O3b Networks CEO Hails Kymeta Deal, Expands on Latin American Opportunities
| September 17, 2013 | Feature, Latin America, Publications, Regional, Satellite News Feed, Telecom
Steve Collar, CEO, O3b Networks
[Via Satellite 09-17-13] After seeing its first four satellites launch successfully in June, O3b Networks has been dealt a blow by the news that its second group of four satellites will not be ready for launch until the first quarter of next year. However, this hasn’t stopped the company to keep itself busy signing new partnerships and preparing for operations.
One of the deals O3b recently signed was with Kymeta to develop flat panel satellite antennas, and the company was also granted a key regulatory approval in Brazil. Steve Collar, CEO, O3b Networks told Via Satellite that having worked with Kymeta for around 12 months, the operator was ready to take it’s relationship with the company to the next stage.
“Kymeta has very interesting flat panel antenna technology, which can be used to build low profile tracking antennas to address different market segments for O3b. These antennas will have no moving parts and a smaller footprint than the first generation of O3b ground antennas,” he said. “We see direct benefits of this technology in segments that we address today such as mobile backhaul and enterprise, and we think Kymeta will also help enable other applications for O3b in the government space. We have been working with Kymeta for more than a year now, this new deal is building on a previous study that we collaborated on. We think the technology is extremely promising and that the benefits to O3b and its customers will be significant.”
Kymeta is a relative new company without much experience in this business, but Collar is not concerned. “While Kymeta itself is a new company, its parent –Intellectual Ventures – has been working in this area for almost a decade,” he said. “We looked at a number of alternative flat panel solutions and felt that Kymeta had the best technology to develop what we were looking for – flexible, affordable flat panel antennas compatible with the O3b system.”
Read more at Via Satellite
