom is deploying iDirect’s DVB-S2 Evolution platform for the Colombia initiative to take advantage of optimized bandwidth and reduced costs. The network will be managed by NewCom from its teleport facility in Miami, with Contecol providing on-the-ground logistics. Contecol originally tapped NewCom to provide satellite services for 650 locations. Based on NewCom’s quality performance over the past six months, Contecol recently awarded NewCom 300 additional sites in 2009, with an additional 1,000 sites expected to roll out by the end of Q1 2010.