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.

Evosat Sponsorships

Evosat has two new sponsorships on the go. Firstly, Evosat is sponsoring Hanli Prinsloo (www.hanliprinsloo.com), a world class Freediver based in Cape Town. Hanli holds 11 South African records for freediving and competes at the highest level all round the world, including this year’s Freediving World Champs. Hanli is also an environmentalist, and campaigns tirelessly to raise awareness for marine ecological issues. Evosat has provided Hanli with all the mobile satellite equipment including the Inmarsat IsatPhone Pro, BGAN and Fleetphone. Hanli uses her satellite equipment from Evosat to keep in touch with the rest of the world from all the different places and environments that she finds herself.

A Year In The Wild (www.yearinthewild.com), is a yearlong expedition round 31 of South Africa’s game parks, by photographer and journalist, Scott Ramsay. His expedition is best summed up by Scott himself, “From 12 June 2011 to 30 June 2012, I’ll be exploring and documenting the wild places of South Africa. The goal is to promote the conservation of the country’s natural wonders, by sharing my photos, videos and blogs with the world via social media. I’ll travel to 31 of South Africa’s most special wilderness and wildlife areas. In these unique areas, I’ll be interviewing rangers, community leaders, environmental and cultural activists, ecologists, scientists, researchers, travellers and school kids. Ultimately I’d like to raise awareness of African wilderness – and why it’s important to the people of the continent and the world. Evosat has provided Scott with an Inmarsat BGAN terminal (Explorer 500) to keep in touch from the more remote places he will be visiting.

On a slightly different note, Inmarsat has launched some new services with the Global Satellite Phone Services portfolio which I will be highlighting in my next post. However, I will also have updates regarding Hanli and Scott, as well the latest from 7 Summits Seven Flights.