[SatNews] VT iDirect, Inc. (iDirect), a company of Vision Technologies Systems, Inc. (VT Systems), has announced that UK-based independent teleport operator—Cobbett Hill Earth Station—is upgrading the network of its maritime services unit, ION (International Ocean Services), to the iDirect Evolution 3.2 Platform.
The acquisition of maritime satellite communications provider ION in 2013 marked Cobbett Hill Earth Station’s expansion into the commercial maritime market, which, according to NSR, will hold close to 1 million in-service units by 2023. This will be the first in a series of technology investments that Cobbett Hill Earth Station has planned for ION. Once all ION networks are upgraded to iDirect Evolution 3.2, customers will experience improved performance on the outbound channel through ACM and the inbound channel through Adaptive TDMA. Overall, increased bandwidth optimization will boost the power of its maritime broadband services. Once the upgrade is complete across all ION networks, the company plans to implement the iDirect X7 Satellite Router.
Paul O’Brien, Founder and Managing Director, Cobbett Hill Earth Station, said, “Cobbett Hill Earth Station is committed to providing our customers across the globe with the network performance and reliability necessary to operate in a highly efficient manner. We believe the upgrade to iDirect Evolution 3.2 underscores this commitment and look forward to the enhanced capabilities we will be able to deliver to maritime customers as a result.”
“Cobbett Hill Earth Station represents a significant example for the way which Evolution 3.2 can deliver powerful capabilities in some of the most demanding environments. We believe this can be a model for other companies looking to provide customers with better quality, more resilient services at a higher performance," added Stephen Tunnicliffe, Regional Vice President, Europe, iDirect.
Cobbett Hill Earth Station is located in Guildford (UK) 30 minutes from Central London and offers satellite teleport services to a geographically diverse and multi-disciplined customer base. The Teleport has been located in Guildford since 1996 and operates numerous antennas on geostationary satellites located from 65 degrees East to 57 degrees West, providing data, voice and broadcast services. The Teleport is part of a 200-acre complex of antennas and industrial buildings. The site was a 2nd World War army barracks that was taken over by the RAF in the 1950’s and became a radio and secure HF transmissions site. The demise of HF communications gave CHE the opportunity to purchase the facility in 2005. Since that time, CHE has systematically improved the facility and continues to do so long term. The Teleport has undergone an extensive infrastructure refurbishment and upgrade plan, which has enabled CHE to create a modern and resilient Teleport equipped for the needs and demands of today’s customers.
The iDirect infosite is located at http://www.idirect.net/
For more information regarding CHE, please visit http://www.cobbett-hill.com/
