Evosat Is Re-branding

In March 2010, Evosat SA (Pty) Ltd was acquired by Globecomm Systems of the United States (NASDAQ: GCOM). The change of name from Evosat SA to Globecomm SA is a natural part of the acquisition, however there are no changes to the management, staff, or the local systems of the business; they all continue to function just as before. The acquisition brings big advantages to Evosat because we are now able to access the global engineering and network management resources that Globecomm commands. So look out for our new name in all the same and some new places.

Evosat has also got another sponsorship on the go. Megan Murgatroyd of the Black Eagle Project (www.blackeagleproject.blogspot.com) is using an Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro that we have provided her, with some monthly airtime. Evosat is always glad to support people out there doing their best to save the amazing environment that we are lucky to live in, within South Africa. We wish Megan all the best and hope that she only needs the phone for everyday calls rather than emergencies!

Looking ahead to the rest of 2012, Evosat has already signed up (and activated) a customer for the new Inmarsat BGAN Link service. This new BGAN service allows user with Class 1 BGAN  terminals, in a fixed location, to make use of very large MB packages at an extremely discounted cost. The service allows for 5Gig, 10Gig and 15Gig packages, and is a great new addition to the Evosat portfolio. Also on the cards for new equipment is an external antenna for the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro. This new antenna is mostly aimed at the vehicular market, however, I am sure we will be able to come up with some innovative ideas on how to get our clients making calls from even more remote locations.

Just recently released by Inmarsat, is the new BGAN  M2M service. This service will plug the gap between the IsatPhone Data Pro (very low data rate) and the BGAN (high data rate). The BGAN AN M2M is a solution that allows for deployment of a unit in remote unmanned scenarios where monitoring and SCADA are needed. The Inmarsat BGAN M2M service also opens up business in the banking and finance sector, especially for Africa. Evosat has already had exceptional interest in the BGAN M2M, and we look forward to growing this part of our business over the course of 2012 and beyond.

Nearing the End Of the Year.

Since my last post there has been quite a bit going on in the world of Evosat. IsatPhone Pro has continued to be a winning product, with sales continuing to grow. Stock levels have also risen considerably meaning that supply lines are now functioning at a much higher rate. MWC has also started to become an asked for service by many customers, and new scenarios for its use are being explored every week. MWC is also becoming a stronger product for customers as new upgrades and development are done by the Operations team.

Recently in the GSPS fold, Beam Communications have launched the IsatDock range. These are docking units for the IsatPhone Pro that enable users to get different functionality out of their phones, and use them in different environments. In the Dock range are the IsatDock Lite, The IsatDock Pro, The IsatDock Drive, and the IsatDock Marine. For Evosat, the more exciting products are the Marine and Drive Docks as they will not only be a great service for existing clients, but also bring new clients into the Evosat fold.

The IsatDock Drive is the car kit for the IsatPhone Pro, and comes with an antenna and hands free kit to allow for calls whilst on the move. The IsatDock Marine is the Maritime unit, which is obviously for use at sea. This also comes with a marine antenna and has an IP rating for use at sea. Both units have track and trace capabilities which allow for more functionality than the usual voice and text. These units are manufactured and supplied by Beam Communications, who are based in Australia.

Next month Evosat and our partner Sat4Rent are co-sponsoring the Governors Cup yacht race (1 December till 10 December 2010). The Governor’s Cup is a 1700 mile – usually downwind, yacht race from Cape Town in South Africa, to James Bay on St. Helena Island. No doubt the Evosat Team will be out in force to see the yachts depart from False Bay Yacht club in Simonstown, and to cheer on the competitors.

Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro Launch is here!

This week, the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro that you have been hearing about since last year, finally launches. It has been a long road for both Inmarsat, the developers, as well as  Evosat as a test Partner. I have been closely linked with this product since the beginning, and thus I am very happy to see it realised.

