[SatNews] The TEKEVER Group and ViaSat have announced a strategic alliance to expand the civilian use of drones with advanced satellite communications.

This joint collaboration will bring ViaSat’s communication technologies onto TEKEVER’s drone platforms to push the boundaries of UAS range in civilian Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) applications. Research and development activities will combine TEKEVER platforms and ViaSat hardware to develop communication systems for current and next-generation civilian drone applications.

ViaSat technologies will include satellite communication products that are robust and can be integrated with Air Traffic Management systems driving the use of drones in “unsegregated” or civilian airspace. The products that will be developed through the TEKEVER and ViaSat strategic alliance will expand the range of civilian service applications for drone usage through enabling smaller platforms and longer missions.

The first use cases that will be demonstrated include: maritime monitoring and critical infrastructure surveillance. 

Executive Comments

Ricardo Mendes, TEKEVER Group chief operating officer, said, “This partnership will increase our capability to deliver more effective solutions for multiple mission profiles, including maritime surveillance, emergency response and monitoring of critical infrastructures.”

“TEKEVER is delivering state of the art unmanned systems to both the military and civilian markets. Joining them will allow us to adapt our technology to new types of applications that we believe will change the future of civilian BLOS UAS applications, ” said Stefano Vaccaro, managing director of ViaSat Antenna Systems Division, Switzerland. “This has a significant worldwide market potential that aligns with the strategic roadmap of both companies.”

Additionally, Global Communications Group, Inc. (GCG) has entered into an agreement with ViaSat to become a master agent for Exede® Business satellite Internet.

Exede Business internet provides 15 Mbps download and 4 Mbps upload speeds and can be used as a primary broadband service or to provide reliable, affordable redundancy in the event of a service disruption with a primary provider. The service is powered by ViaSat-1, a high capacity communications satellite that delivers IP access regardless of the local infrastructure. Exede service is available in many areas across the U.S., including rural communities and remote areas with limited options for high-speed internet. Now available through GCG sales partners, Exede Business internet has the flexibility to support requirements that range from a multi-location business to a single user.

“Exede Business is especially well-suited to businesses challenged by connectivity issues at rural and remote sites, including our oil and gas clients,” said Joel St.Germain, CEO of Global Communications Group. “With the service, our clients will be able to communicate and send data between locations in real time. In addition, many of our clients require diverse access high-speed redundancy—and Exede is an ideal solution.”