Telesat selects Intellian for Lightspeed terminals
March 10, 2022
Ottawa-based Telesat is building a constellation of low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites and has selected Intellian Technologies to design and supply fixed site user terminals for the Telesat Lightspeed satellite network.
Telesat says these high-performance user terminals feature dual-parabolic antennas that are dome-shaped providing protection from external weather conditions stemming from Intellian’s expertise in maritime designs. A true make-before-break configuration, this support from Intellian will help service Telesat’s LEO network with highly reliable and secure internet access across applications for a range of customers: enterprise, first responders, mining, and defense.
Telesat will use early deliveries of Intellian terminals to support system development and performance testing, and during the Telesat Lightspeed Alpha and Beta Test phases, to demonstrate system capabilities to Telesat’s enterprise, telecom and government customers, including the Government of Canada. Telesat and Intellian are also discussing terminal development programmes for other market segments.
Telesat’s Lightspeed is claimed to be the first LEO network optimized to meet the rigorous requirements of telecom, government, maritime and aeronautical customers.
“Operating under its international priority Ka-band spectrum rights, Telesat Lightspeed will redefine global satellite connectivity with ubiquitous, affordable, high-capacity links with fibre-like speeds,” says Telesat.
“As a proven terminal provider for Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO demonstrations and with their extensive experience in deploying tracking antennas for NGSO networks, Intellian is the right partner to enable customer access to the Telesat Lightspeed network from anywhere in the world,” says Aneesh Dalvi, Telesat’s Director of LEO Landing Stations and User Terminals. “Intellian’s carrier-grade, dual-parabolic terminals will be an integral component of Telesat’s low-latency, high-performance Telesat Lightspeed ecosystem.”
“We’re very pleased to be a technological cornerstone of such a significant venture,” adds Eric Sung, Intellian CEO. “This contract is another resounding affirmation of our position as a market leader, partnering to deliver unparalleled value to customers across a diverse range of markets. Our proven capabilities to design cutting-edge, high-performance and flexible solutions synonymous with our products make us an ideal partner for Telesat.”