There has been extensive testing of the IsatPhone Pro, and this will continue for the foreseeable future to ensure that not only the hardware, but also the Network is the very best it can be. My colleagues and I here at Evosat have been impressed with the marked improvement, week by week that the IsatPhone Pro has undergone. As with all pieces of technology, there are sure to be ghosts in the machine somewhere- but Inmarsat and Evosat are striving to ensure that they don’t disappoint the customer!

During the testing undertaken by Evosat, a few things have become clear regarding the IsatPhone Pro.  Firstly, the phone is easy to use- which is an absolute necessity for products within the Satellite Communications fold. The phone is also lightweight, yet robust, while maintaining fantastic battery life. The “satellite delay” is hardly noticeable, and the ability to text not only to a mobile, but also to email is a fantastic plus factor. The IsatPhone pro also has a built in GPS facility, a potential life saver when sent as a text.

As a Tier One Partner, Evosat is looking forward to distributing the IsatPhone Pro, and I will personally be very keen to see and hear the feedback from the public, which I am sure, will be very good.

Till next time, cheerio.

GSPS Incoming

Last month Evosat attended the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro Bootcamp held in the UK. The purpose of this training course was to get the relevant members of the launch Distribution Partners up to speed with both the handset itself and the GSPS service. Evosat was able to get a first look at the IsatPhone Pro handset, and make a brief call, which went very well. The IsatPhone Pro promises to be a user friendly and functional satellite phone, with capabilities to match and sometimes beat other competitors in the market.

Some of the useful points of the IsatPhone Pro are: it has in built GPS functionality, and the coordinates can be sent via text to a mobile number or email address. In most areas the satellite phone has walk and talk functionality, which makes it very easy for even an inexperienced user to use. The antenna cuts off satellite searching when not deployed- so therefore saves battery time, which is one of the most important aspects of any satellite phone.

In the past few posts we have met some of the Evosat staff who have been with the company for quite a while, so in this post I thought we should meet some of the new members of the Evosat team. Marco Almeida has been in the Telecoms game for the past 10 years, the last 5 of which ahve been with Inmarsat. His primary role at Evosat is as an Account Manager, however he also supports theEvosat Ops team with his knowledge of the Inmarsat BSS. His main claim to fame however, is an amazing beef espetada done South African Braai style!

Shaun Bates has joined the team to augment the Ops division- giving the guys much needed support in their own areas, but also taking on various products himself. He is currently heading up the Evosat MWC product . Shaun also fits in well with the Evosat team as he can speak a mixture of normal English and “Matrix” English- which helps the non technical understand the technical.

MWC is Here!

Evosat has launched the Morale and Welfare Communications service! MWC will be commercially available to Evosat’s customers as of the 1^st of February 2010. All the pre-launch tests were successful- so customers can now enjoy yet another world class service from Evosat. Please contact Evosat for more general or sales information regarding MWC.

On the GSPS front- the first call has been made over the new IsatPhone Pro, for which Evosat is one of the six launch partners. This means that the service is well on track to be available by the launch date in June 2010. Although it seems a long way to go, pretty soon IsatPhone Pro will be taking the world of satellite communications by storm- so if you want to know more, contact Evosat or take a look at our website, www.evosat.com. The first images have also been released, so take a look at what is sure to become the new standard in handheld satellite communications.

As MWC is launching on 1^st of February, I thought it would be a good time to introduce you to one of the integral members of the Evosat team: Louis Botes. Louis is the Technical Manager at Evosat, which basically means he is in charge of the billing engines, and the back office mechanisms that keep the company running smoothly. Louis has been instrumental in getting MWC to market, as it is very much built around his smart engineering skills. Despite being a very quirky IT guy (described by a colleague as “Third Rock from the Sun ”meets “Big Bang Theory”), it is great to have Louis as part of the team that makes Evosat one of the best.

Well, I can’t believe January is now over. Evosat has hit the ground running for 2010- with numerous projects, tenders, and new customers to take care of, not to mention all the normal day to day operations that go on. If January is anything to go by, Evosat should definitely be in for a good year. Here’s hoping I can share some more highlights with you in the months to come.  Until next time.