Lepton and Kymeta Join Forces, What it Means For Our Future and For You
By now you may have heard the news that Kymeta Corporation has acquired Lepton Global Solutions. We are excited about this development and how our new collaborative teams can build a better and more complete experience for our future and existing customers. Together, we will accelerate our ability to pursue key opportunities within U.S. defense and government, as well as provide customized end-to-end connectivity solutions that can be deployed quickly and efficiently.
Lepton will operate in much the same way we have until now, but what does this mean if you’re an existing customer? You will experience no interruption in service, and you will continue receiving Lepton’s great suite of products, services, and customer support. You will also have access to more technical resources and more turnkey bundled solutions with capabilities that meet your unique and mission critical needs.
While we anticipate our networks to grow as a function of our recent transaction, the bottom line is this: Lepton customers will continue to receive the industry-leading customer service and 24×7 support that our team strives to offer every day, from our NOC in northern Virginia and headquarters in Redmond, Washington.
While your day-to-day experience won’t change noticeably, the acquisition brings several benefits to both of our existing customer bases.
Stronger, broader, network coverage and global customer support
Kymeta is a leading manufacturer of flat-panel satellite antennas and satellite-cellular hybrid connectivity services, and with the acquisition of Lepton, the company is pivoting toward being an end-to-end solutions provider. Lepton and Kymeta will jointly operate all network services for Kymeta ConnectTM, the bundled subscription services component of the Kymeta offering. As Kymeta’s antenna customer base grows, so will the networks supporting them. This means that Lepton customers – regardless of whether they use Kymeta technology – will have the benefits of broad global coverage and global customer support on the strongest satellites in each region of the world. For those on shared plans, this means the speed experience will be even better.
Increased technical support personnel
Our technical support teams will integrate to provide cross-over support to each customer base. The integration will allow us to expand our NOC team and our talent pool for you to call on whenever and wherever customer support is needed, regardless of the time of day or week. The new combined support team will enable greater personnel availability and increased expertise across each facet of the solution – from network management to remote troubleshooting to hardware expertise to billing and packaging support.
Improved customer service resources
In addition to more technicians and engineers supporting our customers, the acquisition brings a wealth of customer support tools and automation to the customer service experience. Over time, our customers will notice an improved issues ticketing system, a streamlined approach to customer support and issue resolution, and more online access to cases and joint knowledge base resources. We intend to bring world-class service to all of our customers, leveraging our incredible NOC team members and the best-in-class customer service technology that the market has to offer.
New look and feel
As you may have noticed, we have a new logo! Our updated branding reflects the joining of Lepton and Kymeta and the new capabilities it brings to both organizations. Also, before the end of 2020, we are likely to transition from Lepton Global email addresses to the Kymeta domain. We will send a couple of notifications before the transition to give customers ample time to update their contacts. And don’t worry – we will continue to receive your emails at our Lepton Global email addresses even after the migration. Providing immediate, helpful responses to customer inquiries remains our top priority, so we will ensure your communications are received regardless of how you send them.
Continued focus on customer mission
Does this mean an end to mission-based solutions? Not at all. Together, Lepton Global and Kymeta will continue to develop solutions for customers with a focus on the best technology for the customer’s mission. Kymeta’s solutions are designed primarily for mobility customers in need of hybrid satellite and cellular connectivity wherever they go. Lepton services customers with a wide variety of needs and applications, and our solutions will continue to reflect the best technology to meet those requirements.
We are confident that Lepton’s new ownership will mean increased resources and capabilities for our loyal customer base. Of course, if you have any specific questions or concerns about your services or solutions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to serving you!
Executive Q&A
We interviewed Rob Weitendorf and Isabel LeBoutillier, Lepton’s Managing Partners, on what this means for both organizations and important next steps moving forward.
What does the Lepton acquisition mean?
On Tuesday, August 18, Kymeta announced the acquisition of Lepton Global Solutions, a move that captures important synergies and accelerates Kymeta’s ability to pursue key opportunities with U.S. defense and government customers.
Question: Will Lepton and Kymeta be integrated?
Yes.
The Lepton brand will continue to operate as Lepton, a Kymeta company, and will continue to operate from the Lepton offices in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia. Lepton’s Managing Partners – Rob Weitendorf and Isabel LeBoutillier – will join the Kymeta management team.
Additionally, Lepton already hosts Kymeta’s satellite connectivity solutions. As a combined entity, the new offerings and capabilities will bring unique, complete, bundled solutions to the market based on best-in-class technologies and tailored customer-centric services that meet and exceed customer mission requirements. The integration of Lepton and Kymeta will bring the best of both companies to a unified organization.
Question: What will happen to Lepton’s existing networks?
Lepton will continue its day-to-day network operations including the management and growth of its global Ku-band networks. Lepton will also continue to support all customers with their existing capabilities (C-band, Ka-band, and X-band networks). Lepton’s broad services offering is an attractive capability from the perspective of both companies.
Customers will experience the same industry-leading customer support and service, now with the resources and capabilities of Kymeta supporting their operations.
Question: Will Lepton continue to sell other satellite hardware?
When applicable, Lepton will sell in combination with Kymeta services, but will also continue offering products from the best-in-breed manufacturers they have partnered with for years.
Question: Are there other transactions on Kymeta’s horizon?
There are no other transactions to comment on currently. Kymeta intends to be the leader in making mobile global. The company is pragmatic, ambitious, and intends to continue growing. It will continue to be opportunistic.
